Some individuals have been actively participating in local elections for many years, while others are contemplating their first run in the upcoming May 2024 local elections in our country. Even those who have extensive experience in local government may need to reassess their methods and consider a change in their approach. Newcomers to this field are beginning to realize the various aspects they need to work upon to become effective councillors.
In addition, major political parties often prioritize quantity over quality, placing a strong emphasis on an individual’s capacity to gather votes. Especially during their initial stages, individuals may encounter challenges as they establish themselves.
Furthermore, the absence of sufficient candidate training necessitates that those aspiring to run successful election campaigns must begin their preparations from scratch. Therefore, selecting the right approach is pivotal for a strong beginning.
The Role of a Councillor
An elected councillor has numerous responsibilities to bear in mind if they genuinely aim to make a positive impact, both in their local community and in the lives of the residents they represent. Some of these responsibilities include:
Leading and formulating strategies and plans for their community, ensuring a balance between the diverse needs of residents and the locality, while identifying the priorities that the Local Council should address.
Guaranteeing democratic responsibility for the public services rendered and holding service providers to the Council answerable to ensure the most effective use of the compensation they receive.
Engaging with key stakeholders to unite everyone in addressing social, economic, and environmental challenges.
Overseeing the affairs of the Local Council, particularly by ensuring thorough scrutiny of its work, plans, decisions, efficiency, and resource utilization.
Collaborating with colleagues to facilitate resident participation, involving local businesses and other stakeholders in decision-making processes to enhance civic engagement within the community.
Working with colleagues to maintain an environment in which the community can thrive and enjoy the best possible quality of life.
It’s crucial to bear in mind that when councillors operate with transparency, responsibility, inclusiveness, and effectiveness, they frequently earn recognition and gratitude from residents when the time comes for them to elect their representatives.
Understanding What Needs to Be Done
As previously mentioned, a councillor, as a democratically elected representative, has a duty to act as a catalyst for uniting everyone and guiding them in the same direction. To achieve this, they must first integrate seamlessly into the councillor group, regardless of their background or political affiliation. With this purpose in mind, a councillor can serve as the link connecting residents to the Local Council, fostering synergy between the desires, expectations, and actions of the Local Council and the community.
Irrespective of any training candidate may have received during an electoral campaign, it’s important to note that being elected as a councillor doesn’t automatically make one an expert in all matters. Moreover, following their election, it becomes imperative that elected councillors actively participate in all organized training sessions to enhance their skills the attitude they need to embrace, and to augment their knowledge on how to take well-informed decisions. Equally important is the effective participation in council meetings and other activities organized by the council, the engagement in public discussions and consultation sessions, and their accessibility so that residents would know how and where to contact them.
Much like individuals in the workforce, Mayors commence their day by rising early and prepare for their full-time duties. The backgrounds and professions they come from can vary widely, covering fields such as education, public service, legal practice, factory employment, transportation, medical practice, and even retirement.
Similar to other employees, they encounter a series of challenges and problems throughout the day, and, like any other worker, they must address these issues. For those who are self-employed, there’s the added responsibility of ensuring they earn their daily income since a Mayor has no fixed monthly salary.
However, there’s a notable difference: when the workday ends and others are heading home to their families, the Mayor might not always make it home at that time. This is because they have to visit the Council office to handle the issues and matters that would have arisen during the day. During these visits, they meet with the residents and discuss the work and priorities for the upcoming days, sometimes involving the Executive Secretary should the latter would be still in office. One must emphasize that this is not a critical comment towards Executive Secretaries but rather because the Mayor’s visit coincides with the end of the Council employees’ workday.
Moreover, during the day, especially for those working in the private sector, the mayor may need to take some hours of leave to attend meetings with government officials, organizations, or other government agencies. They may also need to meet with the Council’s architect regarding a local project, provided there are no court sessions due to legal cases against the Local Council.
By May or June, numerous Mayors and Councillors, especially those employed in the private sector, may have already exhausted their vacation leave due to Council-related responsibilities. This underscores the need for workplace flexibility and family-friendly policies.
