David Schembri
PM rejects Muscat’s suggestion to send immigrants to Italy
“How can one go onto a child or a man and tell them, ‘I saved you from death, now tonight I’m going to pack you up, put you in a plane and send you to Italy” – Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli
The Prime Minister has dismissed a call by the Labour leader to send a group of 171 immigrants rescued by the Armed Forces to Italy, arguing that people should not be treated like cargo.
“Since when have we been treating human beings as merchandise...?” Lawrence Gonzi said, arguing that Joseph Muscat was suggesting the immigrants should be plucked out of Malta, “packaged” and sent to Italy.
“How can one go onto a child or a man and tell them, ‘I saved you from death, now tonight I’m going to pack you up, put you in a plane and send you to Italy. Doesn’t he know that to do this, one would be violating fundamental human rights?” Dr Gonzi said.
Such a move would ridicule Malta on the international stage, as had happened to Italy when giving thousands of Tunisian economic migrants temporary residency permits, which would have granted them free movement across the EU.
He was reacting to a call by Dr Muscat to send to Italy a group of 171 immigrants rescued off Lampedusa following a comment by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi which suggested that the group should have been rescued by the Italians.
The group had been rescued by the AFM near Lampedusa but the authorities on the Italian island refused entry to the Maltese vessel forcing it to bring the migrants to Malta.
On April 9, when a journalist asked the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to comment on “Malta’s unwillingness” to rescue about 200 migrants who had drowned just 30km away from Lampedusa in a previous incident, he admitted it made “more sense [for Italy] to respond to the rescue rather than Malta which was far more distant to where the distressed migrants were”.
This was interpreted by Dr Muscat as an admission that Italy should have done likewise with the group of 171 migrants and he suggested Malta should send the migrants to Italy.
Dr Gonzi rubbished the suggestion yesterday but also took the occasion to tear into other recent comments by Dr Muscat about immigration, when he praised Italy for defending its national interest by blocking the migrants from entering Lampedusa and suggesting Malta should do likewise.
“Since when does our country have politicians who think in this inhumane way?” Dr Gonzi said, adding that his rival had insensitively said this hours after a group of suffering migrants had been rescued at sea and days after a boat had sunk.
“The Nationalist Party is not ready to prostitute its values to be liked,” Dr Gonzi said.
The Prime Minister also said it was thanks to the EU that Malta was involved in pilot projects where some 250 migrants out of the 4,000 on the island were moved to other EU member states.
He said Malta had been asking for special treatment because of the disproportionate number of migrants arriving in the country and acknowledged that even though solidarity existed in the EU, it should also be extended to immigration.
In a reaction, the Labour party said the Prime Minister “showed how weak he was when defending the national interest”, and that he was happy with the small number of migrants member states took up.
“Gonzi’s weakness is confirmed by his defence on the immigration pact on voluntary burden sharing, out of which our country took nothing,” the party said.
On the Libyan conflict, Dr Gonzi said the government’s first priority was Maltese workers with jobs in Libya, and if it dragged on the government would find ways to help enterprise with Libyan interests to shift to other markets and to give a fiscal breather to companies which needed it.
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Mr Malcolm Seychell
Apr 20th 2011, 21:05
The only think gonzi doesnt reject is accepting any amount of illegal immigrants. Dont worry we have the vote and we will reject you in the election. Its a pity for some of the very valid people who work within the PN group who know that Gonzi is 100% wrong about this issue.
But this is too much. National interest comes before any party or religion.
Ms pat muscat
Apr 19th 2011, 14:05
The truth is that GonziPN swallowed the hook, line, and sinker, of 'voluntary' burden sharing. Instead of crying 'mea culpa' its trying its best to make us forget this classic political blunder, whose repercussions might even threaten the very existence of our future generations.
Mr Joseph Calleja
Apr 18th 2011, 16:36
" ‘I saved you from death, now tonight I’m going to pack you up, put you in a plane and send you to Italy” – Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi". Actually Dr Gonzi I think that these illegal Immigrants that " you " saved from death will be more than willing to continue on to Italy and they might be very happy to hear that news. After all that is what they were looking for in the first place. Please stop using these people for political gain. Why not discuss the demise of Air Malta or the debt of Enemalta? " “The Nationalist Party is not ready to prostitute its values to be liked,” since when? What do you call your vicious campaign against divorce? Be careful what you wish for.
