Labour leader urges government to be strong with EU on illegal migration
Labour leader Joseph Muscat and MP Joseph Cuschieri, who is giving up his parliamentary seat so that Dr Muscat can be coopted to Parliament this evening spoke during a visit to the Montecristo wine vaults.
Dr Muscat thanked Mr Cuschieri for having offered him his seat in the House even before the Labour leadership election.
“Joe’s gesture is a sign of absolute loyalty to our ideal... The Labour Party should be proud to have people such as Joe within it and I encourage him to continue working within the party,” Dr Muscat said.
Mr Cuschieri said that the decision had not been easy but he took it with a clear conscience in the interest of the party and the country.
He said that he was resigning because that was what the party needed at this time, and he was taking his decision because of his loyalty and love for the MLP.
Dr Muscat also spoke on illegal immigration saying that alarming levels had been reached this summer. The government, Dr Muscat said, should be strong at the EU next week, when new rules regarding immigration would be finalised.
“We have to be tough with politicians and not desperate immigrants. If Malta is not given the resources it needs and the system is not good enough to cater for this emergency, the government should not agree to the new regulations,” Dr Muscat said.
The Times revealed earlier this week that the government was holding out on agreement on a new EU Immigration Pact until the pack includes a reference to burden-sharing.
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Sandro Magro
Sep 21st 2008, 09:52
Dear Edgar Gatt
Ha Ha how funny of you!
Who told you that Joseph Muscat wants to get rid of Jason Micallef?
Its your party that says that! Inventions a la Dar Centrali... Jason Micallef got eleected via a democratic way a secret vote for your information. Not the same way your party elects its leaders do they? Get your facts right my friend before you speak.
Sandro Pace
Sep 21st 2008, 09:12
I agree with Louise Vella. The govt., whoever it may be, cannot negotiate from the point that whatever happens, we will still 'fulfill obligations'. Even if he truly believes it, he should never say it. Nothing of substance will be obtained by that reasoning.
They have reduced Malta to a comfortable buffer zone. The situation is so ridiculous that it's like I have to stop people on my roof who are trying to intrude into my rich neighbour's villa, and have to give them a bed, feed them....etc, hoping that one day they will sneak thro'. Not rebelling against this unfairness is failure by the govt.
Statemanship is about sacrifices. It is ok for the EU to sacrifice Malta, it is comfortably so, away from the eye. But it should not be so for the Maltese government, whose ultimate sole responsability are Maltese citizens. Eventually, safeguarding our national rights and immigrant ones will be contradictory.
I think both party leaders are making this mistake.
Gervais Marcel Cishahayo
Sep 21st 2008, 09:12
It is good sign to hear that “We have to be tough with politicians and not desperate immigrants": What's about being tough on the human traffic and other causes which subtend illegal immigration?
AS for "If Malta is not given the resources it needs and the system is not good enough to cater for this emergency, the government should not agree to the new regulations,” It is rather short-sighted to believe that having the illegal immigration problem would be solved with Malta given more resources.
Illegal immigration is a common challenge and should not be the subject of political controversy. The root causes of illegal immigration are more deep-seated and the government is more than justified to seek an agreement on burden-sharing because the spillover effects of illegal immigration aftect EU as a whole in the long term.
The revival of racist and xenophobic phenomena which make no distinction between legal and illegal immigration upon which far-right and other extremisms feed should be a major concern for all EU democratic governments. Otherwise, legal or illegal, the history of mankind is a history of migration.
Gervais Marcel Cishahayo
Il/legal immigrant
Denis Catania
Sep 21st 2008, 05:12
VOTE NO unless there is a GUARANTEE that the illegals will be sent to the other 26 EU countries.
a. Attard
Sep 21st 2008, 01:59
@ edgar gatt
Gonzipn could not get rid of JPO, imagine with immigrants!
Mark Piscopo
Sep 21st 2008, 00:52
Today our Prime Minister at the Granaries told us that we must show solidarity with illegal immigrants because they suffered a lot. Dear Dr Gonzi now we are suffering a lot and you know that illegal immigration had reached an alarming levels.Dear Dr Gonzi hope that you will reduce the surcharge because it is a drastic tax to us. Hope that our inflation rate will not continue to rise up with the lowest wages in Europe. Hope that in the next Budget you implement the tax cuts that you promised us before the general election.Gone are the days when progress in wages which resulted in progressive improvement in our standard of living and quality of life was virtually guaranteed.
Malcolm Seychell
Sep 21st 2008, 00:11
I hope the government leaves Dr Mifsud Bonnici home, so he is not present during the meetings with the EU.
If joseph wants to be credible, he should organise a natioanal protest, if the government signs a deal that is not acceptable for Malta
D. A . Agius
Sep 21st 2008, 00:02
Not that I wish to open old woulds but the place where these words were spoke is not part of the empire of someone familiar to Labour for the wrong reasons?
R. Galea
Sep 20th 2008, 23:06
The only soluation is to send them right BACK from where they came from..........!!!!!!
Weak leaders is Maltas only problem............
Sandro Pace
Sep 20th 2008, 22:50
Stephen Farrugia is right. Moreso, since the burden sharing\relocation proposal is already weak in itself, as it is 'voluntary'. And it will make more immigrants come in.
But we must see the full text of our proposal. If it is an adjustment of the Dublin II, re. the location of processing, then it is already something. But if it is like one country 'voluntary' decide to take 10 immigrants per year, when the net annual influx is in the 1000s, than it is next to nothing.
This time we expect nothing but serious, effective, systematic and future proof proposals. And not the usual 'at least something started' attitude.
edgar gatt
Sep 20th 2008, 22:47
@Carlo Abela
Joseph Muscat could not get rid of Jason . Imagine getting rid of the illegal immigrants
STEPHEN FARRUGIA
Sep 20th 2008, 22:44
It would be better to board a boat and go to Italy, one of those that the illegal immigrants left behide.
apgrech
Sep 20th 2008, 22:32
When the EU "negotiations" started, EFA did more begging than negotiating. For example, he changed the cars' licence plates with ones with the EU logo several years before we joined. This to show them how nice he was to them. He started on a very weak note with them.
Once Mintoff, on Xarabank, blasted the government for the way they handled the "negotiations" and Minotf was 100% right. Wish they let Mintoff to do the negotiations - no one negotiated tougher than he did for the good of Malta.
Carlo Abela
Sep 20th 2008, 22:29
If Joseph Muscat is going to get rid of the illegal immigrants I will vote for Labour!!!
STEPHEN FARRUGIA
Sep 20th 2008, 22:26
This is another mistake. A short term solution. A trap. I don't agree with burden sharing because thousands more Africans will come to Malta to enter the rest of Europe. A big,big mistake. Just like Frontex.
I agree not to sign anything but we need a real solution. The EU has let us down and other matters will now have to be revised.
louise vella
Sep 20th 2008, 22:18
The government should be strong!
The following is from The Times online of September 19
"He said that the fact that 2,300 irregular migrants had landed in Malta posed a serious challenge. ''We are however, determined to respect our international humanitarian obligations to the full'"
"He" is Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici. He is very, very strong.