Labour leader Joseph Muscat yesterday slammed the government utility bills agency, ARMS Ltd, for sending customers an unsigned letter threatening legal action if they did not pay within three days even if they had no outstanding payments to settle.
He went as far as comparing the agency’s behaviour to that of a well-known European company – European City Guide – notorious for having defrauded many businesses across Europe.
Dr Muscat was answering questions by party activists at the Għaxaq Labour Party club when he produced a copy of the legal letter, which came with a €12 administrative charge and threatened to freeze the assets of the consumer if he failed to pay the outstanding bill. Only, in this particular case the client had no pending bills.
“The last time I saw a letter like this was by the European City Guide, which tricked businessmen and defrauded them. ARMS is issuing unsigned legal letters when it does not even have a legal office. I doubt whether all this is legal,” Dr Muscat said, calling on the Prime Minister to shoulder responsibility for the insensitive way ARMS was treating people.
“After a summer of discontent with people having to endure interminable queues all that Lawrence Gonzi could come up with was an apology and a promise to investigate the matter. I would have acted differently and fired the people who run the company on the spot. They are supposed to serve the public,” Dr Muscat said.
Last week, the opposition tabled a motion in Parliament asking for a thorough investigation by the Auditor General of ARMS’s operation and calling on the government to publish the €70 million smart meters contract.
Dr Muscat said the smart meters issue took on greater significance in the knowledge that Enemalta’s former chief executive, David Spiteri Gingell, was now involved in the project in a private capacity.
According to media reports last week, Mr Spiteri Gingell’s company is offering consultancy services related to the smart meter project, a contract signed before the last election.
Touching upon the subject of corruption, Dr Muscat said the Whistleblower Bill and the amendments to the Permanent Commission Against Corruption Act, published by the government on Thursday, provided a good basis for discussion.
While shedding doubt on the timing of the proposals, which Dr Muscat said was probably driven by political consideration rather than conviction, he welcomed the proposal to have the anti-corruption commission chairman appointed by a two-thirds parliamentary majority. However, he said the government should go the whole hog and have all members of the commission appointed in that way. According to the proposed changes, the Prime Minister will still have the prerogative to appoint two of the three members on the commission.
Dr Muscat said the opposition would seek more protection for whistleblowers, reiterating the party’s proposal to grant an amnesty to those who may have been involved in corruption but would be ready to give information on wrongdoings by politicians. The Whistleblower Bill did not give immunity to anybody who perpetrated the wrongdoing or was an accomplice.
With reference to the recently announced gas cylinders price hike, Dr Muscat said in Malta gas prices were moving in the opposite direction to Italy where prices dropped marginally.
He spoke about pensioners and said it was time to have a law that protected vulnerable people from psychological bullying “even by people in a profession”.
Asked about Air Malta, he reiterated the party’s stand that the company should not be sold and, without giving details, expressed concern on talks between the government and the European Commission on the future of the national carrier.
Dr Muscat kicked off the dialogue meeting on a personal note, telling his audience it was a challenging week for his wife and him because it was the first time at school for his twin daughters.