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I refer to the letter by Mr Publio Agius under the above heading (MaltaToday, Sunday 9 October 2005).
The arrogant manner in which he brushed away Mr Edward Torpiano’s letter is symptomatic of the man and belies all outward appearances.
Mr Agius took me to task by saying that I did “… not bother to show any interest in the matter until …” I was faced “… with the reaction of the residents?” Now this is really incredible! Had Mr Agius had his way, most of the residents wouldn’t even have known what lay in store for them and it’s thanks to me, and eventually the other councillors, that the residents could have their say.
The whole thing started when certain people shared with me their preoccupation as to the Residents’ Parking Scheme which had to accompany the Park and Ride project. I therefore put the matter on the following council meeting’s agenda and on my sole initiative I publicised throughout Floriana the contents of the White Paper. This gave way to an even bigger reaction from the residents and during the said council meeting I subsequently moved a motion for the know that their Mayor initially adopted a hostile attitude towards my suggestion for a public consultation and whilst criticising me for raising the issue at that stage, he made it clear that as far as he was concerned, and as far as opinions go, the matter was decided.
Why did the Mayor, had he acted responsibly, as he affirmed, and knowing that the social considerations he proposed had been completely ignored in the White Paper, been so irked at the prospect of a local public information and consultation meeting?
That he backed off soon after and agreed to the meeting was only because he realised that my proposal had the backing of the Council. So the Mayor is being completely dishonest, to put it mildly, when he said that I had remained “… passive on such an important issue.”
He is being likewise totally dishonest and is loyal to a fellow councillor when he brought into the issue my absence from a couple of meetings, when on both those occasions I was working at the University of Malta. These tactics of his are even more underhanded when considering also that he himself has often arrived late for, or missed, meetings.
As to the matter of the questionnaire I have already admitted that I failed to submit it in time and, contrary to what Mr Agius is wanton to do all the time, I did not search for any stupid and lame excuses. However I more than up for it, as I explained above, with my lively and important contribution to the issue in the interests of the people of Floriana and the commercial community so much so that my call for a public meeting through the publicity given to it, eventually led to a national debate over the matter.
Mr Agius should be utterly ashamed at even suggesting that I am also being passive in other fields when he had contrived with others, early on in this council, to marginalise me and he retained this attitude even when he took over the mayorship. Was this on the orders of his political masters with whom this supposedly independent mayor has recently admitted, after umpteenth sanctimonious denials, to having a “working relationship” (a euphemism it took him so time to concoct) with?
Faced with such a vindictive attitude, others might be tempted to adopt a passive stance, but I have always and will continue to be put the interests of Floriana and its community above personal considerations and I am proud that my valid contribution to the present council, within the constraints imposed on me by, amongst others, Mr Agius is trying to pull wool over people’s eyes when he said that “The question of consultation… is subject to interpretation”. In any case, the local council, most Florianities, Mr Emmanuel Delia and Mr Jesmond Saliba do not agree with his interpretation but if Mr Agius is happy to live with his own illusions, there is not much one can do about it.
Mr Agius said that “people in glasshouses should never throw stones”. I pity him so much as he’s probably expressing what he has had to go through the last months, so frustrated and longing so much to criticise publicly some of his other council colleagues but having to bottle up and gag himself lest he offends his political benefactors and protectors. A luxury he can only indulge in with a fellow independent councillor who hasn’t a powerful party machine behind him.
Nigel Holland
Councillor, Floriana
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