Resolve to address migration problem

I couldn't help but agree with Ruben Bonello's contribution (July 23).

Boatloads of unwanted guests are arriving on our shores almost on a daily basis, so much so that they are hardly making main news items any more. And who is to blame? Certainly none other than Libya.

Funnily enough, a state whose leader prides himself to be a "friend of the Maltese people" does exactly the opposite: brush off his country's problems onto us.

Frontex, as it turned out, is nothing but a joke. Not only have illegal landings not decreased but, on the contrary, they increased as a direct result.

The terms and conditions leave much to be desired. If Libya chose not to cooperate, the EU should have punished it accordingly in the form of sanctions, suspensions of business deals etc. until it gives in and accepts its share of responsibility. Malta's excellent relations with its southern neighbour would surely have come handy here.

The JRS and other NGOs having their own agendas, which may not be acceptable to all, should better understand that the country is already overstretched in terms of human, financial and physical resources. So a regular influx of boat people is the last thing we need.

North African countries have vast tracts of undeveloped land, high oil and tourist revenues and, most importantly, are stable.

Therefore, there is nothing immoral in repatriating immigrants to such countries, which are culturally and religiously more in line with the migrants' countries of origin. Do we want to witness the multicultural mess of major European cities in our country?

It's shameful that none of the major political parties ever utters a word about the problem, which is rapidly gaining crisis proportions. Are they aware of the consequences future generations will be made to face as a direct result of their inaction about the matter?

The authorities' responsibility is primarily towards their own citizens. It is also their responsibility to uphold and defend our cultural identiy. In these contexts they should make decisions in the best interests of the country, even if it means taking them unilaterally. Minister Austin Gatt, who emerged with his head high from the recent crisis, should perhaps be given immigration in his portfolio if nobody else is as strong-willed to tackle it.