CNI president laments about public apathy

Denis Catania

Oct 19th 2008, 19:42

@M Mercieca: No where Dr KMB says the EU needs immigrants. He says IF the EU needs immigrants. I know if is a small words, but has a big meaning.

@Guzi Xerri: Why do a lot of Maltese peolpe don't defend the Maltese?

Guze Xerri

Oct 19th 2008, 18:23

@ M.Mercieca,
Try defending your Maltese brothers and sisters for a change, after all we are a very small and unique ethnic group on the global map and we deserve to survive.

Emma Xerri

Oct 19th 2008, 17:36

@M. Mercieca. Politicians talk from both ends of their mouths. If a human being is born every 15 seconds, no matter where, that means we have a huge overpopulation crisis. On one hand, politicians hail the globalisation process saying there are no more borders and it is just one world and on the other hand they say Europe has an older, dwindling population.

The planet does not know nations or borders so the overpopulation crisis has to be seen holistically. If all the people being born on earth aspire to a European standard of living, which is why they are moving to other countries, then the planet definitely cannot sustain that. The problem has to be nipped at the bud.

As the nuns at my school use to say, "If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem". Since no solutions are forthcoming from the EU, then they are part of the problem.

@James Gauci. You are 100% correct in your conclusions. Moreover, statistics show that even idle, unemployed illegals/refugees/immigrants lower the wage base for all sectors of employees in any given country. But they are a boon to certain entities and industrialists.

Guze Xerri

Oct 19th 2008, 17:10

@ M.Merceica,
Has it ever occurred to you that a declining population on the Maltese islands might be a good thing?
Less crowded streets, less pollution, less garbage,less street traffic, less construction sites, less sewage, less rats etc.
This nation has some of the highest population density in the world and within living memory it was only 250,000 right after the last world war compared to the 400,000+ it is today.
When the Order of The Knights of St. John was kicked out of Malta in 1798 , the population only numbered 100,000 and these people managed to survive pension or no pension.

M. Mercieca

Oct 19th 2008, 14:39

@ Emma Xerr
Yes, the world is actually over populated BUT:
fertility rates decline across all the developed world this of course includes the European Union.

The average birth rate within the EU is down to about 1.5 children per woman.
This is happening in the developed world, while a baby is born in India each 15 seconds

M. Mercieca

Oct 19th 2008, 14:32

@ I Galea
I am always defending human being irrelevant of color, race or creed. Also I’m against any form of illegality,whether it’s illegal immigrants,drug dealers or a social-benefit abusers. I think the latter is more burdens on taxpayers, even if the number of illegal immigrants we currently have is doubled.
You wrote;
what is wrong in believing that no one has a right to come and live in Malta considering the size and population density? Nothing wrong at all, but please read the full result of the survey I am referring to, so you can get a clue of the alarming growth of racism in Malta toward many ethical groups of foreigners including the legal ones.
Malta population’s ‘deficit’, please read:
Tuesday, 26th August 2008
Malta's population to drop by 5,000 by 2050
Malta’s population in 2050 is expected to be 405,000, which would be 5,000 less than at present, according to a Eurostat report on the likely future size and structure of the EU population.
Do you know what the real negative effect we may have because of many foreigners?
Selling free-hold properties to foreigners, this real danger rarely discussed.

albert leone ganado

Oct 19th 2008, 08:31

@ Mario Vassallo

I believe completely your figures of 97% of Maltese not wanting illegal immigrants and by implication that our political parties should take stronger action. Unfortunately in the comfort of the anonymity of a survey the public is willing to truly say what it thinks but not if they to say so in public and be counted.

As soon as you speak you labelled. Thank God we still have the KMBs and the Muscats of the AN to expose our hypocrisy and bigotry.

Look how different it is abroad. In the UK this week a minister declared that immigration has be to curbed and he was speaking of properly vetted legal immigrants not the unknown bag of all sorts we are being lumped with.

Michelle Dali

Oct 19th 2008, 08:09

@M Mercieca

You quote statistics of Europe's dwindling population, yet none of the other member states has offered to take Malta's illegal immigrants. I rest my case.

