The whizz kids

In the first of a 12-part series, The Times probes ministers and opposition spokesmen to see whether they are naturally suited to their portfolio. Ariadne Massa puts IT Minister Austin Gatt and Labour spokesman on IT Leo Brincat to the test and finds that they're both switched on and computer savvy.

Austin Gatt

How old were you when you got your first computer? What was it?

I got my first computer in my 30s, back in the days when they were looked upon with suspicion by the authorities of the time. I had an Atari with a memory bank, which would embarrass a child's pocket calculator today. You could plug in something called an "emulator" that let you dabble with programming on something that would later be called MS-DOS. I must sound ancient speaking of these things but back in my days this was cutting-edge stuff.

What's your most treasured electronic toy?

That would have to be my PDA. I am often caught indulging in "public displays of affection" with my PDA. It changed my life.

Do you shop online? What do your purchases normally include?

Oh yes! I barely shop any other way. Not that I do much shopping, since most of the household procurements are really my wife's department. As everyone knows, I'm a wine collector (and careful consumer). I do most of my research online and practically all of the shopping over the internet too. I also bought some books online.

If planning a holiday, do you go to a travel agent or do you book everything online? Any favourite travel websites?

After wine, that's the online purchase that costs me most money. I've always planned my trips in meticulous detail, down to the last restaurant. The internet has taken holiday planning to another level. Of course, there are the popular websites everyone knows about. However, my real favourites are those belonging to eateries or country houses off the beaten track.

How many hours a day do you spend on the internet? Online chatting?

I spend several hours at my desk and I'm constantly connected. But "chatting" is something I could never figure out. I don't have an MSN account but that's not quite like saying I don't own a mobile phone, it's just that I have no time for idle talk. I like to make friends in person and meet my family round a table, not at the other end of a screen.

Do you pay your bills online?

I had forgotten there was any other way!

Do you own an iPod? If so, what music do you download?

Yes, but it's mostly in my younger son's ears. When I do manage to get it off him, I find that it has been loaded with what must be music to his ears but certainly not to mine. My choice usually involves Italian artists, such as Claudio Baglioni and Lucio Dalla. I'm also into Neapolitan folk music and when I really want to wind down, I find Gregorian chant inspiring, though my son finds the latter particularly objectionable.

Does IT eliminate face-to-face communication or does it improve efficiency?

IT has no will of its own. It will not eliminate anything that its user wants to avoid. I send and receive hundreds of e-mails every day but none of them replace a face-to-face meeting. They merely complement the communication flow of a busy office and allow for more work to be done in less time. Technology improves rather than reduces communication in the democratic process. My experience with my website has been very positive especially in reaching out to younger people. With quite a number of them I have electronically discussed their aspirations and expectations, a rare thing with conventional campaigning.

Have you taught elder members of the family how to use the computer?

I start by making it amply clear that my wife is not "an elder member of the family". If you remove the age qualification, then she'd be my first and only pupil.

What are your party's plans for ensuring more people become computer literate?

Now for the serious stuff then. We want to ensure everyone is IT literate. When we say "everyone", this is not empty political talk. It is an aspiration, up there with wanting everyone to be able to read and write. We have made huge strides in the past few years. Today, thousands use a computer at home compared to even four years ago. But we still have many others who cannot afford the technology. Our schemes to knock down the cost of owning a computer and broadband internet are yielding instantaneous results. These incentives are coupled with the growing interest in our free ICT training programmes for beginners. More and more people (especially the elderly, who until now were left out) are signing up for the myWeb courses. The progress we are recording is palpable. The Intelligent Communities Network has ranked the Maltese among the 20 "smartest communities" worldwide. We're getting there; we'll get there.

Leo Brincat

How old were you when you got your first computer? What was it?

It must have been in the late 1970s or early 1980s when people were fiddling with a Spectrum and I got myself a BBC model, which I had to plug into my television set, while using a tape recorder for code programming inputs from manuals and guide books.

What's your most treasured electronic toy?

My PDA, which manages my life and also doubles up as my music centre.

Do you shop online? What do your purchases normally include?

Yes, primarily books from amazon.com, where, due to the cheap dollar, a hardback, inclusive of postage and packaging, costs some €30 less than in Malta. Nevertheless, I still enjoy shopping from my favourite bookshops in Malta despite the difference in price.

If planning a holiday, do you go to a travel agent or do you book everything online? Any favourite travel websites?

I occasionally use a reliable travel agency but almost invariably I book hotels online. I have too many travel websites listed as favourites to mention them all here.

How many hours a day do you spend on the internet? Online chatting?

It all boils down to time management. Being in the middle of a campaign, I tend to go online mostly in the early morning hours. I keep in touch via e-mail with my friends abroad, who sometimes follow the local news developments quicker than I do since lately I'm caught up with house visits.

Do you pay your bills online?

I almost invariably do. The same goes for all other internet banking facilities.

Do you own an iPod? If so, what music do you download?

I use my PDA to listen to music. My favourite downloaded music includes Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, from the Raising Sand album; anything by Alyson Moyet, The Eagles' Long Road Out of Eden; all the Coldplay CDs, plus Bruce Springsteen's album Magic.

Does IT eliminate face-to-face communication or does it improve efficiency?

I think it can be a bit of both but when time is of the essence it should be an indispensable tool in any household, regardless of income, educational background or level of expertise.

Have you taught elder members of the family how to use the computer?

Would have dearly liked to teach my mother but she passed away eight years ago. I'm sure that as an international news follower she would have loved surfing the internet and going through the online dailies and magazines.

What are your party's plans for ensuring more people become computer literate?

Our ultimate objective is to reach national consensus on ICT, the same way both parties did in the mid-1990s in the financial services sector. However, in the short- to medium-term we have a comprehensive all-inclusive strategy that will address three broad skill tiers: a Knowledge Economy Survival Skills tier, which every adolescent and adult should be comfortable with; a tier on ICT skills to support people in their job; and the ICT Expert Tier, geared for the individual whose work is in the direct production and support of ICT products and services. We intend to introduce new strategic alliances and beef up existing ones while keeping all ICT-related schemes in place and making them more effective, following intensive consultations with key stakeholders. As we had declared 18 months ago, we intend to promote Malta as an Intelligent Island. It is important to note that we were also the first to come up with the idea of exploring the feasibility of e-democracy.