Malcolm Mifsud, LL.D., Pietà.
Unsolicited text messages
I refer to a letter by Gordon James Pace (The Sunday Times, March 2). who complained about text messages I had sent him during this electoral campaign.
Mr Pace made a number of suppositions and concluded that my actions are illegal. To begin with, his mobile telephone number is not private, but a very public number. It can be found on the mobile directory available on the Go Website.
Furthermore, it is also incorrect for Mr Pace to write that he could not contact me to inform me that he is not interested in receiving any text messages, because he has received my leaflets, as he has done from fellow PN candidates and others from different political parties. In my leaflets I have printed my office address, my landline numbers, my mobile number and my e-mail address. So Mr Pace could easily have contacted me to discuss the matter or to make a complaint.
So it is not true that I have any private data of any person and therefore, there has been no "flagrant violation of the Data Protection Act", as Mr Pace asserted. The data I have used are in the public domain and this can be verified by the Data Protection Commissioner.
I suspect that Mr Pace has tried to tarnish my name in this electoral campaign by falsely alleging that I have acted illegally. He is well aware that his letter box has been inundated with unsolicited mail from all parties and candidates contesting the elections, numerous candidates solicited or otherwise must have rung his doorbell, so three SMS messages in this campaign sent at decent hours of the day, must not have perturbed Mr Pace all that much. It is therefore clear that his letter had ulterior motives.
I reserve the right to take legal action against Mr Pace.
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Ewout Wierda
Mar 9th 2008, 23:02
Who would have expected that we have to go ex-directory to protect ourselves from politicians?! It is one thing that politicians unwisely deemed it wise to exempt themselves from the European opt-in principle - which Mifsud should have argued but perhaps he has not stayed in touch with law as much as with politics. It is quite another thing to see politicians like this one be so unbelievably tactless about it: whether it is sad or laughable, when a politician tells critical voters that he reserves the right to take legal action that does not show much political tact.
If one earns as much respect as one gives I do not think this way treating the electorate merrits any respect whatsoever.
If it were not for Gonzi and down to people like this, I think the PN would not have stood a chance. Hopefully Gonzi will now have enough strength to do some overdue housekeeping.