News • 27 April 2003

Joe Brincat feels libelled by Alfred Mifsud

By a staff reporter

Labour Party deputy leader Joe Brincat took umbrage to comments made by his ‘colleague’ Alfred Mifsud in an article that appeared in maltastar.com’s Monday edition. In a letter posted on maltastar.com on Wednesday evening, Brincat said that he felt "libelled" by Mifsud’s comments.

Mifsud, a former Super One chairman and financial consultant, blamed intra-party rivalry for his non-election to parliament. In the article Mifsud accused his Labour competitors on the fourth and seventh districts of bad-mouthing him with potential Labour voters.

Mifsud expressed regret at not being elected because of what he claimed was the "viciously dishonest" behaviour of other MLP candidates.

Despite gathering 3,000 votes on two districts in his first-ever electoral contest, Mifsud said that the result fell short of his "minimum objectives" of making it to parliament.

He alleged that "competing colleagues" branded him as a "source of potential instability" because of his outspoken nature.

These strong comments elicited Joe Brincat’s scorn. Brincat was elected on the fourth district, effectively taking the seat vacated by notary Joe Cilia’s lack of participation. Mifsud was hoping to clinch the third Labour seat on the district after Silvio Parnis and Karl Chircop.

In his letter Brincat also took the web site’s editor to task over the issue. "As the statement ‘competing colleagues’ is about an identifiable group I feel libelled by that same electronic paper for which I, together with others, worked to collect funds to see it established. Dear Editor, your first allegiance should be to facts. Then comment is free," Brincat said.

Brincat explained that he never projected Mifsud as a rebel and called the allegations "untrue."

"I can assure Mr Mifsud that his coming on the scene did not bother me, as his opinions about himself do not bother me, or his opinions about the leadership. He has a right to his opinions. But he cannot allege "dishonesty" or that I, being one of his competing colleagues, projected him as anything," Brincat said.

Mifsud’s comments blew the top over the great intra-party rivalry that characterised both the fourth and seventh districts. But it is highly unlikely that we will see the two Labourites going to court.