It's all in the colour

I have often held that, contrary to popular belief, the Maltese are in fact apprehensive of "the foreigner" in general and in particular foreigners that hail from certain corners of the globe. This, I suppose, could be attributed to the fact of us having been colonised for so much of our history. Now, it is becoming increasingly apparent that we are slowly but surely becoming a racist nation.

Over the past few years, we have had so many people from different walks of life making sweeping statements about the dangers of the "problem" of irregular immigration potentially developing into one of the major challenges facing the country.

If I had lingering doubts about this sorry state of affairs, these were dispelled by an article that appeared in The Sunday Times (March 29) headed Non EU Immigrants Far Outnumber Those From Africa.

I was very surprised to discover from this article that the number of immigrants greatly exceeds those from Africa. So, might I ask, why all this fuss? Surely this is clearly a case of racial discrimination? If the arrival of five thousand Africans over the past years has whipped up such a frenzy, why is it that nobody seems to object to the arrival of immigrants from other continents? There can only be one logical explanation for all this.

The need for immigration to be subject to necessary controls is obvious. But just as our economy seems to have absorbed one thousand Serbs, nine hundred Russians, five hundred Indians, eight hundred Chinese and five thousand persons from various other nations, then surely we could accept a number refugees from Africa. Why not allow a controlled number to work and settle in Malta if they express a wish to do so? I understand that many are already being employed in the construction industry although it seems that some are being paid the princely sum of €2 for a days work! That is something that should be condemned by all.

It would be a feather in our cap to offer these souls a chance for a better life. Can't we treat this as an opportunity rather than a threat? Naturally their status would need to be regularised so that they too will contribute to local tax revenues in the same way as Maltese do. I would also suggest that before being allowed to go mainstream, immigrants are made to attend a six-month course in Maltese culture, traditions and regulations. In this way they shall become conversant with our customs and shall, therefore, integrate more easily into our society.

Malta is justifiably pressing the EU to provide funds to tackle this question but this should not be confused with feelings of xenophobia and racism. Is racism the way forward for a nation that claims to be one of the most catholic in the world?

The very unpleasant truth of the matter is the majority of the Maltese are not really worried about a "foreign invasion" so long as the "invaders" are not coloured.