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Updated: Coleiro-Preca demands investigation over leaked information

(Adds Michael Falzon's comments)

Labour leadership candidate Marie Louise Coleiro-Preca has demanded an investigation by the MLP's electoral commission after information about the party delegates was leaked to persons who have nothing to do with the party.

Condemning what had happened, Notary Coleiro-Preca said in a statement that over the past few days, a substantial number of delegates had contacted her to complain that they had been contacted by phone by unknown persons and asked about their preference for MLP leader.

The delegates said they were concerned and angry that personal, confidential information about them had been given to third parties.

Notary Coleiro-Preca said she was demanding an inquiry into this “serious breach of ethics and professionalism” by the MLP electoral commission.

“The commission needs to ensure that the delegates are protected from such serious abuse. No one has a right to abuse of the delegates,” she said.

She also reiterated her recent comment that no one should apply external influence on the delegates. The delegates, she insisted, had a right and a duty to make a free choice according to their conscience.

She also urged the delegates not to allow anyone to influence them unduly.

Leadership candidate Michael Falzon speaking at the Maraxlokk market today also criticised the leakage of information.

“Party matters of a sensitive nature should never be passed on to the public... Whoever has the responsibility to keep custody of certain matters but cannot should leave the party. Certain details are only held by a select few,” he said.

Dr Falzon promised that should he be elected leader, he would do his utmost for such things not to take place.

During the Marsaxlokk market tour, Dr Falzon was also asked about his position on Labour leader Alfred Sant’s references to particular people in the media during his Parliamentary speech on Monday.

He said that he never personally attacked anyone and he never would. The media, he said, always had a right to its opinion and the MLP wanted to strengthen democracy. However, there would always be those who felt that the media did not always play fair with them.

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Comments

a.dalli (on 20/5/08)
A number of contributors took to to task upon suggesting that members should start sending in ones membership card in protest.
Paul Savona (on 20/5/08)
I thought that the delegates were to vote according to the wishes of the people who voted them in.
PJ Mifsud (on 20/5/08)
@Alfred Grima
Thank you for pointing out the detail. I'm well aware that the motion on George Abela's behalf was moved by Dr Marlene Pullicino who is one of his backers and also undertook to collect delegate signatures to present the petition to the MLP Administrative Council. I should have stated "the motion presented on Dr George Abela's behalf" to cut a long story short.

@A Muscat
An excellent diagnosis of the present situation in the MLP camp. Today's Times feature on Evarist Bartolo's reaction is in line with your comments. I am in total agreement with your arguments and line of thinking.

@ all
i wonder why not even one counter argument re this theme has appeared in this column penned by the usual Labour-leaning apologists.
Alfred Grima (on 19/5/08)
@P.J.Mifsud.
Please note that the mover of the motion you are refering to was Dr.Marlene Pullicino and not Dr. G. Abela as you suggested.
A Muscat (on 19/5/08)
If it were a level playing field MLP would be conducting its own electorate wide surveys and publishing them to guide its delegates to vote to for the candidate who commands the highest support among the floating voter segment. That assumes of course that the MLP wants to get elected, which quite often I doubt.

Leaking such information about delegates and arranging with media clearly supporting Muscat to publish such surveys is meant to give advantage to the candidate preferred by the incumbents in the party administration, whom they perceive as the candidate with the minimal approach to change to their accustomed way of doing things.

Add to that the clear support of former deputy leader GV and the clear obstruction to change by the outgoing leader and you have the playing field as level as it -telegha tal mellieha.
P.J. Mifsud (on 19/5/08)
This serious incident exposing data-protected personal details of MLP delegates being leaked out warrants immediate action. To my mind, this leak is symptomatic of the dirty tricks some people in control of the MLP headquarters are prepared to risk in order to further and better the winning chances of its protege'. Doubtlessly, in the near future, some obscure organisation will be publishing the results of a poll conducted among MLP delegates that shows a particular contestant leading the other contenders by a considerable margin. This will disinhearten the protege's opponents who will doubtlessly regard the forthcoming match as a walkover.

