PN distorting immigration facts to put Greens in bad light - AD

The Nationalist Party crossed a dangerous line in deciding to use the ‘immigration card’ as a partisan issue during the EP election campaign, AD chairman Arnold Cassola said this morning.

Speaking in Valletta he said that in order to gain a few extra votes in the upcoming European elections, certain PN exponents were distorting facts and confusing issues to try and put the Greens and others in a bad light.

“The PN is irresponsibly giving the impression that illegal and irregular migrants will be given the right to vote whereas in fact the European Report, which was voted for even by the two PN MEPs themselves, just recommends that member states consider that legal migrants, with regular residence permits, after living a number of years in the country, are given the right to vote in local council elections,” he said.

Prof. Cassola expressed AD’s worry that for the sake of a few hundred votes at the next election the PN showed no qualms in sowing the seeds of racial hatred in the country and were ready to sacrifice the country's social stability to the egoistic needs of their political party.

“This is old style, scaremongering and irresponsible politics.”

On Malta’s dispute with Italy regarding immigration and rescue at sea, Prof. Cassola said that populist Lega Nord Minister Roberto Maroni, Silvio Berlusconi's partner in government, should stop trying to ruin the traditional, long standing friendship between the two countries by using the immigration issue for electioneering for his populist party.

“Malta, Italy, Greece and the EU should sit around a table and discuss the vast search and rescue area and see how to come to a solution to effectively patrol the area and save human lives at sea. We cannot afford to keep going on like this, discussion under the aegis of the EU is the only way forward. Cheap and populist electoral posturing should stop immediately,” he insisted.

Speaking of the current global crisis AD MEP candidate Yvonne Ebejer Arqueros said that this should not be used as an excuse to lower standards and the quality of life of workers and employees.

She said that an AD MEP would work for a more inclusive and equal society and for better working conditions for all Maltese and Gozitans. It was worrying that there had been a loss of over 1,000 jobs in Malta and Gozo over the last three months.

“We need intelligent investment and the right policies at an EU level to create sustainable and quality jobs in all sectors. I urge everyone to join us in promoting a ‘Green New Deal’ for Europe and to show their support by signing the ‘Green New Deal’ petition at: http://europeangreens.eu/petition,” she said.