The Nationalist Party today deplored the “government’s coercion on the National Statistics Office by using a government-appointed board to cast doubts on the validity of the data, and its interpretation, as published by the NSO”.

In a statement, the PN accused the government of "seriously undermining the independence of the NSO", which played a crucial function in a democratic country.

The PN said thise intrusion into the NSO’s independent operations was aimed at defending an “incorrect statement” by the Finance Minister in relation to the rise in public sector employees.

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