Alternattiva Demokratika said today that a decision by the Malta Resources Authority to terminate a service contract in had with engineer Patrick Attard after a comment he wrote on timesofmalta.com was “an attack on freedom of expression; a throwback to the dark 70s and 80s when human rights in Malta were more observed in the breach."

AD PRO Ralph Cassar said: "The Malta Resources Authority has terminated the employment of Attard on the pretext on an inexistent breach of professional secrecy. Attard has himself declared that his service to the MRA was in no way connected to water matters. It follows clearly that the dismissal of Patrick Attard is an attack on the right of freedom of expression : a throwback to the dark 70s and 80s when human rights in Malta were more observed in the breach."

The party said it was appealing to the Authority to undo the damage done by reinstating Patrick Attard.

An employee could not be dismissed without prior warning and without being given the chance to defend himself, it said. This went against basic ethics.

Dr Attard wrote his comment in connection with the Nadur Carnival and the building by the church of a cemetery in Nadur.

See Dr Attard's comment and judicial protest here:

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090306/local/timesofmalta-com-comment-did-not-breach-professional-secrecy-engineer-claims