The challenges of irregular immigration to Malta are long term. It is estimated that a sizeable core of asylum-seekers – perhaps around 5,000 – will settle in Malta and will become an integral part of the community as third country nationals (TCNs in the jargon; that is non-Maltese and non-EU citizens who have migrated to Malta and are living here legally).
The key question for policymakers is: how should Malta organise itself to cope with the relatively new phenomenon of TCNs, including black Africans, living legally among us? There are signs of hope in the air. Attitudes may be changing – even though slowly. Two tiny initiatives may be harbingers of greater things.
Three young people who originate from different countries and cultures, and who call Malta their home, have teamed up to produce a newspaper that will focus on the “integration of TCNs into Maltese culture”.
The newspaper, Side by Side, will be distributed free and will seek to promote integration and diversity. It will do this by highlighting the rich range of cultures already present and how these have historically contributed to the Maltese identity. Its aim is to promote integration of TCNs in society, to remove prejudices and to avoid misunderstandings.
There is regrettably a large segment of Maltese society which, for various reasons, ranging from ignorance and fear, to lack of compassion, to outright racism, has rejected any form of acceptance of the TCN community. Few immigrants develop a meaningful relationship with a Maltese person, and vice-versa.
The Maltese and immigrant communities are simply not mingling. Side by Side seeks to change that by acting as a bridge between the two.
Gozo Bishop Mario Grech wants his diocese to offer “tangible help” in dealing with immigration problems. He has tasked a diocesan commission to draw up a pastoral plan to help immigrants, possibly through the establishment of an open accommodation centre in Gozo.
This, again, is a hopeful sign that the Church, among others, is prepared to exercise a leadership role in addressing the inescapable challenges that are posed by migration and the long-term integration of TCNs.
But there may be even greater reason for hope that attitudes are changing. At the height of the ill-judged push-back saga, the Prime Minister made overt references to the need for asylum seekers to be integrated in Maltese society. This was swiftly followed by an interesting article by the minister responsible for integration, Helena Dalli, in which she broached the need openly “to seriously address the reality of immigrants who are here to stay... Integration is a dynamic, two-way process of mutual accommodation by all immigrants and residents... We need to take significant and substantial action. How to get there must not be a source of division within our nation. Immigration reform is a concern for all.”
The mere fact of having a minister who has not only been made personally responsible for integration but is also prepared to talk openly about it is indeed a major step forward.
It is in Malta’s long-term interests to adopt a well-ordered and structured policy of inclusion, not exclusion, of those who are already living here.
As Side by Side will be highlighting, over the centuries, Malta has absorbed many peoples of different nationalities, cultures, backgrounds, religious beliefs and skin colours, making us the nation we are today.
We should have nothing to fear and much to gain from integration.