Allan Gatt, Birkirkara
Sure is crowded in here! (1)
Maurice Mizzi keeps getting mired in a swamp of his own prejudices. In his broad-stroking letter, he labels my words and intentions "senseless" and goes on to accuse me of living in a time-capsule. Coming from a man who has made a mockery of free-forming debate, this is altogether rich and should not be favoured with comment. One other assertion of his - however - is so flaccid and crusted-up in its payload of received "truth" that it deserves to be lanced like a boil: "Muslims normally procreate at a rate of six to eight kids per family. As Professor Emeritus Bernard Lewis of Princeton University, a leading scholar of Islam, has said, 'The current leading trend shows that Europe will have a Muslim majority by the end of the century'."
Muslim wombs are shooting out kids like slides at a water park, while Christian wombs are standing idle! *GASP!* Where's a diaphragm when you need it!?
This will probably come as a rude awakening to Mr Mizzi, but overpopulation is a problem no matter who is doing the overpopulating.
To saddle a race, a nation or a culture with the blame for the spiralling headcount is a white-trash and feeble-minded way of addressing the problem, and achieves nothing. Mr Mizzi take note: Am I to accept the argument that Muslims squeezing out kids by the dozen is a social evil but Christians doing the same is all fine and dandy? That if an immigrant has 15 kids I should hiss and boo, but if my next-door neighbour turns his wife into a baby-plantation I should do a little happy dance and wave a flag?
This country is certainly starting to resemble a clown car but that is hardly the fault of a few hundred immigrants who drifted here looking for a better life. Open your eyes, will you? The people thronging the streets with shopping bags surgically attached to their arms are all Maltese. So are the drivers of the automobiles, motorbikes and mopeds who clog up the thoroughfares and pollute our air. All the hawkers, hustlers and punters on local TV are as white as their consciences, as are all the gussied-up high-rollers and skeezers who frequent nightclubs and pretend they know what the hell they're doing with their lives.
If you're going to argue a point, then do it consistently, and do it right.
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Joe Xuereb
Jan 6th 2010, 00:49
Perhaps saying that some benefit from immigrants is misleading. Benefits, such as they may be, do exist. But I am not interested in these. I do know, however, that some cope with life by denial tactics. Lack of insights - very common this - whether by choice because fearful or ignorance are other reasons for shrugging problems off. Typical would be, for instance, there aren't that many 'immigrants' around so it is no big deal. They cannot or will not see future developments of anything. It is convenient, they believe in positive thinking, maybe even prayers (the Lord is always on the side of the righteous) and so on. People like Gatt and Betts write 'reasonably', and Betts at least allows being drawn into the argument if only just. But on the whole, this type of writer gives nothing away. So discussion with them gets one nowhere. The best way to deal with them is to let them sink in their of mire, their own peculiar fantasies. Not much benefit there.
For other commentators, change is inevitable. But not this change, at this rate, globally. Malta will be obliterated. Horrifically even a name change. Xuereb Betts and Gatt long deceased.
lgalea
Jan 5th 2010, 23:36
Mr Betts
If your house was full would you accept to take in foreigners? You keep it for your family and not allow foreigners in. That is why we should prevent IMMIGRATION.
What has eu citizens got to do with illegal immigrants? eu citizens have the right to come here as long as we remain members, but illegal immigrants have no such right.
I asked whether you would give an example and emigrate yourself because you wrote "If we cannot accept population increase, we should also perhaps introduce one child per family legislation, or emigration." Why should we introduce one child per MALTESE family and emigrate from our own country to make room for immigrants? No way Mr Betts. They GO and we STAY because this is OUR country NOT theirs.
As for not being asked to emigrate by an immigrant ask the soldiers what the illegal immigrants tell them. "Keep the boats because you shall have to use them to leave Malta instead of us when we take over your country". Ask the soldiers and they will tell you Mr Betts. Ask them. Are you willing to take the risk? I am NOT.
pat camilleri
Jan 5th 2010, 22:38
All that the illegal immigrants are doing is reducing the cost of labour.Mass immigration is destroying long established cultures across europe. The inhabitants of a country have the democratic right to make a choice of whether particular people can come and live and work amongst them.I can assure you Mr Gatt that Maurice Mizzi esq,speaks for a lot of people on these islands.
Robert Scullion
Jan 5th 2010, 22:19
@lgalea
Online polls ... how the mighty have fallen. So since you can't even get support in a local/general/European election you are now having to resort to using online polls (and their inherent unreliability) to support your nasty anti-anyone but me diatribe. Still coming from someone who 'invents' facts to suit his own agenda I'm not surprised.
You just full of hot air and the vast majority of people in the country want to be charitable and ensure people in the 21st century aren't suffering. Its called compassion and being human, something I'm sure you know very little about.