Mr Joseph Calleja
Apr 18th 2011, 16:25
Cut the crap and stop using these illegal immigrants for political purposes. Both Dr Gonzi and Dr Muscat are exploiting these people and using them as political pawns. I am sure that most of these people don't want to stay in Malta so why not patronize them and let them make the choice about moving on. Malta like the island of Lampedusa cannot support and receive more illegal immigrants because of the already over populated islands. Malta is doing it's humanly effort now it's up to the rest of the EU to do the same. It is a fact that these people are creating a lot of animosity among the Maltese population and it is getting worse instead of better but I don't think that either Dr Gonzi or Dr Muscat should use the illegal immigrants as pawns in their political quest. This is a Maltese problem for both parties and instead of pointing fingers both leaders should be looking for a solution. Both leaders are making Malta look bad in the international arena. I agree that maybe the islands of Lampedusa and the island of Malta should not serve as a motel for illegal immigrants and a solution must be found to keep these two little islands afloat. Question: How come it is OK for Italy to put these illegal immigrants on a train and send them to France? How come it is OK for France to reject these people? What kind of game are they playing? That is the question our five overpaid Meps should be asking?
Ms Louise Vella
Apr 18th 2011, 14:52
II
“The Nationalist Party is not ready to prostitute its values to be liked,” Dr Gonzi said.
And at this rate it will be liked by less and less Maltese voters.
“The Prime Minister also said it was thanks to the EU that Malta was involved in pilot projects where some 250 migrants out of the 4,000 on the island were moved to other EU member states.”
Dr Gonzi is happy with getting rid of 250 out of 4000. No comment!
Ms Louise Vella
Apr 18th 2011, 14:51
I
“How can one go onto a child or a man and tell them, ‘I saved you from death, now tonight I’m going to pack you up, put you in a plane and send you to Italy. Doesn’t he know that to do this, one would be violating fundamental human rights?”
Dr Gonzi must know that all illegal immigrants prefer Italy to Malta, perhaps because from there they can more easily slip to France or Germany. The problem is not human rights. It’s just that the Italians wouldn’t accept them. And Dr Gonzi cannot do anything about that, so he hides behind human rights.
Mr Joe Xuereb
Apr 18th 2011, 11:56
When is the Prime Minister (and the electorate generally) going to realise that playing games of pique is rendering them blind to the realities that is Malta today?
Apart from the great numbers who are deserving of refugee status (we're civilised and we're Christian, no problem there)...but I'm more concerned about the even greater numbers who have got it into their head to migrate to the lands of 'milk and honey' - because Europe owes them? These would indeed have preferred Italy and thence, to the lands of 'milk and honey' further north. Problem 'solved' locally. But is it?! The lands of milk and honey exist only in the minds of those who have decided to migrate to these mythical lands for economic reasons. Because they believe Europe owes them an existence. Like the twenty thousand Nigerian women trafficked to Milan as 'women of the night' by their boyfriends back in Edo Province (Nigeria).
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/unreported-world/articles/nigeria-sex-lies-and-black-magic-local-hero
These have found a lucrative living in Padania and wouldn'be welcome in France anyway. Malta and its leaders are expert navel gazers but the navel of the world, Malta is not. Just get over it. And stop playing silly games.
The problems of the world, certainly those of Europe, reverberate on Malta's (mis)fortunes. Stop dreaming of neutrality. Cannot, will not, happen.
Mr Joe Spiteri
Apr 18th 2011, 10:38
Did the PM ever ask this group of immigrants whether they preferred to stay in Malta or be sent to Italy? My guess is they would choose Italy.
R. Grech
Apr 18th 2011, 10:23
“How can one go onto a child or a man and tell them, ‘I saved you from death, now tonight I’m going to pack you up, put you in a plane and send you to Italy” – Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi.
seriously... what is so wrong with that?? I fail to see the whole point of the PM here...
1) we saved their lives, which is a good thing
2) we're sending them to Italy, where they'd have preferred to land anyway...
3) less burden on our whole system.
definitely, both Malta and the 171 migrants would gain from this... so what is he going on about?
Mr Joseph Cauchi Senior
Apr 18th 2011, 09:28
“How can one go onto a child or a man and tell them, ‘I saved you from death, now tonight I’m going to pack you up, put you in a plane and send you to Italy.”
Could this be music to the ears of these people?
Just asking!
JC.