Maltese are realists, not racists! (4)

I refer to your leader of August 14, and would like to express my disappointment at the way The Sunday Times and others in authority are unable or refuse to understand the vast majority of the Maltese people's worries.

Maltese society has, for a long time, been showing its disapproval of the way the illegal immigrants issue is being handled. The government, the Church and the media know that the Maltese do not want any more hundreds of illegal immigrants to invade our shores for several reasons.

Malta is a small island with very limited resources both financial and logistical. To spend Lm10 million annually on illegal immigrants when Government is pressing one and all to contribute more towards its coffers shows gross insensitivity in dealing with taxpayers' money.

Malta is already overpopulated, with the highest population density in the world. We certainly do not have the space to accommodate a never-ending influx of illegal immigrants. For a minister to argue that Malta will face a crisis if the current influx continues is pathetic. Does he mean that he is expecting the influx to abate?

The Maltese do not assimilate themselves with the illegal immigrants in terms of ethnicity, religion, culture, and traditions. It's not just a matter of skin colour. The majority do not assimilate themselves with Jews, Americans, Chinese, and Indians either. They do assimilate themselves with Europeans. Is there anything wrong with that?

It is perfectly understandable because we have so much in common with them. The situation is very similar to that in a classroom. One speaks to all one's classmates and is ready to help any classmate but may want to forge a special relationship with only a few. It doesn't mean that one is being discriminatory, does it?

The Maltese people know that where different races and religions exist then there exist the necessary ingredients for trouble to erupt. And we know very well that we cannot afford this kind of trouble. Just look at Northern Ireland, the former Yugoslavia, Cyprus, and the UK. We had a taste lately and we had better start applying the "precaution is better than cure" maxim, before it is too late.

Many people feel threatened in their own country. They perceive their jobs, social security and their way of living to be at risk.

Can the Maltese be blamed for not wanting Government to give these illegal immigrants the right to work here or to be granted political asylum? And if we do give them these rights, then to how many of them? To all the hundreds, perhaps thousands, who invade our shores? The more rights you give them the more they will come here.

It's no use arguing that our behaviour is not consonant with our religious beliefs and with our traditional hospitality. The Maltese people have shown time and again their willingness to help all those in need, irrespective of their race and colour.

However, no one should blame them for being wary when they realise that the very people they are helping have the potential to cause real trouble in our own country.

Whoever cannot understand these feelings is out of touch with the Maltese people. Like other EU countries we want Government to take quick and decisive action to solve the problem. Government is trying to obtain help from the EU and Libya but the process is slow. In the meantime illegal immigrants continue to arrive in Malta.

Action may entail the use of patrol boats and aircraft to prevent boats with illegal immigrants from entering our territorial waters. After all, it's not these immigrants' intention to come here. We would be doing them and ourselves a favour if we met them outside our waters and showed them the way towards mainland Europe. It is certainly much better equipped to deal with them than us.

Failing such drastic action, I fear that many Maltese citizens will take drastic action themselves in the next general elections.