Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday lashed out at the Italian government and Maltese racists over the issue of immigration from North Africa.
He chastised the Italian government for refusing to rescue migrants at sea close to the island of Lampedusa on Thursday.
The Italian authorities had also refused entry to a Maltese patrol boat after it rescued the migrants, claiming Lampedusa was not safe as it was “full up”.
“If Italy is safe, Lampedusa is safe,” Dr Gonzi said during a Nationalist Party activity in Tarxien.
Italy had the moral duty to rescue the migrants because they were closer to Lampedusa than to Malta and, particularly, since the incident happened a day after more than 150 migrants drowned under the noses of two Italian patrol boats, he said.
Passing the buck and quarrelling over who to rescue migrants was devaluing the human suffering involved and both countries had to work together to prevent this.
Dr Gonzi also strongly condemned “racist” comments posted on local websites.
The government was well aware of the people’s concerns and the fact that Malta was a small island with a dense population.
“We worry when we see these numbers coming. But we cannot forget that every one of these people, whatever their colour, are people like me and you and deserve all the help they can get.”
The online racist comments did not reflect that values of the Maltese people, he said, and, hopefully, they never would.
“I am proud because our DNA does not tell us to choose between people who are fair and people who are dark, people who have white skin and those who have black skin. As a country, we welcome not only tourists but even those arriving half-dead on a dinghy.”
When the ongoing conflicts spreading throughout North Africa and the Middle East stop, the Maltese people must be able to look at each other and be proud of their values in dealing with the weak and the vulnerable.
Turning his attention to divorce, Dr Gonzi stressed the Labour Party had made a mess of the whole issue, not just on the fact that next month’s referendum would be based on last October’s electoral register rather than the one published this month.
“The real mistake is the question,” he said, appealing for people not to be distracted by the more peripheral issue of 2,800 young people losing their right to vote.
He warned that an even bigger mess was about to follow because the referendum question spoke about safeguards that could never be guaranteed. The question, he said, tried to fool people into thinking Parliament could somehow provide for such guarantees.
“This isn’t a question of Nationalists or Labourites,” he added. “The family does not have political colours.”