Nevertheless, it doesn’t conclude at this point. In contrast to Parliamentary Secretaries or Ministries, Mayors lack support staff like a chief of staff official, secretariat staff, public relations officer, or a personal assistant. This implies that if they wish to issue a statement or a press call or draft speeches for specific events, they must manage these tasks themselves, most often after their usual working hours. Should they need to seek third party advice or consultancy services they would need to fork payment for these sought services out of their own pockets
One must keep in mind that regardless of challenges and difficulties, what happens in the locality always falls under the Mayor’s responsibility!
I emphasize this because this is the reality faced by every Mayor or Regional President. This is the life one must lead to provide effective service in the community. I stress this not to criticize but to highlight that not every Mayor follows this path, and not every Mayor dedicates the necessary time and effort to their Council.
It is important that, after 30 years of Local Government in our country, this democratic and constitutional position is to be seriously considered. It is necessary and imperative that we have full-time mayors because their responsibilities, including legal ones, are greater than those of backbenchers (and I say this with full respect for the latter). Backbenchers do know what being a mayor means, as many of them have been in this position as well.
Now, more than ever, it is crucial for every Mayor or Regional President to fully embrace these responsibilities. If they ever fail in their administrative duties, or, even worse, in managing finances, they must be held completely accountable for their actions.
Elected officials, including Mayors, Councillors, and Regional Presidents, must fully grasp the weight of their responsibilities, which involve serving the entire community without showing favouring specific residents or employees. In the context of mayoral and regional presidential elections, it is imperative to establish well-defined criteria for candidates, taking into account their relevant past experiences, to guarantee the promotion of transparency and the adherence to principles of good governance.
There is a need for reform in the electoral process, which involves holding distinct elections for the positions of Mayor and Councillors during the same electoral event. Political parties should be required to announce their candidates for both Mayor and Councillors well in advance, resulting in the issuance of two separate ballot papers—one for the election of the Mayor and the other for selecting potential Councillors. This approach would offer greater transparency and provide candidates with a clear understanding of the roles they would undertake if elected. These are the crucial discussions we must engage in during the upcoming election season.
A Councilor plays a crucial role in local governance, ensuring that local democracy functions effectively and garners the trust of residents. Councilors act as a vital link connecting residents, the Council, and the Central Government. Effective local leadership is the backbone of the Local Government, underscoring the need to empower Local Councils with a more central role in national decision-making.
The Councillor’s work is a cornerstone of this effort. Adopting a “bottom-up” approach is essential to engage residents in critical thinking, understanding, and decision-making in response to the challenges they face. Councillors should wholeheartedly embrace this role, gaining a deeper understanding of the local demographics and the primary challenges residents encounter; this enables them to advocate for equality and inclusion, representing the entire spectrum of society within the community, including those who are often marginalized, such as children, the elderly, people with disabilities, and individuals from diverse backgrounds in terms of beliefs, races, or those facing social issues.
Councillors play a pivotal role in ensuring that the results of their work shape the residents’ perspectives and the latter are to be taken into account before any Council decision. It’s essential to communicate the outcomes of these decisions through various media channels to keep residents informed. Residents not only have the right to be consulted and participate in decisions but also to be fully informed about each and every decision. Councillors are expected to listen, prioritize, and, above all, understand the unique needs of each individual they represent.
To carry out these responsibilities effectively, Councillors must have an in-depth understanding of their locality and the community they serve. This involves the gathering of information about various aspects, including the diversity of nationalities, spoken languages, resident demographics, local employment, infrastructure, public transportation, cultural dynamics, healthcare facilities, and long-standing community projects. Evaluating the long-term viability of these projects and ensuring that residents are well-informed about them is equally essential.
Effectively representing a wide range of community groups is a complex task, considering the continuously changing social, political, and cultural landscape. Communities continually change, and Councillors must stay attuned to these shifts and emerging realities. Councillors frequently gain valuable insights about the community when individuals approach them with their concerns. Exploring the locality on foot, outside the confines of a car, can unveil important nuances and issues that might otherwise go unnoticed. These experiences underscore the importance of recognizing that multiple perspectives exist on every issue, and determining the best course of action is not always straightforward.
