David delivered

The only consolation for the Nationalist Party in last week's local elections was its success in tiny Gharb, where it gained 5.3 percentage points over 2003, increasing its share to 70.5 per cent.

Had the party fielded four instead of three candidates, it would probably have won four of the five council seats.

The reason for this success is obvious: Gharbin have tangibly seen the progress made in the village under mayor David Apap. Residents rewarded him by voting in large numbers for him to serve another term as mayor. He obtained almost three times the quota, gaining an impressive 48 per cent of the valid votes cast in the village.

It is known that David goes out of his way to promote his village, to solve upcoming problems, and to appease, as far as possible, the individual needs of the villagers. It is an example that other mayors would do well to emulate.

The overall turnout of voters in Victoria, Gharb, and Sannat surpassed the 73 per cent mark, relatively higher than the overall turnout of 66 per cent for Malta and Gozo. It would have been higher had not a good number of uncollected voting documents belonged, as is now usual in Gozo, to residents of Malta who have a Gozo identity card and who did not bother to cross over to Gozo to collect their voting document and cast their vote.

Some votes remained uncollected as a result of the postal delivery experimented for the first time. This left much to be desired. The post persons delivering the documents, in several instances just knocked on the door or rang the bell, and left soon afterwards before aged voters could open for them.

The hassle to collect the document from the police station or the electoral office was too much for senior citizens. The voting in the Gozo Lyceum complex involved a long walk to the voting booths, two of which were down a flight of steps or a steep ramp. This also kept several people away from voting.

Over the 2003 elections, the Nationalist Party gained votes in Gharb, while the Labour Party lost 5.2 per cent, with its share going down to 29.5 per cent. The Nation-alists lost seven per cent of the valid votes in Victoria, with its share going down to 58.3 per cent; while the Labour Party gained seven per cent, with its share going up to 41.7 per cent.

In Sannat, the Nationalists lost 9.9 per cent, nosediving to a mere 26 per cent; while the Labour Party gained, as in Victoria, seven per cent with its share going up to 62.8 per cent. Alternattiva Demokratika gained a good 11.2 per cent - at the expense of the Nationalists, mostly - electing its candidate.

The result, as is always the case in local elections, was the effect of a series of factors, including personal, local, and national issues. Many people, alas, are anable to put the progress of their locality before individual, sometimes egoistic, sentiments.

There were several who did not vote as they did not gain anything personally from the council - a pavement, a garage ramp, a 'no parking' zone, and such like. Others tore up their voting document as in the week before the election they received an unwarranted parking ticket.

A pensioner who does drive in Malta got a ticket for parking on double lines in a village in Malta. The local council officer informed him that to contest the ticket he had to go to Qormi. He paid but did not vote. These were only a few of the reasons for abstentions.

The unusually high number of invalid votes in Victoria - 349 - nine per cent of the 3,899 votes cast was due, mostly to a local issue. The Cathedral parking problem has grown out of proportion.

Many people notice MEPA granting planning permission for several 'projects' in Victoria - the demolition of a landmark; the excavation of a deep hole that is ruining the water table on which the Rundle public gardens (Il-Mall) thrives; the closure of the football pitch; the complete blocking of a street and footpath from the Rundle Gardens to the parking area and bus terminus; huge amounts mud left to accumulate in the parking area... and then refusing to issue a parking permit for the Cathedral. This protest vote was promoted in controversial circumstances, and some argue that it has, in fact, boomeranged on its promoters.

At Sannat, the controversy surrounding the Ta' Cenc project has led a number of voters, Nationalist and foreign residents, to support the AD candidate who has come out strongly against the project.

National issues, such as the higher water and electricity bills, must have also convinced floating voters to punish the government. The higher fuel bills have to be shouldered by those using the services, which is a strain on them.

Finally, the low turnout affected the PN more than the MLP. In fact the highest number of voters (74.4 per cent) turned out at Sannat - the only village in Gozo where the local council has been led by a Labour mayor since the local councils' inception.

Having said this, the people of Victoria, Gharb and Sannat are now hoping that the newly elected mayors and councillors join forces and pull the same rope in their localities' interest.