Suspended Lives is an excellent documentary about the real life stories of ordinary people who have to face extraordinary circumstances.

A challenging production by the Jesuit Refugee Service and directed by Andrew Galea Debono, it is about the suffering, uncertainty, fear and humiliation that displaced people have to endure.

It is a real life story of young people, mothers, fathers and children who had no option but to flee their country and seek shelter in another country, hoping to start a new life and give their children a secure future.

Jesuit priest Joseph Cassar, the dedicated head of JRS, invited me to attend the screening of the documentary at St James Cavalier on the eve of World Refugees Day – a must-see documentary – a good dose of reality to us all who should really count our blessings for the comfortable life we have.

There are so many things we take for granted which mean the world to these people – liberty, tolerance, freedom of worship and association, democracy and the basic right to work and earn a decent living.

This excellent documentary recounts the ordeal of daily life in sub-Saharan Africa, the escape of men, women and children through dangerous and life threatening routes and their subsequent arrival in Malta for those ‘lucky’ enough to make it. Many never make it when the fierce waves of the Mediterranean engulf their rickety boats, claiming the lives of innocent people.

Others, however, do manage to reach our shores, hoping for a new beginning. The documentary sheds light on the life of these unfortunate people in Malta. It is heartening to see the work being carried by migrant NGOs, namely JRS and UNHCR Malta, together with local authorities.

It is well known that the government is doing its best considering Malta’s limited resources and difficult circumstances.

Certainly, more needs to be done: the conditions in our detention centres have improved significantly but there is still much more room for improvement in our open centres.

There is clear direction by Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici and the necessary doses of goodwill to sustain this.

Fortunately, at the helm we have a Prime Minister who has consistently put human life before any other interest – the most recent example was when a Maltese patrol boat saved the lives of 171 migrants near Lampedusa after assistance was not forthcoming.

Unbelievably, this just decision received flak from the Leader of the Opposition, who castigated the government for not taking a supposedly “firm” stand with people’s lives.

I am seriously concerned about how certain sections of the media in Malta insist on using voluntarily or involuntarily xenophobic language when they refer to these irregular migrants as ‘Klandestini’, ‘Illegali’, ‘Suwed’.

This populist, irresponsible language is simply unacceptable for a country such as our own which has always been generous and kind-hearted with those in need.

It’s high time for all media houses, NGOs, Civil Society and political parties to come together for a serious, focused and mature discussion on migration and realise once and for all that resorting to populist and xenophobic language and discourse will only serve to complicate matters. The media, especially, has a major role to play here.

Migrants are normal, ordinary people who, due to extraordinary circumstances, have no choice but seek shelter elsewhere. They are not criminals, they are not here to take our jobs – they simply want to live a normal life and integrate as best as they can (and as much as we allow them) in European society.

Thus, the setting up of the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) in Malta should be praised as a further step in this direction. True asylum seekers and people who are recognised as refugees and in need of subsidiary or humanitarian protection need the support of this office. They need the assistance to start a new life by being integrated in European society.

The fear of ‘The Other’ can become widespread in Malta when sections of the media encourage this fear. Fortunately, the likes of JRS and Galea Debono are using the media as a tool to make us all aware of this terrible human tragedy. Hopefully others will follow their admirable example.

Dr Psaila is Director Information of the Nationalist Party.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.