You quote statistics which you think prove the Maltese are racists. Stop labelling your fellow countrymen racists. Being opposed to the worst influx of illegal immigration that any country has seen in living memory does not make the population of Malta racist. The situation we face would never have been allowed to happen in any other country, I can assure you. There would have been safeguards put in place long before it got to these alarming statistics where the arrival of illegal immigrants actually exceeds the local birth rate!

As for racism, it exists in every country in the world, including African countries where we have seen some of the worst occurances of genocide inflicted by Africans on Africans, time and time again...

You confuse the issue - being concerned for one's country does not automatically make you a racist.

Emma Xerri

Oct 19th 2008, 02:03

@M. Mercieca. Now you say that it is the EU who is saying that Europe needs more people, but it is YOU sir who keeps repeating this propoganda week after week.

EU politicians state that we have a population deficit because they are there to serve the interests of the Corporate elite rather than European citizens. A swelled labour supply lowers wages and maximizes profits.


If what you say the EU is saying is true then they are contradicting the UN? The UN clearly states that the greatest threat to human existence is overpopulation.
Just read the warnings of U.N. Population Fund Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid on the official UN site.

As for racism,do not lecture me about racism because you do not have a clue. I have personally experienced endemic and systematic racism, being chased home from school, beaten and spat on because of my ethnicity.

The Maltese are one of the kindest people around but they are no fools and know when they are being taken advantage of.

To call them racist because they want to protect the few kilometers of land allotted to them for their progeny is the height of stupidity and moral decrepitude.

l Galea

Oct 18th 2008, 22:53

M. Mercieca
Whenever you write you always write in favour of illegal immigrants and the eu in view of its alleged aging population.

First of all, the fib that eu countries will not be able to support pensions because of dwindling population levels is a myth perpetrated by those interested in getting immigrants to exploit for cheap labour.

Secondly, even if it was so, why should I care about the rest of the eu and be lumped with illegal immigrants when there has been absolutely no response from eu countries to take illegal immigrants from us? This clearly shows that dwindling population is just a fib by employers to get cheap labour.

What is wrong in believing that no one has a right to come and live in Malta considering the size and population density?
How can you classify that as racism?
You seem to be the odd one out.

The way you always defend illegal immigrants apart from the eu suggests that there may be some other hidden interest.

You don't happen to have an interest in the continuation of arrivals of illegal immigrants in Malta, do you?

James Cauchi

Oct 18th 2008, 21:42

I do think that the argument of illegal immigrants being needed to prop up a failing economic model is superfluous in the face of the following facts:

-Most illegal immigrants are not supposed to be working

-Those who aren't supposed to but do do nothing to prop up the economy (not even in terms of consumer power as would-be workers robbed of jobs have to tighten their belts as a result)

-Since the immigrant population costs (a lot) more than it generates then it is a deficit entity. The wild-card here is that funds go towards certain directions as a result of illegal immigrant flows and they generally do not benefit the nation but benefit the few.

- - - - - -

The fact that pensions are under threat due to both a dwindling birth-rate (remember that it takes some 4 tax-paying workers to support a single pensioner) and misappropriation spanning multiple administrations should not tempt people to errantly believe that an illegal immigrant population is going to delay the situation. If anything it is accelerating it (again due to their being a heavy net burden). The Government's "policies" are failing future generations.

Denis Catania

Oct 18th 2008, 21:06

CNI should call for a peaceful protest. These protests should continue, and the numbers of protestors will grow.

M. Mercieca

Oct 18th 2008, 19:31

@ Emma Xerri
THE EU SAYS, EUROPE HAS A POPULATION DEFICIT, NOT ME. I guess,even Mr. KMB says the same
EU population getting dangerously old
Beyond just ageing, the bloc's population will be decreasing as well.
By 2015, the number of deaths will exceed the number of births in the EU, with immigration becoming the only factor boosting the bloc's population, the survey says.
After an initial increase from 495 million currently to 521 million in 2035, the total population in the EU's 27 member states will again drop to 506 million in 2060.
The population of Bulgaria is to shrink the most (28%), followed by Baltic countries Latvia (26%) and Lithuania (24%), as well as Romania (21%) and Poland (18%).
http://euobserver.com/9/26645/?rk=1

Racism in Malta

14-8-2005
Sociologist Mario Vassallo

According to the survey, carried out by telephone among 300 respondents between July 23 and 30, an overwhelming 97.3% of the Maltese said that nobody had the right to come and settle in Malta. Only 2.3% said this right should be given to everybody.

