No foreigners please, we’re Maltese
The general anti-foreign sentiments that float around this country are getting a bit disgusting. The whole ‘global village’ and ‘citizens of the world’ thing seems to have escaped most of us and this week’s events have only served to highlight the insularity that still plagues us.
Lynching the poor, unsuspecting sods who decide that moving to Malta is a good idea has become something of a national pastime. Anyone else see a trend in recent events to hit the news?
Even before the cases of the disappearing cats and of the poor, unfortunate woman who got stabbed yesterday cropped up, towards the end of summer the whole island was up in arms about some silly comments made by a Sicilian restaurant owner.
Barely weeks later, there was the other case of the Englishman who dared call one of us gay (oh no!!) and who was informed by our law courts that getting purposely run over by the ‘victim’ is a perfectly understandable reaction.
This week, our insularity raised its head again to target anyone of Asian descent. Don’t get me wrong, I was just as upset over the disappearing cats as any other animal lover but seriously... blaming anyone and everyone who happens to hail from the western side of the Pacific Rim is a tad rich.
Fine, the jokes about oriental restaurants are maybe understandable – hell, I was probably guilty of a couple myself (yes, I am human after all). But launching a crusade against the whole nation? Flash news: it could just as easily have been a Maltese person who was responsible for the abductions. After all, it’s not like we have an awesome track record when it comes to animal rights, do we?
But all this is nothing in comparison to the nasty, cruel comments I’ve been hearing after yesterday’s horrible discovery, where a Hungarian woman was found stabbed to death. As is to be expected, grocery stores and coffee shops this morning were abuzz with the news.
There is nothing we love more than a good gossip, even if what we are gossiping about involves a tragically ended life, a couple of fresh orphans and another destroyed life. So far, so mundane I guess.
But it doesn’t stop there. The voice on the streets was one: “x’tistenna minn dawn il-barranin?” (“What do you expect from foreigners?) Uttered in a total tone of contempt, of course. I had to bite my tongue not to get into a verbal match while getting my morning carton of milk.
So it’s only them foreigners who get on the wrong side of the law, huh? Whereas us Maltese are lily-white? Oh please. The list of gruesome murders committed by our co-nationals in the past is longer than my arm.
Maybe we should all hold our tongue instead of judging others, when we really have no idea about the true facts of the case do we? And even if we do get to know the facts, it certainly is not our business to condemn. Particularly on the basis of nationality. Have we no heart or empathy any more? Has it become so easy to dismiss other humans as “dawk il-barranin”? (Those foreigners).
I used to think that we are prejudiced only with respect to specific races. It seems like I was wrong. We’re prejudiced towards anyone who doesn’t have a Maltese passport.
Which is rather ironic, given that we have no problem imposing ourselves on a multitude of other countries.
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Charles Vassallo
Nov 30th 2012, 11:58
@ Ramona
I agree with your current blog all the way - However, I am rather disappointed that you haven't mentioned the fact that some of our local journalists (If they should be called so) like to sensationalize on such tragic events thus creating certain ambiguous feelings within certain members of the public.
What do you say on this matter?
carlos ellul
Nov 30th 2012, 11:40
If someone doesn't like the Maltese then why you stick to the place? I may understand the illegal immigrants who are forced to stay here by our tolerant North European brothers. However other foreigners can easily leave. I am currently living abroad, I had enough of London's renowned 'hospitality' (which include bitching and moaning 24/7) and I am moving back to Malta. We live in a free world.
Marica Lewis
Nov 30th 2012, 10:40
To. francis saliba, i suppose it is something called tolerance which is obviousky lacking on your part.
Francis Saliba M.D.
Nov 30th 2012, 14:32
No it isn't tolerance at all. It is a fact of life that foreigners are tolerated in Malta even when their behaviour is offensive to such a high degree of intolerance betweeen them that they start to kill each other. It is true we complain. Do you expect us to applaud and ask for more so as to curry favour with you and your version of tolerance?
Marica Lewis
Nov 29th 2012, 14:03
And yet how many Maltese migrated to other countries? They had no problems becoming foreigners in other lands and making a life for themselves and yet they will not give others a chance. Your article is great and it exposes the shameful and selfish attitude. I always pride myself in being Maltese but it is really a national disgrace nothing is being done to educate and stamp out this ugly side
William Spencer
Nov 29th 2012, 15:39
Ber patient Ms Lewis, Malta is almost in the 20th Century ( not the 21st ), still a long way to go.
Francis Saliba M.D.
Nov 29th 2012, 21:42
@Marica Lewis.
What exactly is this "chance" that we Maltese are supposed to give to others? The objection being raised is to serious criminal behaviour that is objectionable whoever carries it out but is doubly so when conspicuously perpetrated by foreigners, often among themselves, in a host country.
Robert Borg
Dec 1st 2012, 16:17
Yes Marcia ,there many Maltese who migrated to other countries, my father included. The difference it seems to me for the most part is that the Maltese who immigrate, assimilate in the culture of the country they reside in, without relinquishing their Maltese heritage. Thats the issue isn't it. Here in the States, we have many illegals from Mexico who refuse to even speak English.
Nadir Sammut
Dec 5th 2012, 02:56
@Robert Borg
English is not constitutionally the US language.
