Hackers and loaves

Reports suggest that someone at Mitts - the government agency responsible for information technology - broke into the personal files of various private citizens in various government departments, including Inland Revenue and VAT.

The e-mail accounts of a number of members of Parliament were also hacked.

Charles Mangion asked for this issue to be urgently discussed in Parliament. The request was turned down.

To add insult to injury, the minister responsible for the sector said that he would be waiting for the result of the investigations but dubbed the reports in the media "a pack of lies".

Now, really, would any other European democracy take such a case so lightly?

The government announced its proposals for the new utility bills.

The Finance Minister said that "the government was aware of the effect this would have on families and was carrying out a socio-economic impact assessment on the proposed tariffs" (October 2).

Pretty interesting methodology. First you make proposals and then you carry out an analysis of the repercussions!

Some friends told me they would bet their bottom dollar that the government will be ready to settle for slightly lower price hikes than the ones proposed.

It would then start telling us that its social conscience drove it to make such a decision.

Old habits are hard to die.

I was pleased to hear the reassuring words of the Finance Minister who said that "the analysis carried by the regulatory authorities shows that the banks are in a relatively safe position" (October 1).

As a responsible opposition and as a party aspiring to govern this country, we are following developments in this sector closely.

We are fully confident that our regulators and market players have what it takes to weather the storm.

The Prime Minister is trying to play down expectations for the imminent budget speech.

He is saying that, given the current international situation, some electoral pledges will be put on the backburner.

Again, some observers tell me that this is a staple campaign aimed at deflating public expectations in order to have a better-than-expected reaction when a not-so-bad budget is presented.

That could well be the case since, prior to the general election, any economist worth his salt would have told you that there are problems ahead on the international front. Lawrence Gonzi has promised. Lawrence Gonzi must deliver.

The leader of this newspaper opined that "Half a loaf is perhaps better than none" (October 2), thus supporting the government's decision to agree to the European Pact on Immigration.

I come from another school of thought. This was one of the not-so-many instances where the other EU member states needed the assent of the Maltese government. I am of the opinion that our government - since it was representing all of us in the negotiations - could have bargained harder and obtained more.

From Day 1 we are giving up half a loaf.

We can only hope that there is really another half left.

I thoroughly enjoyed touring the Freshers' Week stands on campus last week. I think the KSU did a brilliant job and the whole event was even better than usual.

I could sense a genuine desire to discuss the role of the University of Malta within the context of a strategy for the country.

Until now we were served with little more than lip service.

Dr Muscat is Leader of the Opposition and of the Malta Labour Party.

www.josephmuscat.com