Should you prefer not to believe the facts, you have a problem then, I am afraid !

Guze Xerri

Oct 18th 2008, 19:13

@ M. Mercieca,

Stop using the EU as some kind of white knight regarding racism. 70 years ago racism was used by some of the same big countries that are now EU members, as state policy.
it is always "ORDO AB CHAO" order out of chaos, but first they got to create the chaos, whether is was the two world wars and rampant nationalization of the last century or the globalization and the no borders influx of illegal immigrants and hostile cultures into homogeneous peopled nations and enforced multiculturalism of this new century.
These are all tools to create a New World Order with one global government, the global elite have no conscience and they will use any tool or policy to achieve their aim, including that old standby racism.
Even so called religious orders have been co-opted to this globalist agenda and are big time players in all this.

James Cauchi

Oct 18th 2008, 18:59

Yes, M Mercieca, Illegal immigration could be seen as part of a bigger picture, as can failed monetary policy, the multi-continental recession, various health epidemics, climatic stress and more.

However the danger of stepping too far back is that one may start to mix up the facts. Similarly the danger of stepping too far forward is that one may miss essential details that lie beyond the sphere of excessive focus.

In this case we know that illegal immigration is an increasingly visible problem, with some 3,000 entering the country this year alone and the illegal migrant population standing at roughly 2% of the total population, an increase registered mostly in the last 5 years since EU accession. That alone means that our resources are stretched over a population 2% greater than it would otherwise be.

This, along with illegal immigrants of non-African origin, constitute Malta's primary concern in this issue. Illegal immigration is an effect primarily spurned by causes upon the African continent and accepting or declining illegal immigrants is not going to solve the problems there but declining them will allow the Maltese Islands to be better able to contribute to any actual solution in future.

Michelle Dali

Oct 18th 2008, 18:42

Dr Mifsud Bonnici is right in what he says about illegal immigration.

@ M Mercieca, you keep on saying that Europe needs immigrant workers because of its dwindling population, yet we don't see any European leaders taking any of the illegal immigrants from Malta.

I can assure you that no EU country is without its own problems and illegal immigrants are not welcome in any country. This is why they have not and will not 'volunteer' to share the burden. While the new EU immigration pact is big news in Malta, and rightly so because this issue affects us so gravely, it did not even make the national news in the UK. In fact, what did make the news recently was the fact that balanced migration is being considered i.e. STOPPING even legal immigrants from flowing into the country in uncontrolled numbers!

Dr Mifsud Bonnici is right in accusing Maltese parliamentarians of betraying the national interest by not taking measures to protect the country. Other countries' governments ENSURE THAT THEY PROTECT THE NATIONAL INTEREST. Malta's government MUST PROTECT MALTA'S INTERESTS ABOVE ALL ELSE.

Emma Xerri

Oct 18th 2008, 18:21

- 3-

@M. Mercieca

Another fallacy is the fact that there will not be enough money to pay for our pensions. This scare tactic is being used to cover the gross mismanagement of the national pension funds by governments who should have been investing the contributions they took over the years. Instead they spend the funds as they came in and relied on future generation to foot the bill from present taxes. That is why they will not allow us to retire and are extending the retirement age.

In North America for instance, they removed the retirement age and present it to the people like it is a great human right, the privilege to die in your 70's or even older at your desk or factory at work. You are just a spoke in the industrial wheel and there is no respite.

What we are seeing is social engineering on a grand scale and all for the benefit of the World's Industrial Elite and Ruling classes. You just cannot see the forest for the trees.