The Local Councils’ Association is publishing this document in order to provide information on the subject of Sutainable Mobility and the means that could be of assistance in achieving the goal of sustainability. This document focuses on the re-introduction of bus lanes as a method of increasing transit speed and reliability hence this would decrease the amount of private vehicles on the road and also traffic congestion.
Why should the resident consider a career within the Local Council?
The Local Council is the closest authority to the resident. The primary role of any Local Council is to create a positive experience in the life of its residents while assisting them and the community to develop in a sustainable manner. This leads to a higher sense of belonging from the residents towards their locality.
Each resident could actively contribute towards this change in three particular ways:
By contesting the local elections
By applying to any of the vacancies within the Local Councils
By participating in any voluntary work and other initiatives organised by the Local Council
By participating in the various discussions and consultation processes which eventually could be part of the decisions taken by the Local Council
Today, I would like to focus why an individual should consider a career within one of our Local Councils.
Like in all other employments, most employees would look into the financial package of the job. However, on the same level of importance is the level of personal satisfaction that same job would give to the individual – the take home feeling after a day’s work with your colleagues.
Local Councils offer the unique opportunity to satisfy these two important criteria. The fact that the role of the Local Council is there to help you accomplish the above mentioned also leads to the fact that it offers the opportunity for direct contact with other residents who most of the time approach the Local Councils for help and assistance.
Working with the Local Council offers an opportunity to meet with different people with different challenges – something that makes daily work less monotonous and more challenging. This type of employment gives you the opportunity to be in touch with that senior citizen who needs assistance when completing an application, the opportunity to meet that person with special needs who needs assistance for a reserved parking, the opportunity to assist other residents who need special permits to carry out works in their residences. Above all, employment with the Local Council provides you with the opportunity to work on different areas namely social, cultural, animal welfare, active ageing, refuse management, infrastructural and environmental sustainability, village exchanges and improvement in traffic systems. All of these different sectors would eventually help you develop different skills and abilities for an improved life style.
Local Council elected members do spend less time with their staff the latter considered to be the face of their locality. One must understand the important role Local Council employees play within their area; this all boils down to the positive attitude and right frame of mind they have coupled with the urge to improve the quality of life of their residents.
This is undoubtedly sheer job satisfaction and despite that not everything is plain sailing there would be the days where one has to face irritated residents who would either lack some sort of basic understanding of how Local Councils work or else would be innocently blamed for any outcome which eventually would not fall into the Council’s competency. It’s hard to explain to the residents when for example they would have an issue and would pretend the local council to solve it for them; it is during such circumstances where the skills and abilities of our employees need to be highlighted. There are situations where a resident would approach the Local Council in sheer frustration and would end up leaving much calmer as he would eventually understand that certain things are not always as one would think they are. Only those attending to the residents’ needs within the Local Council could actually provide the residents with further assist the same residents to gradually change their perception on the Local Council. This goes hand in hand with the way staff assist the residents through the telephone nowadays.
Is employment within the Local Council a bed of roses and provides you always a sense of satisfaction? Surely not.
Employees within the Local Councils go beyond their call of duty, making sacrifices and work long hours due to their sense of commitment towards their locality and councillors. Others go out of their way even on matters that do not fall within their remit to handle and explain processes; this is due to lack of resources.
Employees, often face uncomfortable situations; situations where they would feel threatened or hardly recognized for their efforts from those who could barely reason things out.
A career within the Local Council provides you with the opportunity to help you enhance your skills through training and a number of courses; this training would not only be beneficial for the current employment but would serve to enhance you holistically
overall throughout your personal and private life. The experiences one would collate from working in different local councils would definitely provide you with different perspectives of what the general public needs and the way they think about certain matters.
