Joseph Muscat’s reaction to the arrival of 291 irregular migrants on Thursday is disconcerting on many levels. If we ever needed proof that we have a government which thrives on populism, then we suggest you hear Dr Muscat telling reporters he did not mind being labelled “tough” or “heartless” on the issue of irregular migration during a hastily organised news conference.
In a few minutes, Dr Muscat did wonders to fuel the worrying anti-African migrant sentiment in Malta.
Let’s forget for a moment that Dr Muscat leads a centre-left party, which is meant to champion human rights, social justice and the environment and instead focus on the basics. Malta is part of a 28-nation bloc and a signatory to the UN convention on refugees, which makes it duty-bound to provide protection to those seeking asylum, not illegal immigrants.
So many months after Muammar Gaddafi’s demise, Libya remains in shambles. Reports describe a context of lawlessness and impunity, where sub-Saharan Africans are at constant risk of exploitation, arrest and indefinite detention.
Yet, despite the many official visits to Tripoli, we have hardly heard any European leader, including our own prime ministers, promise Libya it would fight at EU level to try secure the support it needs to help it build the right asylum structures. We never heard leaders put pressure on Libya to sign up to refugee conventions.
Instead, Dr Muscat is toying with the idea of sending migrants back to the hell they fled from. The last politicans to do that were Silvio Berlusconi and Gaddafi in a 2009 deal slammed by the European Court of Human Rights in a landmark judgment.
By referring to the 291 who reached Malta on a boat (including a couple with gunshot wounds) as “illegal immigrants”, Dr Muscat automatically assumed none have access to protection procedures.
Dr Muscat then declared he was willing to use Malta’s veto “on unrelated EU measures” to make sure the EU listens to our demands.
Instead of seeking to build alliances with similarly-hit countries like Italy, Greece and Cyprus (because success in the EU is achieved through team building), Dr Muscat is trying to morph himself into a modern-day David taking on Goliath, not realising the risk of painting himself into a corner.
Malta should look into the not so distant past to learn a lesson or two of the repercussions of going it alone. Back in 1973, Dom Mintoff blocked the Helsinki accord with the consequence of isolating himself and the country he represented from the discussion table for years. Opposition leader Simon Busuttil warned Dr Muscat against adopting cowboy tactics. Alternattiva Demokratika called our prime minister’s attitude as akin to a banana republic.
Six NGOs warned that returning irregular migrants to Libya or failing to rescue them from sinking boats would put them at serious risk of inhuman and degrading treatment.
Even a Court of Appeal ruling last week decided that the forced return of two Somali nationals to Libya in 2004 violated their human rights.
Talking tough with politicians is fine.. Europe has spectacularly failed to hammer out an effective migration policy and its tenet of solidarity has gone out of the window. But let us not forget the fact that most EU countries are facing similar problems with immigration. We are not alone.
Nobody has a magic wand to curb irregular migration. The short-term solution lies in resettling and relocating refugees, integration and returning those who do not need international protection. The long-term solution is in curbing wars and poverty.
Populist rhetoric and defying international obligations will only make matters worse.