From Mr M. Turner

I am terribly disappointed that you chose to publish the ridiculous comment by David Lindsay on the front page of your paper, which is comparable to the worst of the Campbell/Mandelson spin era of British politics. How paranoid can political party supporters become?

Frankly I find it sad because such articles undermine credibility, yours, your journalists, the party you clearly support and the whole political argument.

The Economist Intelligence Unit is one of the most responsible and respected publications in the world, and Lindsay’s accusation of “MLP elves” at work in their ranks is naïve, irresponsible and even insulting.

The fact that there are several cases of alleged corruption within the workings of the Maltese government is very serious indeed and demands comment on an international scale. We have already seen that Transparency International, a respected monitoring organisation, has also drawn international attention to these matters; will Lindsay’s next article accuse them of being stuffed with “MLP elves”?

As someone who is working hard to bring incoming investment into Malta, I can assure you and your correspondent that incoming investors are far happier to know of all possible pitfalls as soon as possible, and most employ hardline professionals to carry out appropriate due diligence reports. These reports will discover most if not all the pros and cons, however well they are disguised. Yes, allegations of corruption are damaging, but even more damaging if they are denied or there is lack of corrective action, so it is best they are exposed.

Potential investors will be far more likely to be put off by denials, and of course, by the fact that corruption may have been allowed to occur in the first place.

Exposing the alleged corruption is not “political manoeuvring”, it is the honest path to good governance which incoming investors seek.

The very fact that a responsible editor at the EIU chose to run the story speaks for itself. Ask yourself; why is it that an unpalatable truth has to be dismissed as the work of some “MLP elf”?

Michael Turner