Borg Olivier accuses Labour of hypocrisy over e-mail content

The Labour Party's "balloon of hypocrisy has burst in its face", PN secretary general Paul Borg Oliver insisted yesterday, referring to its code of ethics for house visits, which he claims also breaches the Data Protection Act.

While the PL knocks on doors, it instructs its officials to collect information on families who do not belong to the party from neighbouring sources, gathering even health-related data about them without their consent, Dr Borg Olivier said.

The medical information included instances of mental health and those with special needs, which the PL's code of ethics refers to as "handicapped", he claimed.

Dr Borg Olivier has written to the Commissioner of Data Protection on the matter in the belief that the public ought to know what is going on.

The code of ethics are documents published by Labour between 1998 and 2001. The PL's general secretary Jason Micallef defended himself against Dr Borg Olivier's claims by pointing out that the documents were issued before the Data Protection Act was introduced.

When asked if the party keeps any data in breach of the Act, he said he had no problem with the new Commissioner vetting all of the party's data systems.

Still, speaking at the PN club in Ħamrun, Dr Borg Olivier continued to make his case regarding his controversial e-mail requesting data on complainants to be shared, destined for Cabinet and ministerial aides.

The e-mail was aimed at strengthening the customer care service, in keeping with his duty to ensure that the public was served and its needs satisfied, Dr Borg Olivier reiterated.

"We cannot always fix a car that has broken down but we can dirty our hands to push it to the mechanic," he said about the exercise that was being carried out.

Labour spun the story, accusing the PN of spying, but Dr Borg Olivier insisted he was not embarrassed, adding that he has no intention of leaving problems locked up in drawers, which was why the PL probably lost the elections.

Dr Borg Olivier said Labour had never registered its party with the Data Protection Commission, while the PN was the only political party to have ever done so.

Speaking about the delicate and important times which the tourism sector is currently going through, Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco, who also addressed the meeting, said 2008 would see a four per cent increase in arrivals, breaking another record over last year.

Together with the 530,000 expected from the cruise liner industry, a country of 400,000 residents was receiving two million visitors - a world record per capita.

More of the €1 billion that tourists spent was actually ending up in Malta, Dr de Marco said, with the spend on accommodation reaching €100 million in 2008.

Nevertheless, 2009 presented challenges, with 35 airlines having stopped operating this year and the UN and the WTO predicting no growth in international tourism.

Over the next four years, the government would be pumping €200 million into the product, including the €60 million Valletta project.

Speaking about the move of Parliament, the country's highest institution, to the old Opera House site, and the consequent freeing up of the President's Palace for the public to enjoy, Dr de Marco said it was "obscene" that Main Guard was a car park; it should be a square for people.

Deputy Prime Minister Tonio Borg also referred to the Valletta project as a challenge that no Maltese government has undertaken in 66 years.

Involving the regeneration of Freedom Square, it would be funded by the government to ensure that it would not be turned into a commercial centre, he said, referring to development of the old Opera House as "the home of all the Maltese".

Dr Borg said public transport was not a disaster but there was room for improvement. Its reform did not mean the government was against those who worked in that sector.