The Labour Party’s radio propaganda guru Emmanuel Cuschieri has hit back at the former Deputy Secretary General of the General Workers’ Union Emmanuel Micallef, saying he found it hard to believe the MLP would ever offer his namesake a programme on Super One.

Clearly vexed by Micallef’s reference to him in last week’s MaltaToday, when he said that he would have no problem presenting a programme on the Labour media as long as he was granted editorial freedom, the latter wrote to this newspaper slamming Micallef accusing him of securing a cushy job from the government.

“I was told they wanted me to do some programme on Super One,” Micallef said. “My reply was that it depended on the kind of programme they want, but I would have no objection whatsoever holding a programme on Super One. I just don’t want anyone to use me. My name is Emmanuel but I’m not Manwel Cuschieri.”

Cuschieri was not amused: “I wondered why he thought it appropriate to compare himself with me since I have never chaired propaganda meetings for Dr Lawrence Gonzi at Castile or workshop sessions during the PN’s General Council,” he wrote. “Nor have I been handed a cushy job by a parastatal entity”.

Cuschieri added: “As to the alleged offer to present a programme on SuperOne, I find it very hard to believe that MLP’s upright and serious administration would make such an offer to someone like Mr Micallef.”

In fact, when contacted MLP Secretary General Jason Micallef ruled out a programme by the former GWU official on the Labour media.

“We met and discussed several issues, but at no point did I tell him he would be presenting a programme on Super One,” Micallef said.

Practically ostracised by the union and the Labour-leaning press for the last couple of years as he basked in the Nationalist media limelight, Emmanuel Micallef told MaltaToday last week that he was asked by a high-ranking party official to be on the Super One schedule of programmes.

Micallef has been hosting discussion radio programmes on Radju Malta and RTK and holds newspaper analysis on TVM programmes, besides writing columns as an independent analyst. He has also appeared repeatedly on Net TV programmes and has also chaired one of the PN’s workshops in its last general council.