The Labour Party’s deputy leader Charles Mangion yesterday denied that the director general of the National Statistics Office had resigned because the party has launched a personal attack on him.

Speaking during the adjournment in parliament yesterday, Dr Mangion said he had presented the MLP’s technical report to the media and at no point did he mention by name the director general of the NSO, Dr Gordon Cordina.

He said that if others had written in the media in a way that offended Dr Cordina, then he could always file for libel.

Dr Mangion said that all public figures had to expect some sort of criticism, and the party has issued a technical report so that the NSO and Dr Cordina could reply to the anomalies raised because of the revisions made by the NSO.

“We never launched a personal attack against Dr Cordina,” Dr Mangion said, adding that the party had no intention of undermining the role of the Office.

“However, God forbid, that we cannot question what the government is doing and what the government is publishing,” he added.

The deputy leader said the reply posted last Friday on the NSO’s website did not answer many of the questions raised by the Opposition.

Dr Mangion said that so many statistics had changed that the Opposition had to question what was going on and expect replies from the government.

He said that the party will be issuing another report this week.

Concluding, Dr Mangion said that Dr Cordina stated in his letter that the discussion had not remained technical in nature, however this was not the case.

“How can the NSO not expect to be questioned after the figures were revised? A public figure is accountable and should answer for what he does in his role as a public figure. The NSO, under Dr Cordina, revised the figures and we, as is our right, asked the questions,” Dr Mangion said.