Nationalist Party operatives were illegally using public sector workers’ personal data to frighten them in the run-up to the election, Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat alleged yesterday.
Speaking at a party activity in Żabbar, Dr Muscat said many workers had received targeted anonymous leaflets “full of threats and lies”.
He challenged the Prime Minister to “come clean” and admit that the PN had access to workers’ personal data.
“My message to public sector workers is clear: you may not agree with us, but you’ll be able to work with us,” Dr Muscat said.
A PN spokesman did not reply when asked to comment on Dr Muscat’s allegation, with the party instead warning that the PL had said it wanted to carry out a public sector audit.
“Workers can’t be assured peace of mind with Labour in power,” a party statement said.
The Labour Party was “serene” about the parliamentary Budget vote tonight, Dr Muscat said.
“What we predicted will come about, sooner or later. The Prime Minister has no one to blame but himself for the current situation. He put [Transport Minister] Austin Gatt before the country’s best interests. We’ve got a government which is imploding.”
The PL could not vote in favour of the Budget because the Prime Minister had linked it to a vote of confidence, “and we have no confidence in this present Prime Minister”.
Making single people on the minimum wage pay income tax was another reason the PL could not endorse the Budget.
“It’s unacceptable. You cannot force society’s weakest, poorest members into paying more tax. You just cannot.” A PL government would ensure it was repealed.
A PN statement said that by voting against the Budget, the PL would be voting against the thousands of families that stood to benefit from its measures.
“Given the choice between families’ best interests and his own, Dr Muscat picks himself,” the statement said.
The Opposition Leader said he was pleased to see that private sector workers had been assured they would receive cost-of-living increases as of January 1, regardless of what happened during the Budget vote.
Public sector workers were covered by their collective agreement and would also receive the increase due to them, he said.
“But just in case the Government tries to play political games with this issue, an eventual Labour government will pay these increases and backdate them to January 1,” Dr Muscat told the crowd.
He said that while good things had been done in the past, the Government had now “lost the plot”.
“They’re thinking about elections, but for us elections are a point of departure, not a finishing line. Our real aim is to build a new middle class,” the PL leader said.