All-in-all I still believe that there are many valid reasons why one should consider taking a career within the sphere of Local Government namely:
To have the ability to actually make a change in the life of people within your locality
Have the possibility to actually spend the day’s work to affect positive changes within the same locality
To be part of a change which actually brings a bigger change in people’s lives
To get the opportunity to actually implement one’s own ideas coupled with those of the local council for better leadership within the locality
To be in a better position to actually understand the rationale why the Local Council does take certain decisions or environmental initiatives of which one could be part even during the initial stages
To rekindle passion and appreciate the effort done for certain tasks which take place and which most of the time would have been taken for granted
To be part and parcel of a needed socio-economical change while having the opportunity to meet with different people
To, along with other colleagues be in the right position to instigate and enforce pressure for certain changes to happen both at a national and local level
Local Council enriches the individual; it would give you the right dose of exposure to certain experiences which would actually make a tangible change in people’s lives
Would give you the opportunity to implement the electoral manifesto which in itself provides a massive challenge
Work within Local Councils offers a unique opportunity to the ones involved to plan ahead for their communities. The projects involved could vary from culture and arts, from having a central library to environmental initiatives, enhanced security within the area, long life learning opportunities, providing social assistance, improved infrastructure and an endless list of benefits. All of this contributes towards the residents’ aspirations.
Since Local Councils are part of the public sector, this would serve as a key indicator about how this same service could reach people’s expectations. Employees constitute a crucial part of this whole process by the way they work and operate one day after the other.
Undoubtedly, work within the Local Council does not only test one’s abilities but is a test to one’s skills and characteristics. It is an opportunity of how one could directly participate in the decisions and implementations where individuals have a right to air and voice their opinion.
What do you, as a reader think about your Local Council? How comfortable are you with the way matters are being conducted in your locality? In line with the Local Government’s financing, how much do you think is your Local Council giving back to the community in which it operates? Do you feel well informed about what is happening within your Local Council?
These are the typical self-questions one should be making when casting the vote to elect the Local Council representatives every five years. But more than getting an answer for one’s own questions, it is crucial that your respective Local Council would be sensitive enough to your replies. This is the only way forward how Local Councils would improve their existing services while introducing new ones and transfer their financial allocation from one fund to another according to their residents’ needs The way the resident feels on how much informed is he about what is happening in their locality though their Local Council is automatically reflected on the level of trust the resident would have on the same Local Council and it’s elected members. Keeping the residents informed and involved makes the resident feel part and parcel of what is going on. No matter the hard work of the Local Councils, residents who are not kept up to date about what is going on would automatically relay the wrong message of a non-performing Local Council.
Some of the councillors might reason out that negative comments are only a perception; this is undoubtedly a wrong attitude. There are mechanisms in place which a Local Council could adopt from time to time to gauge the resident’s perception about the work being carried out within their Local Council. Should we remain insensitive to our residents’ needs and keep on assuming that this is just a perception, this attitude would eventually result in a lack of trust vote when the residents would be casting their vote
The time has come for Local Councils to adapt to change and current times and be more accountable towards the electorate who elected them and to the Local Government who each year would dish out millions of euros for an effective decentralisation process.
For this transition to happen, Local Councils need to have in place a comprehensive evaluation model which could gauge their work objectively. For this to be achieved, one needs to have in place a scientific model based on an Empirical research. This model should initially lead to a better understanding of the citizens in each locality along with a better and solid understanding of how much the Local Council would be diligently affecting its duties in line with the Government’s strategic objectives.
If we really need to elevate the role of the Local Councils, this research should help us understand what the residents actually think and feel about their respective Councils. This actually establishes what the residents really want, what is important for them and what actually makes a difference in their lives and those of their families. However, this is not enough, as it is useless to just know what people think or want.
It is somehow very important to establish the limitations of the Local Councils their functions and whether they could actually carry out their duties without hindrance and excessive bureaucracy. Following this evaluation, one needs to understand the difference between what the residents actually believe versus what is achievable from the Local Council’s side.
We need to understand what is actually hindering the Local Councils from actually achieving their residents’ expectations. One needs to ask what are their financial and legislative restrictions?What are the shortcomings when it comes to human resources? How come no one applies for any vacancies within the Local Council? Is a career within the Local Council considered as a ride in the park or shall one actually give more value to this role which could be more considered as a mission rather than just an employment?
This exercise does not only shed light on the residents’ perception about the Local Councils, does not only establish the limits and restrictions of the Local Councils and the lack of uniformity that exist within the Local Councils themselves but actually defines the characteristics which create these differences.
