The editorial of September 19, entitled ‘The X Factor in Marsa’, lashes out at the Ministry for European Affairs and Equality because, according to the author, the ministry is partial in its equality approach and favours a set of rights and grounds of anti-discrimination over others.
Not only that, but the ministry is criticised for supposedly going overboard on certain issues, for example LGBTIQ-related issues, while remaining oblivious to the rights of others, specifically the rights of African migrants in Malta. In doing so, the editor calls government’s recent work “boring and repetitive” while dismissing it as equality in inverted commas and adding that it is “truly getting ridiculous”.
What the editor failed to state, however, was that the government found no support from his pen in the past years while implementing the much needed advances on LGBTIQ issues, even when the legal situation of LGBTIQ people and their families was a lot direr, and Malta lagged behind most European Union member states in this area of policy.
Indeed, if there was ever a constant, it was the nagging attempts at break pulling and various attacks on such proposals from his end.
One can for example refer to the editorial of October 28, 2013, which in the run-up towards the adoption of the Civil Unions Act claimed that the “government has no mandate for the introduction of such a Bill because same-sex marriage was not included in the Labour Party’s electoral programme” and called on the government to “be careful about redefining the concept of marriage and the family”.
Similarly, while the Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics Act was advancing through Parliament, the editorial of December 18, 2014, claimed that the Bill raised “too many red flags for the Equalities Minister to ignore”.
The police’s main goal is that of restoring safety and tackling criminality
And yet, the claimed red flags were nothing other than resistance to the human rights model championed by the government which is now celebrated internationally as a best practice and a standard bearer.
Thus when the dots are joined, it becomes clear that it is not the government that is ‘boring’ but rather the obfuscated vision of the editor on these matters. Indeed, there is no doubt that the editor is still uncomfortable with LGBTIQ equality as his statement in the editorial of September 19 lays bare, where according to him: “The institution of marriage, between a man and a woman, is a foundation pillar of society. Nothing can change that.”
Contrary to this claim, all parliamentarians but one voted in favour to open up the institution of marriage to same-sex couples. So why is the editor refusing to update his understanding of it? Marriage today is gender neutral and open to all couples without distinction or discrimination. And that is a good thing.
Moving on to the situation in Marsa, one needs to remark that the police’s main goal is that of restoring safety and tackling criminality.
Government’s human rights-based approach towards migrants in Malta over recent years has been clear. No migrants are today held in detention contrary to the situation that the government inherited in 2013, and through positive measures towards integrating migrants in the community, Malta will soon not need open centres either.
Furthermore, third-country nationals are increasingly welcomed to live and work here in Malta, helping us grow the economy faster than most other EU member states.
Besides, following a lot of groundwork with other ministries and discussions with civil society, the Ministry for European Affairs and Equality will soon be launching the Maltese government’s first migrant integration strategy which will set migrants on an integration track for them to belong here and be part of Maltese society rather than co-exist with us on the margins of society.
Additionally, the Equality Bill that will be tabled in Parliament will protect individuals against discrimination on the grounds of race and ethnic origin in employment and access to goods and services, which incidentally includes the police.
Following its adoption, migrants will be able to initiate procedures with an independent human rights institution if they believe that they have been racially profiled or discriminated against in any sphere of life. All this in line with the Paris principles, and the highest human rights standards, where all are treated equally in dignity and rights.
Paula Cauchi is government spokesperson at the Ministry for European Affairs and Equality.