Rather it is some states that list English as their state's language.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_the_United_States
It is not a valid source but a good indicator of some summarised information of 'English/American' language.
Ms. P.M Graham
Nov 29th 2012, 09:47
Ramona, I always look forward to your articles. Straight and to the point. Hopefully you have made some people think in regards to their attitudes to non Maltese, but by the looks of things below, it may take a while.
paul camilleri
Nov 29th 2012, 15:47
Ms Graham if your refering to my comments then say so, but as for attitudes towards non Maltese i would like to tell you that i do not hold any grudges against anyone Maltese or not, but would love to see our island a safe place to live in and not overrun by foreign criminals as i am sure you agree that crimes involving foreigners have increased alarmingly.
Ms. P.M Graham
Nov 29th 2012, 20:55
No I wasn't Mr Camilleri. I did try to reply to you earlier but I suspect the laptop was on my partners account.
Prices rise and you will find crime rises too everywhere. Not acceptable but fact in this day and age.
I wish that just for 24 hours ALL foreigners in Malta, downed tools and actually proved to those Maltese Nationals that think all Foreigners are bad news, could prove a point.
Patrik Larsson
Nov 30th 2012, 12:01
Paul Camilleri:
It's hard to take your comments regarding foreigners seriously when only yesterday you suggested that Swedish school are lumbered with school shootings and that Swedes have sex with skeletons. Still haven't got my head around that one.
paul camilleri
Nov 30th 2012, 13:24
Ms Graham, again i wish to make myself clear i do not and have not condemed all foreigners as you imply but those that are found guilty of committing crimes should be deported.
Francis Saliba M.D.
Nov 28th 2012, 19:50
It is not question of "No foreigners, please, we are Maltese".
It is a question of please behave decently towards your hosts when you are a guest in their country, especially so when you are an uninvited guest.
Robert Agius
Nov 29th 2012, 03:45
Clearly you haven't met some Maltese across foreign shores. Uninvited guest? say what???
paul camilleri
Nov 29th 2012, 08:25
@robert Aguis sir if Maltese people commit crimes in other countries then i say yes deport them to where they came from because they do not deserve to live in a foreign country!!!
Francis Saliba M.D.
Nov 29th 2012, 09:14
@RobertAgius
I have met many "Maltese across foreign shores" but not all of them, of course. Nobody has, but that is surely irrelevant to our local problem of a flagrant disproportionate increase in criminal violence committed by foreigners and hitting the news so frequently.
Francis Saliba M.D.
Nov 29th 2012, 09:47
@RobertAgius et al
My plea for foreign guests (invited or uninvited) to behave decently towards their hosts (willing or unwilling) in their home country, is of universal application irrespective of race. I hate race discrimination but most of all I hate Maltese calling their fellow Maltese hypocrites when we are neither inferior nor superior to anyone else.
Robert Agius
Nov 29th 2012, 17:32
That's a fat one, flagrant disproportionate increase in criminal violence committed by foreigners, considering that more foreigners visit Malta each year than the amount of locals.
Francis Saliba M.D.
Nov 29th 2012, 20:27
@RobertAgius today at 17:32
You point (assuming that there is one) being what, exactly? The reported murderous violence by foreigners is not being committed by tourists visiting Malta but by foreign residents.
Peter Murray
Nov 28th 2012, 11:35
PS- He wasn't English the gay-accuser but Australian!
Peter Murray
Nov 28th 2012, 11:34
If there was an Olympic event in the discipline of "jumping the gun" we would be assured of a gold medal and the old adage of a little knowledge being a dangerous thing must have had us Maltese in mind -but worse still is a big assumption!Also while we persist in calling all foreigners ALIENS(especially our fellow EU citizens) and signifying them as such on I.D. cards these perceptions will stay
paul camilleri
Nov 28th 2012, 13:53
peter the term Alien is used in every country for non nationals. however i must sat that certain foreigners should be branded such as the east European Croatia/Hungary and other countries from that area because most of them have increased our crime rate( robberies murdersand other such crimes.) and should be even deported and not imprisoned as there they are still costing us money!!!!
S. Vella
Nov 28th 2012, 16:14
@Paul Camilleri
Did you base your assertions on any reliable statistics? What about some proof before branding the whole of Eastern Europe as murderers and robbers?
People like you disgust me.
Francis Saliba M.D.
Nov 28th 2012, 22:54
@S Vella
I heard the same sentiments about foreign Balkan elements being at the bottom of rampant violent crimes and robberies while travelling in Europe. MY family and many other tourists suffered from it when visiting the Czech republic, Prague being especially notorious. The plague has now reached us at home. With or without statistics let us not be ostriches. Reading the dailies suffices.
paul camilleri
Nov 29th 2012, 08:31
@S Vella
sir perhaps i disgust you, but natually you have not been a victim of these foreigners that you so willingly stand up for! perhaps Dr Saliba pictured you well when he said head stuck in the ground but maybe that was a bit harsh, would you prefer a horse with blinkers on?
Marica Lewis
Nov 29th 2012, 16:50
Peter you obviously have not been to the USA. One is either an illegal alien, a legal alien, a citizen. Permanent residents are regarded as legal aliens.
Mr.W Cassar
Nov 28th 2012, 11:28
Spot on!
The new meaning of being Maltese = Hypocrite
Please choose the reason of your report below: