Accusations were traded by the Labour and Nationalist parties yesterday, marking the end of the Yuletide truce, with the MLP accusing the PN media of opening “an unfounded and unscrupulous attack on (Labour leader Alfred) Sant”.

Dr Sant is convalescing after an operation on 27 December.

The MLP said that according to the PN’s media, Dr Sant has resumed his political activities, because despite his health problems he has continued to write regularly for the local newspapers, before going to hospital as well as while he was at Mater Dei.

“This is nothing but an unscrupulous and disrespectful lie about the Opposition Leader who at the moment needs to be at home, resting, as he was told to do when he left the hospital last Friday,” the MLP added.

It also seriously doubted the PN’s sincerity, when it said on 27 December, that “during these times our thoughts are with Dr Alfred Sant”.

The PN media was quick to reply, pointing out that in its news bulletins it had only quoted exactly what Dr Sant himself had written in these last days. It said Net TV, Radio 101, Maltarightnow.com and In-Nazzjon had quoted word for word what Dr Sant had written in The Times last Wednesday.

The quote, which Media.link had given from Dr Sant’s article of 2 January read: “the botched and very shaky changeover from St Luke’s Hospital to the Tal-Qroqq facility”.

The PN said the Labour Party seemed to be expecting journalists not to use quotes taken from political articles written by Dr Sant. Wishing Dr Sant good health, the PN said that since over the past days Dr Sant “had criticised Mater Dei”, Media.link felt it had every right to quote him.