What follows this process is the most critical and the most important. The next steps would be the setting up of a number of recommendations on the findings which would eventually lead to the neutralisation of such differences. The recommendations could vary and could include:
An educational campaign with the residents to help them better understand the role of the Local Councils
An educational campaign for the general public which clearly differentiates the roles of the Local Government and the Central Government
An adjustment to the mechanism of the financial allocation
Adjustment to the Local Councils’ functions
Improved overview of the subsidy and decentralisation principles
An overview of the Local Councils’ planning
A reform on the Local Government division
A reform in the administration of Local Councils
Discussion on the roles of the elected members within the Local Councils
Discussion which leads to a reform of the Mayor’s role and other members
This exercise should be the basis of a renewal and a reform within the Local Government. Since 1993 there have been a series of amendments, updates, reforms and renewals however, these barely took place in line with the residents’ expectations. These only happened based on the agenda of the leading politicians during that particular period.
If the resident is always at the centre of the Local Council’s work plan, how much more should the resident be at the centre of this renewal process?
Following thirty years of Local Government, I strongly believe in the next steps. We have to forget what happened, what we have and what we were used to; a thirty-year span seems quite lengthy but within the new structural framework of the Local Government, the length of this period is next to nothing; thirty years are not a generation.
For this to happen, the government has to be the catalyst to initiate a new thinking process and launch new models. As the reigning political party, the latter has to take the bull by the horns and ensure that the Local Councils will remain relevant and adapt themselves to the current situations. Each reform has to be forward looking and should keep developing on the current framework.
Undoubtedly, it goes without saying that the time for a change has come. The Local Government has to be looked into more diligently; to date this process has always been compared to a patient who despite of being aware of his medical condition keeps on masking his pain by taking pain killers rather than treating the source of his illness.
Local Councils have always made an impact on their residents’ lives however there is much more to be achieved. Each reform which needs an implementation process and has to have the entire backing of the politicians, the administrative staff, mayors and councillors. Coupled with the positivity and transparency, this process needs efficiency. These three key ingredients would guarantee a fresh and must needed change to the local and regional councils.
The Association of the Local Councils coupled with the assistance from the Government is all set to be the catalyst of this reform; if this reform happens in an effective manner it would be paving the forthcoming three years for Local Councils.
If you believe that you have uncovered a scam or you were the target victim of one, ĠEMMA advises you to report this. Do not let the scammer get away with it. Remember that there are vulnerable people who may not have the knowledge you have and may be at a high risk of being scammed unless the scam is stopped.
The following are entities to whom you may wish to make the report:
You can contact the Unit as follows:Online:computer.crime@gov.mt; telephone: +356 2294 2231/2.
In person: Call or visit any Police District station and lodge a report. The District Police Officer will request the assistance of a member from the Cyber Crime Unit as required.
Your bank
If you are the victim of a debit or credit card fraud, contact your bank immediately. Do the same if you lose your debit or credit card.
The revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2) establishes that if you, as a client of a bank, have lost or had your debit or credit card stolen, and it transpires that a fraudulent transaction has occurred after you notified your bank of the loss of your card, you are only liable to pay a maximum of EUR 50.
It is, however, important to note that you will not be entitled to any refund for losses relating to any unauthorised payment transaction if you have incurred such losses by acting fraudulently or by failing to fulfil your obligations with intent or gross negligence.
Complaints and Conciliation Directorate at the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority
You will find the website of the Complaints and Conciliation Directorate on this URL:www.mccaa.org.mt/Section/Content?contentId=1193. You can contact the centre as follows: online:info@mccaa.org.mt; submission of an online form: mccaa.org.mt/home/complaint; freephone:356 8007 4400; and in person as follows: Mizzi House, National Road, Blata l-Bajda, Gozo: Elizabeth Street, Xewkija, Gozo
ĠEMMA has on 21st June 2021 signed a strategic partnership with the Local Councils Association. Both ĠEMMA and the eSkills Malta Foundation are working the Association so that come October 2021, monthly public fora are held on scams and fraud in local communities.
Article prepared by ĠEMMA (within the Ministry of Social Justice and Solidarity, the Family and Children’s Rights)
ĠEMMA strongly advises you that you follow these 10 Commandments religiously at all times to protect yourself from scams and fraud:
01
Watch out for scams. Scammers target you anytime, anywhere, anyhow.
02
Do not respond. Ignore suspicious emails, letters, house visits, phones calls or SMS messages – press ‘delete’, throw them out, shut the door, or just hang up.