Eric Soames

Oct 18th 2008, 18:15

Regarding this theorizing about the EU's dwindling population; it seems to me that it would be far better to look to expanding markets outside the EU and deriving the necessary increase in revenue to offset the diminishing pension contributions. Why import an alien worker class which will eventually strive to take over when they can be developed as consumers?

Emma Xerri

Oct 18th 2008, 18:08

- 2-

@M. Mercieca. Stop using Rascism in Europe as a red herring. The real reason behind immigration; both legal and illegal, is to grow the consumer base and at the same time depress wages and erode work conditions and other benefits hard-won by workers over the years.

This is the real truth behind all this immigration, not the flowing words about the milk of human kindness or that pensions will run dry. They are exploiting the indigenous populations of Europe by inserting foreign workers and culture in our midst, they are exploiting the African immigrants who risk their lives to get here because they believe what they see on European TV and exploiting them when they get here by paying them less than the minimum wages, whilst at the same time the big multinationals make deals with African dictators and sell them arms. Multinationals extract the oil, gold and diamonds that Africa has in abundance but for which its people do not see a cent. If you wish to learn more about the rape of Africa read the sad story of Ken Saro-Wiwa , and other environmental activist who opposed Shell Oil in Nigeria and were executed in 1995.

Emma Xerri

Oct 18th 2008, 18:04

- 1 -
@M. Mercieca. You must have really taken Goebbel's dictum that if you repeat a lie enough times, people will start to believe it.

The fertility rates for humans should grow increasingly less as this is a good thing.

At present rate we are head to head only with the rat population, at the expense of all other species who are facing extinction. The world cannot support an ever-growing human population. This is all based on a fallacious economic model that calls for every increasing growth in business and GDP every quarter.

The planet cannot sustain an infinite growth of humans since it is a finite planet with finite air, water and resources. The only other thing that grows infinitely is cancer. I guess we are using cancer as our economic model nowadays.

If there were less people, there would be no need for mass production to feed the mass consumerism which is being encouraged to make ever increasing profits for multinational corporations, whose greed gets even bigger the more money they make. For this, they are partners with governments to ensure a steady supply of workers and consumers for their products.

M. Mercieca

Oct 18th 2008, 16:40

Some may argue, but the problem is illegal immigrants. Actually, this is a sub-issue next to the bigger picture.
No government in EU would openly welcome attracting more African immigrants as long as racism is growing among population.
As soon as racism is mentioned, automatically,and of course incorrectly, our mind think of ‘black’ or ‘Muslims’ peoples from Africa, here we are forgetting ‘home-racism’, Western Europeans to Eastern European, also forgetting our native European Muslims.
"Western hostility toward Africans is largely rooted in the strong wrong perception of many Westerners that Africans or Muslims should develop according to the 'democratic mode' represented by the US and many Western European countries. Why should it have to?"
This is unjustified arrogance, which goes against Western own values for both democracy and human rights.
We must keep in mind that, the EU is itself a triumph of the rule of law over the rule of war. Consequently, Europe will never allow any form of racism to again take place in Europe, even if politicians with such mentality would reach power through ballot boxes across EU.

Joe Morana

Oct 18th 2008, 16:23

To all those who wonder why both the Government and the Opposition do not speak out strongly about this plague of humanity that daily dilutes Maltese culture and values, it is because both have their interests for maintaining the status quo. Furthermore, both are quick to wave the racist flag at any one (even from their own party) who dares to speak out. Note that during the last election not one, nor the other, even mentioned "illegal immigration" as a problem that an elected government should promise to tackle head-on. All Maltese should bet on the fact that there will be more of the same come next 'season'!

M. Mercieca

Oct 18th 2008, 16:01

‘He said that if the EU needs immigrants to make up for dwindling birth rates, it should launch schemes to regulate the influx.

The average birth rate in the EU is down to about 1.5 children per woman, raising fears that an ageing European population will not be able to finance pensions systems. This population’s deficit must be filled. This mean more man power is needed. Also means, our future pensioners depends on immigrants share in the work-market of today. This very simple fact, both African Immigrants and governments (including) Col. Gaddafi understand it. While, European citizens (politicians not included) don’t, or prefer not to understand this core issue about Europe self-made population deficit in order to guarantee a high standard of having by having less babies.

