Labour leader Alfred Sant yesterday wrote to Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi inviting him to participate in a series of political debates between them on national television and radio with immediate effect.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Dr Sant said he also informed Dr Gonzi that he would not be accepting the invitation to participate in Xarabank on Friday.

Dr Gonzi replied in writing to Dr Sant informing him that politicians must be open to scrutiny by both journalists and the public.

"I believe that journalists - even if one may not agree with them or the way they conduct their programmes - should have the opportunity to question our policies. That is why I do my utmost to accept their invitations.

"I see not reason why I should refuse an invite to take part in a debate that has been taking place in the same format for so many years," Dr Gonzi said.

A spokesman for the Prime Minister said Dr Gonzi would be willing to participate in any debate irrespective of who organised it or where it was held. However, nobody had the right to set conditions to suit oneself or to gain an advantage.

In a letter to the producers of Xarabank, the Labour Party said that the running order was void of any realistic sense and allocation of timing; it was "primitive" and full of holes.

Considerations that should guide the management of a political debate between the main leaders on national TV on the eve of an election were lacking, it said.

The pre-electoral debates that Dr Sant was suggesting would be serious and civil, adhering to certain standards of behaviour and correctness, he said.

They would be managed according to specific guidelines, established, as was the case in democratic countries, by independent institutes of journalists, and not by entities that had financial and commercial interests.

Dr Sant proposed to Dr Gonzi that the regulations governing such political debates be set by the Malta Broadcasting Authority, the PBS editorial board, or based on an agreement between the two political parties. The important thing was that they were organised in a transparent manner.

Dr Sant told the Prime Minister he had declined the Xarabank invitation because it did not offer the scope for transparent and civil debate. It was a variety show and did not offer the right environment, he claimed.

"In Italy, (Silvio) Berlusconi and (Romano) Prodi do not have political debates on the Maurizio Costanzo Show or The Jerry Springer Show in the US," he said.

Dr Sant proposed that the debates would last between an hour and 90 minutes and would be broadcast with immediate effect, every two to three weeks until the political broadcasts during the five weeks of the electoral campaign started.

He suggested that the political debates would not be interrupted by adverts and other distractions. They could be managed by journalists, who would, however, have the role of moderators.

In the case of Xarabank, the debate was being led by a journalist, he told the Prime Minister. Dr Sant said he had discussed the matter privately and informally with Dr Gonzi. They had said that when they were invited on political programmes the debate often failed to be serious and civil and the context was not ideal for the benefit of the country.

Dr Sant refrained from saying what he would do if Dr Gonzi did not accept his proposal, being a "hypothetical" situation.

When asked if he would not participate in any Xarabank programmes from now on, Dr Sant simply said he was not in favour of boycotting. He was referring to Xarabank when it took on the form of a political debate between the two leaders, he said.

Asked whether the other political parties would be considered, Dr Sant said yesterday's press conference was only referring to the two political leaders and he, therefore, only addressed that issue.

Meanwhile, Xarabank yesterday released copies of letters between the producers and Dr Sant over the question of the Labour leader's participation in Friday's programme.

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