03
Do not agree to an offer straightaway. Do your research and seek independent advice if it involves significant money, time or commitment, and get the offer in writing
04
Ask yourself who you are really dealing with. Scammers pose as people or organisations that you know and trust.
05
Do not let scammers push your buttons. Scammers will play on your emotions to get what they want, including adopting a personal touch. Alternatively, they seek to rush you into making a quick decision before you look into it. Remember there are no guaranteed get-rich-quick schemes!
06
Keep your computer secure. Always update your firewall, anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and buy only from a verified source.
07
Only pay online usinga secure payment service. Look for a URL starting with ‘https’ and a closed padlock symbol.
08
Do not hand over money and information to someone you do not know and trust. Any request for payment by an unusual method such as wire transfers, reloadable cards, or gift cards that are nearly impossible to reverse or track is a tell-tale sign that it is part of a scam. And if you do hand money … it is rare to recover
09
Protect your identity. Your personal details are private and invaluable. Keep them that way and away from scammers.
10
If you spot a scam,spread the word. Tell your family and friends, and report it to: computer.crime@gov.mt.
In addition to these 10 Commandments, keep in mind the following:
It is NOT always true that companies, businesses and enterprises are always legitimate. Scammers can easily pretend to have approval and registrations when in fact they do not.
It is NOT always true that all websites are legitimate. It is easy and cheap to set up a website. And an enterprise’s website can be easily copied by scammers who will want to trick you into believing it to be genuine.
It is NOT always true that scams involve large amounts of money. Sometimes scammers target many people and try to get a small amount of money from each person.
It is NOT always true that scams are always about money. Some scams are aimed at stealing personal information from you.
ĠEMMA has on 21st June 2021 signed a strategic partnership with the Local Councils Association. Both ĠEMMA and the eSkills Malta Foundation are working the Association so that come Octover 2021, monthly public fora are held on scams and fraud in local communities.
Article prepared by ĠEMMA (within the Ministry of Social Justice and Solidarity, the Family and Children’s Rights)
Recently we have seen a spate of scams in Malta – including phishing, romance fraud and business email fraud. News papers have reported that one business lost nearly €90,000 as a result of a business email fraud and over €100,000 have been defrauded from persons scammed by the Maltapost phishing scam.
In summer of last year, ĠEMMA (www.gemma.gov.mt) and the eSkills Malta Foundation (https://eskills.org.mt) signed a strategic partnership to disseminate knowledge on digital financial capability. Fraud and scams is such one financial capability. Jointly we have issued 4 e-books on scams and fraud (https://gemma.gov.mt/ebook-download-page/) and Infographics (https://gemma.gov.mt/resources/infographics/) on tips of how to protect yourself with regard to over 30 different scams and frauds. Both ĠEMMA and the Foundation have been disseminating these over their respective social media channels.
This is the first of 3 articles we are presenting on scams and fraud to make people more aware of what scams and frauds are, basic but important cardinal protection measures one should taken, and what one should do in the event that they realise they are scammed.
Most scams follow the same pattern – understand this pattern and it will be easier to spot. The way a scam works is described here.
The Scammer’s approach: A scammer will approach you with a story designed to make you believe a lie. S/he targets your emotions and behaviour – a chance to make money, to find a partner, to help somebody in need. Invariably the scammer will dress him/herself as a government official, a company – including branding names you are familiar with, an expert investor, a government official, a lottery officer, a lovely lady. The scammer will use any one of these approaches:
Email
Still the favoured method. Cheap and a good way to communicate with many persons.
Social media (Facebook, Instagram, etc.), Dating sites, Online forum
Social media (Facebook, Instagram, etc.), Dating sites, Online forum
Online shopping, classifieds, and auction sites
These are used by scammers to trick you, with initial contact often made through reputable and trusted sites or fake websites that look like the real thin
Phone calls
Calls are made by scammers to homes and businesses in a wide variety of scams, from threatening tax scams to offers of prizes or ‘help’ with computer viruses
SMS
Scammers tend to send a whole range of scams, including competition or prize scams.
