‘High-ranking PBS man mediated for Gonzi’, Franco Debono

Labour MP Gino Cauchi says PBS executives should either declare their political interests, or deny claims that ‘high-ranking executive’ served as mediator for Prime Minister with Franco Debono.

The Labour Party is claiming that a "high-ranking executive" from the Public Broadcasting Services served as a mediator between the Prime Minister and Nationalist MP Franco Debono.

No mention is made of who the PBS executive is, although chief executive Anton Attard has already denied to MaltaToday of having been the mediator touted by Franco Debono in a blogpost he had published in his personal blog back in November 2012.

The blogspot, which has since been removed off Debono's blog, was sparked off by a quip made by tenor Joseph Calleja during the conferral of his honoris causa from the University of Malta - Calleja happens to be represented by Attard's private management company.

Debono had also claimed that Xarabank presenter Peppi Azzopardi was at some point a mediator for the prime minister at the time that the MP had absented himself from parliament at the height of his first rupture with the party.

In a statement, Labour MP Gino Cauchi said Debono's claims, which he made on One TV during a current affairs programme, should be explained by the government. Debono is quoted as saying that in one of his meetings with the prime minister, a PBS official was present when Gonzi allegedly told Debono that he 'did not attack Labour enough'.

"Who was this PBS official serving as a mediator for Gonzi with Debono? This declaration confirms yet against that the national broadcaster is serving as a propaganda outlet for GonziPN, and one of the main elements in the structure and machine of GonziPN," Cauchi said.

"This is absolutely unacceptable. We demand that PBS officials either declare their political interests or explain Debono's claims and deny what was said. In the absence of such a denial, Labour would be right insisting that these high-ranking officials were placed insde PBS's ranks to serve Gonzi's partisan needs," Cauchi said.

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Luke Camilleri
Dr. Franco Debono, Huwa RELEVANTI li nkunu nafu min hu dan ir-ras tal-PBS! AWTORITA TAX-XANDIR ,Please Note new P.N., :Il-PBS u l'KLIKKA li hemm mit-taxxi taghna mhallsa u ahna nhallsu ghal XANDIR NAZZONALI mhux Xandir NAZZJONALIsta! ! http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=y_bcy9uX_z4
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No wonder we see on a daily basis flagrant abuse of impartiality on PBS's TVM with 'chosen' captions and selections always putting Labour in bad light! Sintendi, min naha l-ohra ta GonziPN kollox ifuh! Imbaghad l- programmi l-ohra tal-WE: tnejn kontra wiehed bil-moderaturi- Bondi, Norman, Pierre kollha ifixklu i jiddibattu mar-rapresentant tal-PL u ta l-AD! Barra suggeritur li ikun ipespes fl-ispeaker ta widnejn 'il- moderaturi'!!!! x'ghandhom jghidu specjalment jekk dan ikun halli xi kritika kontra l-PL barra! What a mockery!
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All level headed citizens know whose interests PBS pushes. The time of reckoning will come for all.