John Betts
Jan 5th 2010, 20:56
Mr Galea, you are avoiding the issue: why should the course of action always be preventing immigration? Can someone from the EU come to live here? Who decides why she or he should not? Would that person not be increasing the population as well? As regards your query on immigrants asking us to leave :"What would you say if an illegal immigrant were to come and enter your house ....and that it is you who should leave instead of him" Well, the only person who has asked me to leave the island so far is - you: quote: "Why don't you give an example yourself and emigrate Mr Betts?" No immigrant has asked me to do so, unless of course you yourself are one. 'Keeping' immigrants at my house is not a solution but a simplistic and too-often repeated jibe. They have needs beyond the need of residence. Meanwhile, I await your proof of my benefiting from the presence of immigrants.
lgalea
Jan 5th 2010, 14:30
John Betts
The right to say stop is the right to say we've had enough and there is no space for you. Why should we have to resort to emigration of Maltese citizens to allow foreign immigrants to come to Malta? Why don't you give an example yourself and emigrate Mr Betts?
Since when does the prevention of entry and expulsion from one's own home, and Malta is the home of the Maltese citizens and not of foreigners, considered as "The selfish age of splendid isolation is beyond its best-before date.?"
What would you say if an illegal immigrant were to come and enter your house and impose himself on you and demand that he remains there at your expense and that it is you who should leave instead of him as you imply when you said why should we "perhaps introduce one child per family legislation, or emigration?" How many illegal immigrants are you keeping?
The vast majority of Maltese citizens as evidenced by online polls do not want illegal immigrants to remain in Malta and so consider the postings of those who seek to have the illegal immigrants imposed upon us as diatribes.
Paul Smith
Jan 5th 2010, 13:52
Illegal immigration is certainly a problem in Malta with a recent BBC panorama pointing out that Malta for her size has taken in more immigrants than most other EU states. This must be putting serious strains on infrastructure and resources as those whom come dont participate in the real economy. However, many illegals are realizing that Europe is not all what it seems with high unemployment and a backlash against immigrants - many are not making the perilous journey anymore - BBC panorama was pointing this out. So Malta may well see less and less illegals in the near future.
John Betts
Jan 5th 2010, 12:47
Mr Gatt's issue is a response to Mr Mizzi's earlier letter, and his argument is based on the blaming of population increase on one culture whilst accepting the same mechanism in another. Diatribes on immigration do not answer Mr. Gatt's letter.
If we cannot accept population increase, we should also perhaps introduce one child per family legislation, or emigration. Why limit recommendations to immigration? The earliest records of human life in Malta indicate that the first humans arrived here after the islands were isolated from the mainland. As a consequence, everyone who has settled on the islands is either an immigrant or descendant of immigrants. What gives us the right to say stop?
Granted, overpopulation is a problem, but a population is made of individuals and not mere numbers, and this issue requires a holistic international approach rather than statements such as "why should we allow foreigners especially illegal immigrants of whatever colour or creed continue to come and reside here?" The selfish age of splendid isolation is beyond its best-before date.
Mr. Galea, please do identify and publish my specific interest in aiding immigration. And to preempt the question, I am Maltese.
louise vella
Jan 5th 2010, 12:01
As Mr Gatt cultivates a very refined English prose style, he will not mind my referring him to today’s London Times (www.timesonline.co.uk) which gives a more down-to-earth example of the effects of illegal immigration. Illegal immigrants simply compete with locals at every level of the jobs market, they undercut wages and conditions of work and they are an unfair competition to locals:
Arrival of 30,000 migrant IT workers 'deprives Britons of jobs’
Tens of thousands of foreign IT workers are being sent to work for their companies’ subsidiaries in Britain, sparking fears that British workers are being denied job opportunities. Almost 30,000 non-EU technology workers entered the country under so-called intra-company transfers last year, with the overwhelming majority coming from India. Most of those arriving came for low and mid-level IT jobs where there are not significant skills shortages among British-born workers, fuelling suspicion that British workers are losing out to foreign workers who are being paid lower wages.
lgalea
Jan 5th 2010, 11:46
louise vella
Very pertinent questions.
Since we are severely overcrowded, why should we allow foreigners especially illegal immigrants of whatever colour or creed continue to come and reside here?
Sometimes I wonder whether those who write in favour of illegal immigrants have an interest for the illegal invasion to continue because it certainly seems so especially as evidenced by the number of NGOs receiving substantial amounts of money for their work with illegal immigrants. The number of those who have an interest in illegal immigrants seems to be endless, starting from their traffickers, NGOs to justify their own existence, contractors in search of cheap labour.....
louise vella
Jan 5th 2010, 10:59
Once again I congratulate Mr Gatt for his beautiful English prose style. But can he speak numbers?
How many African illegal immigrants would he like to see in Malta? 10 000? 100 000? One million? Neither Mr Gatt nor anybody else has ever answered that question. It's the only matter that counts. If there were only 100 illegal immigrants in Malta - black, white, yellow or whatever colour - Muslim, Buddist, Hindu or whateve religion - nobody would complain or feel alarmed. But the numbers we have been getting and their continuing presence in Malta is alarming especially if projected into the future.