Xarabank presenter Peppi Azzopardi yesterday described the Labour electoral commission’s ban on Friday’s programme as discriminatory and insulting but said that he will still go ahead with the programme.
Speaking to this newspaper, Mr Azzopardi also expressed surprise at hearing of this ban through the media that the MLP electoral commission had stopped the contenders for the MLP leader’s post from taking part in the programme, as otherwise he or she would not be allowed to contest.
“Even though we sent out the invitations for Friday’s programme two months ago, we were not given any reply as we were told by the five contestants that they were waiting for the electoral commission’s decision,” he said.
“Even now, we have not yet received any reply from the commission or contestants,” he said.
In a meeting held on Saturday with the five candidates for the post of Labour Party leader, the electoral commission ruled that they could not participate in Xarabank on Friday against a possible disqualification from the leadership race.
The programme is the last one before the election for party leader which will take place on 5 June.
However, Mr Azzopardi said that he and his team will still go ahead with the programme.
“When we made our request, we made it very clear that they will not participate in a debate because we knew that it went against their regulations,” he said.
The format proposed by the Xarabank team was a one-to-one interview with each of the five contestants, with no discussions between them. However, after each individual interview, the audience will be able to hold a discussion.
Mr Azzopardi said that Xarabank even went so far as to propose that the one-to-one interviews were recorded, but added that not even this proposal was accepted.
“I simply can’t understand why this is happening – they were allowed to participate in all the other programmes but not in Xarabank. This is discrimination,” he said.
Mr Azzopardi also explained that since the candidates were not allowed to participate in a debate, a proposal was made under which the candidates’ representatives will carry out the debate themselves.
“This format was accepted by the Nationalist Party, but we still have not received any reply from the MLP,” he said.
He made it very clear that a request for the five to participate in a debate together was never made.
“This is an insult – the latest media ratings show that Xarabank has the highest viewership and yet we are the only programme that the five contestants are not allowed to participate in,” he said.
When contacted by this newspaper, three of the contestants, Michael Falzon, Marie Louise Coleiro Preca and Joe Muscat said that these are the rules set by the electoral commission and they would abide by them.
“As a candidate I have to agree with the rules set by the commission – I form part of an organisation and I have to abide by its rules,” said Ms Coleiro Preca.
However, Ms Coleiro Preca pointed out that she had the opportunity to express her opinion during a meeting with the commission – “which is only fair.”
“I have to obey the commission,” she said.
Similarly, Dr Muscat said that he will obey the commission’s rules. “I participated in all the programmes I was invited too but since there is this rule, I will not participate in Xarabank on Friday.”
When asked for his reaction on the ban, contestant George Abela simply stated that he does not agree with any form of censorship on any programme.
However, contestant Evarist Bartolo said that he had already taken a decision not to participate in the discussion before the commission issued the ban.