It is rather strange that Joseph Muscat has failed to comment on this serious leak when he is so busy giving comments on every subject under the sun!! Coming so soon after the delegates' vote against Dr George Abela's motion to extend voting rights that was perceived as having been manipulated by the "inside clique" to downsize his chances of success, it surely is part of the strategy mentioned by Lino Spiteri in his Times articles that prove, beyond all doubt, that more under-the-belt tactics are about to be unleashed. I totally agree with John Scerri's comment - so much for a level playing field - which admirable quality has been largely stressed as the corner stone of a clean campaign by the MLP electoral commission.
JOHN SCERRI (on 18/5/08)
This is a more than a clear sign to make the public (especially MLP supporters) believe the virtual popularity of Dr. Muscat.
This comes as no suprise after what was decided re: Dr. Abela's motion last week.
Another way of unjust lobbying .
A cruel way of downsizing other valid contestants.
A unfair way to classify other contestants as being the underdogs.

HOW COME Dr. MUSCAT HAS NOT SAID ANYTHING ABOUT THIS ? or did he?
Is it because he ended up on top of the group?
Dr. Muscat should have been first to condemn such actions.

So much for a level playing field.
TanjaCilia (on 18/5/08)
I am one of the people whom a person calling herself D... contacted. I asked her from where she got my number, and she said "random". In fact, she called me by my baptismal name, which is not the one I use. Fishy.
Kevin Zammit (on 18/5/08)
All those that know how the internal machinery works at the MLP surely must be aware that if you have been within the inner grounds for long enough you will be in the know of all that is going on.

So; are we ingradiated non delegated socialists now being lumped up with injury piled on insult to beleive that the ones in the deepest inner circle do not know who is capable of doing what?

The Italians have a good saying and when they say it, they shake their hand from the elbow while they hold their index finger to their thumb.
ray pace (on 18/5/08)
MLP leadership "contest"........the writing is on the wall!
Joe Grima (on 18/5/08)
The reason why the list, or a partial list of delegates was leaked is obvious from the front page report of Malta Today. The results of a Malta Today survey ,among a small fracton of delegates, shows that Joseph Muscat is overwhelmingly favoured by the delegates while George Abela is overwhelmingly supported by floating voters (the people Labour needs to attarct to win) . I don't know why the Malta Today regards that as News. That is old hat information that has been around ever since Jason bleated his abhorrence for George Abela on Xarabank. Marie Louise is perfectly entitled to ask for answers to her questions about probity within the MLP administration when it comes to document confidentiality but she is not likely to get any before the contest is over, if at all. .
saviour cachia (on 18/5/08)
What has been allegedly happening lately in the Malta Labour Party gives rise to serious doubt whether the contest for the new leader is really clean, transparent and accountable.
If i take it that the electoral commission is scrupulously doing its duty as obliged to, then Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, in my opinion, has every right to be given the explanation she is asking for.
It would be truly a sad episode for the MLP in its bid to convince all that it as a credible party to have such rampant laments regarding the electoral process of the new leader. Please spare us the doubt raised following the election of the new leader in 1992.
Being a party boasting so much of transparency, cannot everything be done above board? Can we paid up members have a complete list of the members belonging to the MLP, locality by locality, and the delegates approved for the general or extraordinary general meetings of the party. I am still in the dark, whether such information goes against the Data Protection Act or exclusively belongs to the party.
If such an information is something that is accessible solely to the administration of the party, who is going to explain the allegation raised by Marie Louise Coleiro-Preca of concerns expressed by delegates contacted by phone by unknown persons.
Such a mean act, taking account of Marie Louise Coleiro-Preca complaint, does not do any honour to the MLP. We have to remember also what Lino Spiteri maintained in his talking point earlier this week, that anonymous letters are also being sent with connection to the said election of the new MLP leader.
Who is going to take the bull by the horn and put our mind at rest, that the MLP will be having a new leader following a clean, accountable and transparent process?
If what is happening is, and I really hope so, beyond the electoral commission, who is resorting to such despicable acts. Whose interest is it to have a leader and not another? And why?

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