Tough action

In the spring of 2004 the Italian Home Affairs Ministry made a dramatic announcement! There were about two million illegal immigrants waiting to make the crossing northwards from Libya. This information had been put together by the Italian Secret Service.

Later that same year, then Prime Minister Sivio Berlusconi visited our neighbour to the south, and confronted officials with the evidence.

He offered to send an Italian "hit squad" to take out the Libya-based ringleaders/masterminds of the human trafficking cartel. A sort of cutting off of the snake's head.

The Colonel, perhaps miffed at having had the Italian Secret Service running rampant all over his country, politely but firmly refused Mr Berlusconi's offer. The Italian Prime Minister departed Libya with $40 million worth of business for the Italian industry, and an agreement to return illegal immigrants who land in Italy and do not qualify as refugees.

Speaking geographically and in human terms, no undertaking of such scale and magnitude could be sustained for as long as it has without the tacit approval and involvement of corrupt government officials. Also, the Colonel may have been afraid the Italians would hit too close to home.

The rest is history and the human trafficking goes on. Although it should be noted that illegal immigrant landings have slowed down significantly ever since our government's recent, very vocal, "get tough" stand. Coincidence?

All the same, the government could have avoided the rancour that prevails among segments of Maltese society, the thousands of votes lost, the rise of extreme right-wing splinter groups, and the repeated rioting at detention centres. These latter have at times deprived Maltese citizens of freedom of movement and have hurt taxpayers financially.

If only the government had acted in such a forceful manner two years ago.