The scammer’s tools are designed to get you to lower your defences, build trust in the story and act quickly or irrationally and proceed to the final stage – sending the money or providing personal information. The scammer’s tools include:
Creating a sense of urgency so that you will not have the time to think things through and make you react on emotions rather than logic.
Similarly, using high pressure sales tactics saying it is a limited offer, that prices will rise, or the market will move and the opportunity will be lost.
Having all the hallmarks of a real business using glossy brochures with technical industry jargon backed up with office fronts, call centres and professional websites.
Using your personal details to make you believe you have dealt with them before, and make the scam appear legitimate.
Creating counterfeit and official-looking documents – documents that appear to have government approval or are filled with legal jargon can give a scam an air of authority.
Similarly, using high pressure sales tactics saying it is a limited offer, that prices will rise or the market will move and the opportunity will be lost.
Contacting you regularly to build trust and establish a relationship.
Asking for money may be set at the point of contact or after months of careful grooming. Scammers have their preferences for how you send your money. Methods vary: wire transfer, credit / debit card, bank transfer, Bitcoin, etc.
ĠEMMA has on 21st June 2021 signed a strategic partnership with the Local Councils Association. Both ĠEMMA and the eSkills Malta Foundation are working the Association so that come October 2021, monthly public fora are held on scams and fraud in local communities.
Article prepared by ĠEMMA (within the Ministry of Social Justice and Solidarity, the Family and Children’s Rights)
It feels great when you do something that you’re normally told you cannot do.
When we were young, we heard these countless times; “Watch how you cross the road”, “Don’t play with the ball outside because you’ll get run over by a car”, “You can’t ride your bike on the road because you’ll get hurt”!!
Unfortunately, now that we have grown older, our children not only do not ask the questions that get them these answers, but rather take it for granted that they should not ask these questions to their parents in the first place, because they understand that it is simply impossible to do so on our roads.
It’s so lovely then if our children can do what we could not do and what they didn’t expect that they would be able to do. What am I saying?
Resident Access
More and more cities all over Europe, and even in the rest of the world, are taking initiatives, even radical ones, where during certain days and times, residents are given free access to principal roads to do exactly what they cannot do in normal circumstances. Roads are closed to private cars and are freely accessible for those who would like to walk, do exercise, use a bike, go out with their scooter, play with a ball etc.
When we speak about equality, when we speak about quality of life, when we speak about children’s joy and contentedness, when we speak about the ways in which we socialise, when we speak about illness and the conditions that are brought about by mental health, when we speak about children who have conditions such as attention deficit or hyperactivity disorder, we rarely think about things like open spaces, accessibility, and equity for those who do not afford to buy a car and who have every right as those who do afford one to enjoy the roads and spaces of their community.
Equality
What does equality mean within the scope of accessibility? Equality within the scope of accessibility means that everyone, independent of their financial income, has the same opportunity to enjoy what the state provides for free. That if someone affords a Ferrari and enjoys making use of our roads and spaces by cruising in their car, another person who does not afford to buy a car also has the same right to make use of our country’s infrastructure in other ways, in a safe manner and without the fear of possibly getting in an accident that would leave them confined to a bed for months.
This can happen if the plans that are made for our towns and villages prioritise people, as opposed to prioritising cars. We need to start reasoning, thinking, and acting in different ways, so that our priorities are different. Priorities which will allow us to start thinking about how we want to live before we begin planning our towns. The main point should no longer be what type of transport we want to use, but what type of life we want to live. On the basis of this, we will plan and design means of transport, roads, and public spaces.
How does a city like Amsterdam, in which around two million people live, have 40% of people travelling by bike? You might tell me, “but there are no hills there”. In the centres of our towns and villages there are no hills either, and despite this, we still go fetch our carton of milk in our private car, we still go buy newspapers in our private car, we still don’t go to the pharmacy on foot.
The difference between towns
What is it about our towns and villages that makes us want to live in them? To begin with, not everything is completely good or completely bad, but something one definitely does before buying a house in a different locality is checking or finding out how the other residents of the locality live, if there are play areas for children, if there are places to go for walks with their dog, if there are spaces where one can meet up or socialise.
