If the British, French or German governments were faced with a situation in which two million illegal immigrants flooded their countries in the space of five years they would declare a state of emergency. Relative to population size this is what the number of arrivals in Malta would equate to in these much larger countries. Things aren't going to get any better this year. In fact, considering what we've experienced in the past days, it's probably going to get worse.

I'm sure everyone was relieved when the Prime Minister recently suggested that a parliamentary debate should be held in the coming weeks to specifically discuss this situation. The Prime Minister stated categorically that this is one of the biggest problems our country is facing.

I feel it is about time we face up to the fact that the present situation is not sustainable before the problem gets out of hand. It's not too late but it soon will be.

We've tried to appeal for help from our European brethren. Let's be honest. They haven't delivered. We've tried to appeal for cooperation from Libya, a country that owes a lot to Malta. Our appeals have fallen on deaf ears.

Xenophobic sentiments are getting stronger and stronger among the Maltese. It'll get worse once the migrant population continues to increase and once the economic situation continues to deteriorate. We are doing our best but, let's face it, no one can blame those who find fault in the conditions in which migrants are being housed. We can't cope. Thousands of strong, young, healthy men are being subjected to months of frustration, discomfort and boredom. In short, it's a time bomb waiting to explode.

I feel it's about time we took a stand. It's about time we acknowledged the fact that the problem is getting out of hand. None of the illegal immigrants who end up on our island come here directly from their country.

They usually come to Malta via a transit country, which is usually Libya. Thus, the argument that these migrants are coming here to escape persecution or terror in their own countries does not hold water. There is an obviously organised effort to shuttle these people into Europe.

I suggest that they should be treated in the same way as we would treat any other visitor who does not have the proper documentation and is trying to gain entry into our islands illegally. Send them back.

If they are in distress at sea we should help them out. Any arrivals on our island should be treated with the utmost courtesy. But, when the weather is fair and at the earliest opportunity, they should be towed back into international waters in the direction they came from. Every consideration must be taken to ensure their safety but we cannot be expected to shoulder a responsibility that is physically impossible for us to bear.

We must act now. The consequences of inaction are too terrible to contemplate.

Dr Pullicino Orlando is a Nationalist member of Parliament