A hot issue prevailing at the moment and gaining momentum is undoubtedly that of immigration.
The sight of an influx of hundreds of illegal immigrants dismays the majority of the Maltese people. I quote from a report by Migration Watch UK, which may serve as an eye-opener to the authorities of the enormity of the situation which we might be facing in the near future. A study based on data from the UK government's Office of National Statistics showed that nationally almost 20 per cent of babies are born to immigrants in inner London and the percentage rises to 30 per cent to 55 per cent in other areas.
According to the ONS, of a six million increase in national population predicted for the next 25 years, five million will be immigrants and their children. This represents an extraordinary change in the make-up of the British people.
I shudder to think if this were to happen in Malta: Though I won't be around, my children and my children's children will!
Unless something drastically effective is done to stem the flow, which seems to get worse and worse judging by the numbers which arrived during the first two winter months of this year, the end result might well be an irrevocable shift in the character of the country, which I am sure is contrary to the wishes of the majority of the Maltese people.
The implications for the housing policy as well as our national culture will be enormous!
Let us not commit the mistake to make it politically disreputable to attack the issue of immigration which has become a monster among us, by not debating it as we should and feel scared to speak its name, just because of a few individuals who wear a habit!
Those who demand curbs on immigrants are often denounced as "racists".
This is stupid, indeed pernicious. The Maltese people inhabit one of the most overcrowded spaces in Europe, so it is reasonable to question whether we should welcome more people which are a burden to the country. We may welcome a tolerable number of newcomers of different races who want to share our lives but are rightly suspicious were those numbers to become so great as to put our own national identity in danger.