These are the elements that distinguish one town from another, and not whether there are enough parking spaces. Because what makes a town or village beautiful? Is it the town that has the most parking spaces? I don’t think so. It is the town where one can go out and meet people. And so, how can an architect behind a desk draw a plan for public transport or for new roads without considering all of this? How can an architect, simply because they are an architect – without consulting what the residents of that town or village want – design a project that would split the locality in half? Shouldn’t the people’s and residents’ voices have weight before we even begin scawling on the drawing board?
When people go shopping, where do they choose to go? To a place where there is a road full of cars and to go from one shop to another you have to keep your eyes peeled to not get run over while crossing? Or to places where between shops you can find somewhere to stop and have a coffee, have a chat, sit down and have a snack? And if we are not going to make better use of our spaces that already exist, how are we going to improve people’s quality of life? What kind of quality of life is this, when we are frantically running around in cars to keep up with life, instead of finding the time to use the spaces that exist in localities and making use of the services that are already present in our own locality?
Walking is a right
People want to walk, not to live, but to be content. The children I mentioned previously, with the conditions I mentioned, want open spaces, not just to look at them but to play and calm their nerves, and so, their parents can have the peace of mind that their children can play and burn up their energy in a safe manner. If animals in forests want space to run, if birds want space to fly, don’t people want space to live? Humans were created with two legs to walk, and our first thought should be to provide places for humans to walk. This is the most sustainable means of transport from every aspect. Human beings were not created to fear leaving their house when they turn sixty or seventy because they might fall on the pavement, which has been blocked by a garbage bag that has been lying there for hours waiting to be picked up. An elderly woman did not turn seventy to walk on a pavement that is full of ups and downs depending on how many garages there are on the street, or to slip from a pavement because the material it is made from becomes slippery after a few months exposed to the elements.
What I’m saying is not something you can prove scientifically, but it is something that you feel within you. If one had to ask; What do you prefer; walking on a pavement of one metre or a pavement of two metres? Obviously, there is no theory that says you will walk better on a pavement of two metres. This is because a sole person can walk on a pavement of one metre. But when you walk on a pavement of two metres and there’s a buffer between the cars passing on the road and you, a buffer made up of trees, it is obvious that you will feel better and have more fun walking. It is likely too that that difference would be enough to give you the courage to stop using your private vehicle to carry out errands up to a kilometre or two away from your home, and to start doing them by walk. This is the quality of life that we need to talk about. This is like when you need to have a meeting. You could do it in a classroom between four walls and you could do it in a small theatre room that gives a better sense of space that will result in more participation from the participants. If you carry out the meeting in a small dark room, without any natural light, the participants will probably complain, even if just to themselves. The same can be said for our towns and villages. You can have that locality where anything goes, while, on the other hand, you can have a locality that gives aspiration and a greater sense of community, together with a sense of membership amongst residents, that makes them proud to live there and not in some other locality.
The social aspect
From the dawn of time, humans were created to meet and mix with other people. How can this happen if we are not providing places for people to meet? People want to be in contact with nature, with trees, with greenery, with water. The town or village that is suitable for persons with a disability, for people who are vulnerable, such as the elderly or children, that is accessible for those who have a low income, is the town or village that is good for the whole population. We cannot plan towns and villages that lead to the exclusion of part of the community. We cannot only think of large shopping complexes with designer brands, places where people of a certain income can go for their outings. We also want places where those who afford a walk will also find a place where they can go.
When we say that citizens are all equal in front of the law, this is a very powerful statement. Since this is the case, the common good should be placed before private interest. This makes a lot of sense when looking at public places that have become privatised, such as beaches, parts of paths to the sea, and others. Especially when these are in urban spaces, they should never be given to the private sector for exclusive use by the owner, with residents then having to pay in order to make use of them or to access them. If they are to be given over for business purposes, and I understand that this should sometimes be the case, public access must be kept open.
Conclusion
This all requires a change of mentality, in our culture, in our priorities. I shall close with the following as I believe it leaves a lot to think about;
The problem in all this is that we have become so accustomed to the idea that this is the only way that we have to live by, that we have taken it for granted that things cannot change and that we have to be reactive to what is happening today, instead of working to be proactive with regards to what we can leave our children for the future.
Article by Mario Fava – President of the Local Councils’ Association
