If this is the learning stage...

The newly-appointed chairman of the editorial board at PBS, trying to evade a question posed to him by an interviewer lately, stated that he was "still on a learning curve". I had already handed in my piece on this appointment when the John Camilleri interview was published and the reason I am writing on the subject again is that the content of the interview reinforces Labour's argument that Mr Camilleri shouldn't be chairman of the PBS editorial board.

While Mr Camilleri is "still on a learning curve", his brief interview gave us a taste of what we are to expect from him.

Referring to Labour's criticism, the new chairman said: "My crime seems to be that of having been Eddie Fenech Adami's secretary". Now, we all know that there is one thing worse than telling an untruth and that is to say a half truth. Mr Camilleri spoke of only one of the relevant facts. Mr Camilleri surely remembers what other roles he had within the Nationalist Party.

It suited Mr Camilleri to leave out our number one complaint, namely that he was the PN's administrative secretary. This is our major bone of contention because this means he was at the heart of the running of the party and not only the secretary to the leader and to the Prime Minister. But Mr Camilleri, in an effort to weaken our argument, chose to leave out his role at the centre of the PN machine when questioned.

This is not to speak of other roles within the PN, such as that of chairman of AZAD, another party branch.

Mr Camilleri was not saying an untruth when he said he was secretary to the Prime Minister but he advertently left out the other important roles that strengthened Labour's argument further. And the man is still on a learning curve. Is this how our news bulletins and current affairs programmes will be handled? Indeed, very interesting!

Mr Camilleri then went on to repeat the ministry's justification regarding his appointment: that of having Dominic Fenech on the editorial board. We are now used to such partisan spin from ministerial press releases. But from the person who is supposed to be vying for our trust, it's the last thing I would have expected.

Prof. Fenech "was a Labour Party secretary general. They're adopting two weights and two measures," Mr Camilleri told his interviewer. No sir. Who doesn't know that Prof. Fenech has been critical of the MLP in recent years? I don't think I have to present proof of this. The Nationalists are fully aware that Prof. Fenech isn't some MLP yes man.

What is also interesting is that Mr Camilleri chose to mention Prof. Fenech's stint as MLP secretary but did not mention the time he himself spent as PN administrative secretary and as chairman of the PN's branch AZAD. It transpires, then, that it is Mr Camilleri who is adopting two weights and two measures.

It is all very encouraging coming from the person who will decide on the content of what news gets delivered to us on national television and radio.

And from the person who will approve or otherwise the topics for our current affairs programmes and their substance. All this so close to a general election.

And this is happening at the learning stage... I hate to think what is in store for us when Mr Camilleri has gained experience on the job. Who is to blame us if we predict more of the same? The theory of learning is simple. It is recognised that repetition of the same operation results in less time or effort expended on that operation. Thus, we should be prepared for more of this kind of half truths and the adoption of two weights and two measures, more efficiently.

Pleasures yet to come, all in the name of the new way of doing politics.

Mrs Dalli is shadow minister for public function.