In the 1980s, the Nationalist Party used to accuse the then Labour government of turning the national broadcasting station, which was then the only local TV and radio station, into a partisan tool to win votes.

The tide has turned and, today, it is the Labour Party that accuses the Nationalist government of trying to manipulate the people with the way the national TV and radio station is being run.

What was wrong 25 years ago is still wrong today. And the recent recruitment of journalists by the Public Broadcasting Services, including the appointment of Natalino Fenech as news manager without a fresh call for applications earlier this week, has given the MLP a lot to complain about.

The national broadcasting station is always a target for politicians and political parties. And it is always in the eye of the storm each time an election is fast approaching, more so if appointments that are given are not as transparent as they should be.

The older generations will remember the Xandir Malta of the 1980s, when it was blatantly clear that the then ruling Malta Labour Party had absolute control over what was broadcast, in particular during the news bulletins.

There was a period of time when the name of the then Nationalist Party leader, Eddie Fenech Adami, was not even mentioned when reports of PN activities were read. The PN had felt that its message was being censored, if passed on at all, so much so that it resorted to broadcasting programmes from Sicily.

At the time, Xandir Malta was the only means through which political parties could get their message across other than the three daily newspapers that existed. There was no internet and the airwaves still had to be liberalised.

It was therefore hard for the Nationalist Party of the time, in opposition in spite of having obtained an absolute majority of votes (but fewer parliamentary seats) in the 1981 election, to make its voice heard.

Things have changed drastically since then. The national broadcasting station still exists, but now both major political parties have their own radio and television station through which they can pass on their message. Added to this, the widespread use of the internet has made it much easier for people to receive news and information at the push of a button. The political parties still own newspapers and run websites that support them.

But, the national broadcasting station, now run by Public Broadcasting Services, is still at the centre of the political parties’ attention, largely because after all it is paid for by public money.

The roles have changed and it is now the Malta Labour Party, in opposition, that complains that it is not being treated fairly.

Recently, MLP secretary general Jason Micallef held a press conference in front of the Broadcasting Authority offices to express the party’s concern that current affairs programmes on PBS were being manipulated in favour of the Nationalist Party. Opposition Leader Alfred Sant, who last Thursday was the main speaker of another press conference outside the BA offices to denounce Dr Fenech’s appointment, has often described PBS as “Mandra Malta”.

The smaller parties also expect to be treated well, especially since neither Alternattiva Demokratika nor Azzjoni Nazzjonali has its own media through which they can pass on their message.

To be fair, the way TVM was used as a partisan tool by the Labour government in the 1980s cannot in any way be compared to what is happening today. But the way things have happened justify the complaints that are being raised by Labour.

The Nationalist Party has made the mistake of giving the MLP a weapon they (the PN) had used well in the 1980s.