If Joseph Muscat is given what he wants, he won't release more damaging information
This comes from a report on his speech yesterday:
“The offers and telephone calls asking us not to release the information were useless. You will not buy us,” Dr Muscat said, threatening that if the government does not take steps to appoint a new Data Protection Commissioner in the coming days, he would have to give more information about the “web of espionage”.
What he is saying here is that he has more potentially damaging information which he will release unless the government appoints a Data Protection Commissioner at once. If he has that kind of information, then it is in the public interest that he should release it (and in his party’s interest, of course). If he uses it as leverage to get what he wants, then the word is blackmail. That’s not the kind of behaviour we expect from a party leader, though from a deputy leader, perhaps.
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Am I under the correct impression that the post of Data Protection Comm. is one of those posts were there has to be unanimous consent from both parties? Correct me if i’m wrong. If so Joseph Muscat has no leverage. If he comes up with an unacceptable person, the govt. just says no. The post has been for quite a while now, if i’m correct, so the govt. should hurry up a little. It’s enough having PBO snooping around in our files, without their being at least some minimal level of oversight.
correction to above post.
The post has been vacant for quite a while now, if i’m correct, so the govt. should hurry up a little.
Daph, and what, please tell me, is that Muscat and Muscat alone would want, since I’m failing – totally – to get your point, if there is one I mean …
The appointment of a Data Protection Commissioner is not something that Muscat wants, but it’s the Data Protection Act itself that requests!
Let me explain what I mean … if a Minister or Parliamentary Secretary performs other economic activity, it’s not something that Alfred Sant called against simply to throw mud or to achieve a drop in the country’s GDP just to spite the Gonzi, but it’s something that’s stated in the law!
So don’t try to fool anyone please :)
Thanks.
[Daphne – My point is that if he has information that he thinks he should be released, he should release it irrespective of the Data Commissioner issue, instead of using it to blackmail the government.]
I agree with you Daphne it is in the public interest that he should release such information
Also agree with Darren – it is important to have a Data Protection Commissioner to avoid such situations from occurring
there seem to have been too many abuses lately
It’s *not* blackmail since the demand that Muscat is doing is FOR THE LAW TO BE OBEYED.
The situation would not be the same if the Government had appointed at least an Agent Commissioner for Data Protection for a temporary period.
[Daphne – Don’t try to defend the indefensible. If Muscat has information that is in the public interest then he should release it, and not use it to blackmail the government, keeping it under wraps if he gets what he wants.]
The entity that should take care that a particular situation is not in breach of the Data Protection Law is appuntu the Data Protection Commission, led by the Data Protection Commissioner.
I don’t have a single doubt that Muscat will pass on the info to the Commissioner when one is appointed. Therefore, you, like the rest of us, will have to sit and wait.
[Daphne- Baby, I’m all agog.]
@ M Brincat: Unbelievable!
I may be wrong on this, but I believe cases of irregularities may still be investigated by the Commission even though there is no Data Protection Commissioner appointed (as yet), as I’m sure there are plenty of officers competent to handle the job … I wonder what JM’s train of thought is … if the post of the Commissioner of Police becomes vacant (for whatever reason), does this mean that the police will stop investigating matters referred to them?
M.Brincat seems to be a true believer!
relax daph time will come soon why this urge
@Daphne. “Baby I’m all agog”. True it is hard to understand Mr Brincat as he seems to find it very hard to write English which we can understand. But from what I can gather, I think the point he wants to make is that Dr Muscat will go public revealing information which he has unless the Data Commissioner is appointed and so he would be able to give the information to him or her, thus “if the government does not take steps to appoint a new Data Protection Commissioner in the coming days, he would have to give more information about the “web of espionage”.
Terry Vella,
I guess we got the point–
still Mr Muscat’s infantile “trick or treat” fuss is everything but serious political behaviour.
@ Andrea
Not quite. It makes sense that if there is no Data Protection Commissioner to whom Muscat may give the information, it is in the interest of all of us, for him to go public. Pretty straight forward to me and not a question of ‘trick or treat’. I don’t think politics should be brought into such a serious matter which affects our personal security.
Terry Vella: The presence or absence of a data protection commissioner has no bearing on whether releasing information is
1. in the public interest;
2. illegal.
The latter may be in conflict with the former. This does not seem to be the situation in the case mentioned by Dr Muscat, so what justification is there for witholding the information?
@ Corinne. You are right. Still the proper channel to go through is the Data Protection Commission. If this is not functioning as it should be, then the information ought to be released asap.
Espionage is a crime. If Dr Joseph is withholding information about such a crime, he becomes party to that crime. Punto e basta !
Tony Pace Wednesday, 3 December 2314hrs
Espionage is a crime. If Dr Joseph is withholding information about such a crime, he becomes party to that crime. Punto e basta !
And what happens if the goverment that may be withholding information as well?
I find myself speechless in reading that requesting the present government to do its duty is nowaydays BLACKMAIL.
Protection of our PRIVACY is a fundamental RIGHT in our Democracy.
I understand that P.L. Leader certainly believes that if he makes public ALL INFO might do the country a great deal of harm.
@Alf. Cassar & Sybil
come off it guys. Do you seriously believe that Joseph Muscat won’t make political capital out of this issue, if he gets the chance. For the good of Malta! Yeah right, and pigs can fly !!
If anybody committed a ”crime”, he has to pay for it, whoever he is.
Tony Pace Thursday, 4 December 2225hrs
“@Alf. Cassar & Sybil
come off it guys. Do you seriously believe that Joseph Muscat won’t make political capital out of this issue, if he gets the chance. For the good of Malta! Yeah right, and pigs can fly !!
If anybody committed a ”crime”, he has to pay for it, whoever he is.”
what would you do if you were in Joe Muscat’s position?