by Nicholas RAINER

Politicians may try to trick and mislead us. They might even attempt to make us believe that the upcoming municipal elections are truly important, and that the teams they are presenting are truly competent and able. Nothing could be further removed from the truth. No claim could be more spurious.

For we, the people, recall with fondness the days when our municipality was the living throbbing heart of all our town?s activities. We remember with joy the epoch when our mayors and advisers were the cornerstones of an urban frenzy that strove to innovate and bring freshness to our lives. Concerts, clubs, exhibitions and telethons were but a few of the myriad events set up by our municipalities to bestow upon each and every town dweller a precious sense of belonging and pride.

That time is all but extinct. Its harmonious connotations have evaporated like rain on a hot day and we now have to coexist with what is indeed a bizarre bedfellow. Our municipalities have become synonymous with bedlam. The sense of civic responsibility that they once conferred unto us is but a distant memory, somewhat akin to that of a long lost lover.

What are we to do in the face of this decrepitude? We do in fact dispose of certain means of ensuring that this vicious cycle of indifference is no longer perpetuated. You can enquire as to what were the current mayor?s official priorities when he came to power and compare those to what has been accomplished during the past few years. If he has failed to accomplish most of them, then the chances are that he will fail again if you give him and his team another term.

You can also ask yourself, and your neighbours, whether basic services ? such as rubbish collection, street lighting and drain maintenance ? have been satisfactorily fulfilled. If not, your current mayor does not deserve your endorsement. You pay taxes and the aforementioned services are the very least you are entitled to expect from your municipal council.

The heyday of municipalities is long behind us. That is no reason to allow them to renege on the few obligations they still have.