Saturday, 26th July 2008
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.
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Comments
@ Sandro Pace
Modern, Liberty, secularism, sexu-lism whatever its called. If we are careless about our Christianity. And we choose to trade our Christians values with liberty, sex-based and values-free culture, and still we are happy with the disastrous development in own societies we are: either idiots or ignorant. In case we are any of the latter we must not presume other confessions are the same, if we do this mean we are arrogant.
What you have mentioned exists in all societies, and you are over-generalising. We generally form part of a western culture way of life and sphere of influence.
The culture of where these are coming is mostly islamic. And also an african one. You probably know nothing of african culture. Take a look at Somalia for example, a living example of what a concentration of somalis can do to a country. Culture of anarchy and destruction. Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Eritrea, Congo, Sudan......
Do you know that in Niger they stone people?
No, Mr. Farrugia, with all the defects you mentioned, I prefer my culture, and yes, we have one.
Those who come to our shoreline on a boat are intentionally doing so as part of a criminal network of human traffickers. This fact is by now unequivocally known to all the authorities concerned. Such arrivals, therefore, constitute a serious violation of Malta's territorial waters and hence is rightly deemed to be illegal immigration. It would be, in fact, irresponsible -- to say the least -- to call it anything else. Put simply in Maltese: "ma min rajtek xebbahtek". If you do not want to pay heed to this piece of Maltese wisdom, you may then want to reconsider.
Irregular, illegal???
I say it again, we must first learn how to talk.
The above two items, though, that from a European standpoint is being called by the wrong name daily and continuously. The people that arrive in Malta by boat from the North African shore are by international humanitarian and European law no "illegal immigrants". These people, as soon as they reach the shore or the border of the country of their destination, make use of their humanitarian international right to seek asylum. Genuine asylum or not, this is irrelevant in terms of Human International laws.
They know this right, Only when their rightful appeal to protection and claim for help has been proven unfounded (after a serious investigation), can they then only be called "illegal immigrants"
Calling people that land on our shores "illegal immigrants" is incorrect and unfair. Moreover, as the public opinion in Malta is and has always tended to be hostile against foreigners, especially Arabs, and those with a black skin, it is also unwise to use this incorrect phrase. It creates the opinion that these people landing in Malta are "illegal".
Perhaps you are referring to the constant blaspheming - in the most, most horrible way, with no comparison with ANY other country! - which one hears in Maltese?
Perhaps you are referring to the often serious rivalry taking place between band clubs in Malta and Gozo? Quite devotional, I must admit.
Or perhaps you are referring to the constant way husbands bully their wives into submission, often resulting into domestic violence which goes on unreported, undetected? Thank goodness, things are a-changing with the continued emancipation of women.
Or perhaps are you referring to the way the Maltese and Gozitans FLEECE our guests, the tourist, when these visit our islands? Quick money, I call it. Everyone wants to become well off, quickly!
Or, perhaps you are referring to the fact that in relation of immigrants, we use language such as 'Illegal immigrants are niether invited nor wanted'; 'the sooner Malta gets rid of them the better'! Note that tonality! I, too, expressed the same words, but with a different tone of writing!!!!!
@ Sandro Pace - never even mentioned one cultural characteristic, in spite of spewing racism across his comment. Perhaps I agree with those who claim that we Maltese have more of an African mentality than a European one!!! That's the idea one gets when reading some comments.
And yes, I sincerely hope that my country will NEVER be guilty of committing ILLEGALITIES, whatever the situation.
I am called naive and am contradicted when I say that the EU cannot control Libya. Well, facts speak for themselves: the EU requested Libya to participate in Frontex and to collaborate; yet, Libya refused. Also, if the EU had to declare sanctions against Libya, then, it would be detrimental to certain countries which are getting oil from there. Hellooooo ... there's an oil crisis at the moment, haven't you heard?
The US tried to get rid of Gaddafi ... and they failed miserably. Now, they are licking his shoes, and even joining the propoganda that Libya (and Gaddafi) has changed!
You may think that we do not have a cultural identity, but that is your opinion. That you do not recognise this identity is your problem. Many people do. It is not a unique one, but we have one. It may take a whole argument in relation to this, but simply put, few Maltese people would like to live in Somalia or Eritrea for example, without ever going there. Get it. That may make them foreigners in their land, eventually.
You see your country bombarded from illegalities from all overseas directions (the EU included, yes, it is illegal letting Malta be overwhelmed), and you still insist on LEGALITIES.
And BTW, it is Swizterland and not Sweden.
"...Sweden's arresting Gaddafi's son for a minor offence!"
Not quite according to BBC reports, Mr Farrugia. The country is actually Switzerland and not Sweden. The son you are referring to is probably Hannibal. The offense is far from minor. The charge is one of bodily harm and coercion, and he was released on bail only after being made to pay a hefty fine. As far as I know the case is still pending because it appears that Switzerland does not grant diplomatic immunity like France does. In France Hannibal had also been charged for dangerous driving, and his bodyguards assaulted police officers. Libyan diplomats had to formally apologise to the French authorities.
It is not the Europeans that the Libyan government can bully, in my view. It is us the Maltese people that the Libyans like to bully. Mr Fenech has got it all wrong. There is no way in the world the Maltese government can solve illegal immigration by asking Tripoli for barrels of oil like Mr Mintoff tried to do back in the 70's. Mr Fenech is living in the past and does not understand international politics 2008.
there is an inconsistency or rather a contradiction in terms in your letter.
Guests are always INVITED.
Illegal immigrants are neither invited nor wanted.
So they are not guests and the sooner Malta gets rid of them the better.
I don't think that in the case of Libya, ANY country's 'excellent relations' will come in handy.
'A regular influx of boat peole is the last thing we need'. JRS, etc ... can speak for themselves, but I think that NOBODY wants that 'regular influx', JRS included!!!!!!!! That is a myth!!!!
No, nothing wrong with repartriation... but would those countries WANT these people?
In conclusion, while I agree with you about the importance of solving this problem, I do not like the innuendo of the statement: 'The authorities' responsibility is primarily towards their own citizens'. And what 'cultural identity' do we have to protect, may I ask you? Perhaps you can write back and explain. 'Unilateral decisions'? Yes, I would agree with you as well, there . BUT AS LONG AS THOSE DECISIONS ARE HUMANE, LEGAL, AND MORALLY SOUND!