The bleak side is getting bleaker!

While Europe is getting older, coupled with highly increase of daily life, complicated life requirements that one can hardly cope with, many peoples opt for celibacy (in many cases celibacy comes in forms of co-habitation relation), naturally, those relations produce a big deal of problems and money burden that any government must pay for both: out of wed-lock babies and also for single parents.

James Cauchi

Oct 18th 2008, 15:29

@ Eric Soames: - I wish that I could sincerely say that I believe that the Government's failure could be put down to mere apathy and incompetence. That is the best-case scenario. I fear that there may be far more personal economic interests at play.

@ Joseph Spiteri: - Its been a long time since a half-decent Times survey has been conducted. The results of the last one do not support your claim. Furthermore it does a disservice to the nation to simplify the illegal immigration issue to a level of mere race. It is economic, make no mistake, and understanding the roots of these economic interests, locally and abroad, is key to understanding why it is important to oppose the trend.

Lets scale it down.

Marsa + illegal immigrant + rejection of job application + opportunistic employer = exploitation

Marsa + many illegal immigrants + many opportunistic employers = lower wages + no benefits

Economic interests are at play and the result is eroded employment standards, wages (so what if we have a minimum wage in the face of inflation?), and unemployment (since its cheaper to employ illegals on demand). Who's interests?

Joseph Spiteri

Oct 18th 2008, 15:15

'He criticised the apathy demonstrated by the public in front of the problem'. Rest assured that the greater majority of the population are against illegal immigration, and that's a fact that cannot be denied. Why does not someone like yourself , Karm, organise a mass demonstration against illegal immigration? We need men of action not armchair critics!

Eric Soames

Oct 18th 2008, 14:37

I realise that the president of Campaign for National Independence is actually refering to public apathy. My point was that he could very well point the finger at the Government too.

l Galea

Oct 18th 2008, 13:04

All members from both sides of the House have an obligation or rather a duty to protect the Maltese citizens interest first and foremost.

What they are doing is to protect the illegal immigrants and their traffickers by allowing the illegal immigrants to remain here.

James Cauchi

Oct 18th 2008, 12:59

There are several reasons why I do not wish to contest the MEPs at this time:

- Most importantly I currently am far from certain of what I have to offer at that level. Sure I could act in the interests of the Maltese Islands, work towards improving the status of health of the relationship between the Islands and the superstate and such but such roles are not sufficiently concrete reasons to go ahead. Therefore it is best that I step aside and hope that those who 'do' go forward are not just there for personal economic interests.

- I have several years of commitment to conclude and mature around the period of the MEP elections and so it is best that I focus upon my own development for now so that I may be better prepared the next time round.

- - -

Rest assured that I shall be preparing to do my part when the time comes and may it serve to reform and rehabilitate the worst aspects of that which we refer to as pseudo-bipolar partisan politics.

David Seychell

Oct 18th 2008, 12:27

"Dr Mifsud Bonnici accused Maltese parliamentarians of betraying the national interest by not taking measures to protect the country. "We should call on MPs and insist that they take decisive and concrete steps to stop people from coming in illegally," he insisted."

At the next MEP elections we need candidates that put the National interest BEFORE the human traffickers lucrative interest.

David Seychell

Oct 18th 2008, 12:03

I agree with everything you said. The next MEP elections are nearer, why don't you give it a try as an independent candidate?

James Cauchi

Oct 18th 2008, 11:34

No... he is actually refering to public apathy.

The apathy of citizens who live in a self-imposed culture of shrugged (and brushed) shoulders, of grumbling inaction, of paranoid fear of the dark forces that manifest through enforcement, coverage and simple peer pressure.

That is precisely the kind of apathy that helps our government to get away with things that a previous Labour government was figuratively hung for (increased taxes/ utilities anybody?).

Will the people let the government get away with negligence of a nation? The outlook is far from promising.

Eric Soames

Oct 18th 2008, 10:16

Shouldn't that be Government apathy?