A friend of mine recently expressed his astonishment at the substantial number of votes polled by the extremist Imperium Europa at the recent European Parliament elections. Personally, I was not surprised because, putting other contributing factors like protest votes aside, some people are unwittingly abetting the rise of such extremist political forces through their being political simpletons.

Let’s be clear about one thing: many Maltese have always been suspicious of everything that is different from their stereotypical view of life. So it is hardly surprising that the concept of multi-culturalism is alien to a substantial number of our fellow citizens.

The presence of third country nationals in our country is therefore seen as something negative and a threat to their sense of identity and social equilibrium.

The idea of moving forward from multiculturalism to interculturalism, from passive acceptance of different cultures to their integration with ours is seen as nothing less than blasphemy.

This is fertile ground for the growth of an extremist political force that can play on such fears and prejudices. For several years now, common sense and our strong commitment as a nation towards democratic values have helped to keep in check the forces of extremism in Malta. We have to be very careful, however, that well-intentioned but short-sighted individuals do not act in a manner that plays into the very hands of the extremists.

Let me give some examples.

Recently, I was invited to participate in a radio discussion about irregular immigration. One of the guests was an official working in an area related to this field. Now I am one of those who sympathise greatly with the unfortunate individuals who are forced to flee from their country, cross the sea and eventually finish up on our shores. However, the way this official argued and the way he dismissed all well-founded arguments he did not like really put me off.

For him, the alarming number of irregular immigrants finishing up on our shores was no big problem. Furthermore, we Maltese should do our utmost, he stressed, to give them exactly the same rights as all Maltese citizens.

Needless to say, many people phoned, foaming at the mouth, to challenge what he was saying. Because he was a person who let his enthusiasm for the cause blind him to reality, he managed to irritate many persons who were certainly no racists but who felt that his arguments were an insult to their intelligence.

It is, therefore, crucial that no individuals, especially those in the public eye, make public statements or embark on actions which only serve to provide ammunition to extremists.

A case in point is the recent recom-mendation made by the human rights organisation Aditus. Whether one agrees or not that all migrant residents should have the right to vote and run in local council elections is secondary to the reality facing us today, which is that Maltese society is not yet prepared for this development. Again, this is another case of a well-intentioned move on the part of an NGO that failed to foresee the backlash that would follow.

Extremist forces should not be strengthened through the mistakes of well-intentioned individuals

We cannot afford to make simplistic political statements that have disastrous consequences instead of positive ones. Look at what is being proposed, will exclaim the racist extremists, rubbing their hands in glee. Whatever next, they will ask.

We even have to be careful in our use of terminology. The word ‘racist’, for example, is being used too often and, on many occasions, out of context. There is a world of difference between an act of racism and a reasoned statement of doubt regarding the granting of certain rights to third country nationals.

If I am a public transport driver and I do not allow coloured people to get on the bus, that is an act of blatant racism and I deserve to be called a racist. On the other hand, if I state that I am against the suggestion that all migrant residents should have the right to vote and run in local council elections, that in itself does not make me a racist.

Yet, unfortunately, it has become common to call somebody racist on the slightest pretext and totally without justification. This only serves to inflame passions and drive people into the extremist camp. Minorities have rights but, like everyone else, they do not have the right to impose their views upon others.

To conclude, all those of us who love democracy and work so that dignity and respect will be accorded to every human being are rightly worried about the growth of extremist and racist political forces in our country. We have to do our utmost to ensure that such forces are not further strengthened through the mistakes of well-intentioned individuals who, unfortunately, are also political simpletons whose actions drive people into the extremist camp.