Opposition leader Joseph Muscat said this evening that even if a perfect solution was found to the water and electricity tariffs problem, the damage which had already been done to the country would still be enormous.

Speaking in Parliament near the end of the budget debate, Dr Muscat said that the way the government had handled the situation had created uncertainty and eroded confidence, which were both essential elements for the economy.

It was worrying that the government did not even appreciate the damage caused by the fact that it had backdated the tariffs to October 1, meaning that industry and households did not know what they were paying for.

The people had spoken about the tariffs, and now it was incumbent on the Prime Minister to respond.

In his speech Dr Muscat hit out strongly against comments made by Infrastructure Minister Austin Gatt on Tuesday. He denied that a man mentioned by Dr Gatt as having access to confidential, unpublished information had passed this information to the opposition.

The MLP, Dr Muscat said, would defend the people’s right of affiliation. “To touch just one citizen, you have to trample over us and you will not trample over us,” he said. The Opposition leader added that he was willing to give evidence in court and also to speak outside the House (not covered by parliamentary privilege).

Dr Muscat said an inquiry into the MITTS (hacking )case was still required because there was no assurance that e-mails, including those belonging to MPs, were not tampered with.

The Opposition leader accused the PN of spying on people who complained to ministries and said that contrary to what was claimed, this was not a customer care issue, but a strategy issue.

He also called on the Prime Minister to consult him urgently on the appointment of a Data Protection Commissioner and said the Opposition would not accept political appointments.