Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat yesterday joined Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi who in a statement said it was time for Parliament to offer an official apology to Maltese child migrants for the suffering they had endured after they migrated to Australia, even if this suffering was not intended.

Dr Gonzi made the statement before the convention of Maltese who live abroad, which opens in Malta next Sunday.

"As a mature society, we recognise that despite good intentions, there were many of these child migrants who underwent hardship. The government feels this is an appropriate moment for Parliament to apologise for the hardship which these Maltese brethren endured. We also wish to assure them of our respect for their achievements, and we rejoice at their successes," Dr Gonzi said.

He explained that at that time, Malta was still a colony going through hard times after emerging from the war. Young children (from Malta and other countries) had been transferred to Australia under a scheme launched by the Australian government.

The intentions were good because the purpose of the scheme was for the children to be given an education and a good future.

Dr Gonzi also recalled how two years ago he had inaugurated a monument to the child migrants at the Valletta Waterfront, close to where many of the children had left Malta.

The 310 Maltese child migrants were sent to Australia through the efforts of Maltese political and Ecclesiastical authorities, with the consent of parents or guardians. It later emerged that they were forced to work in institutions and many were not educated. A number of them suffered physical and sexual abuse.

The governments of Australia and the UK, among others, have also apologised for the distress caused to the children.

In his statement, Dr Gonzi reiterated the government's commitment to support efforts by Maltese living abroad to promote Maltese language and culture. He said that during the convention, the government would announce measures with this purpose in mind.

He also listed initiatives taken to help Maltese emigrants, including the introduction of dual citizenship which had benefited 16,000 Maltese emigrants.

Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat said the opposition joined the government in the apology, even if the hardship caused to the emigrants had not been intentional.

He also stressed that the government should make every effort to help Maltese emigrants to promote Maltese language and culture abroad.

Dr Muscat said he was all for the promotion of the Maltese language among Maltese emigrants, but pointed out that Malta was sending a conflicting message when Malta university students were being prohibited from answering examination questions in Maltese, even those sitting for Maltese language courses.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman George Vella asked the Prime Minister why nobody from the opposition side was invited for the convention, apart from Dr Muscat who was addressing it.

Inquiring about the convention's budget, Dr Vella asked whether there were UNDP funds to subsidise airfares. What were the criteria used in inviting those who were representing the Maltese?

The last such convention in 2000 had made useful and intelligent recommendations but apart from dual citizenship, few or none had been taken up. It had been proposed to have a special secretariat to represent Maltese abroad, to have a museum of emigration, the history of emigration in the school curriculum, student exchange programmes and scholarships. Nothing had been realised.

What had happened to the Totem Project, which listed prominent Maltese people who had made a name abroad? Between 1997 and 1998 the then Labour government had arrived at an agreement with RAI to use their satellite to transmit local news to emigrants. This had not been followed up, and emigrants now complained that they were receiving news which were 15 days old and heavily slanted towards the government.

The Federation of Maltese Abroad should have been formed 10 years ago.

Replying, Dr Gonzi said the Nationalist government had given those emigrants of Maltese origin and their descendants the most precious thing a government could have given them: Maltese citizenship, and consequently also EU citizenship. Had it been for Dr Vella and other members of the opposition, emigrants and their descendants would have been denied access to the advantages of EU citizenship.

Through Maltese citizenship emigrants had been afforded the opportunity to be part of the Maltese identity and culture, which was now also a European culture.

Immediately on the coming into effect of the convention, Dr Gonzi noted, the government had taken the necessary steps to implement it and to give Maltese citizenship also to children born abroad to emigrants of Maltese citizenship.

The aim of the convention was primarily to bring to Malta representatives of Maltese emigrants, and the government had provided a specific budget for the holding of the convention.

Dr Gonzi said that a committee had already been established to arrange for these representatives to participate in the conference, and a good number of applications had been received for co-funding. He said strong interest had been expressed in this conference.

With the advance in information technology, the government had ensured that programmes aired by Maltese stations were made available without delay to emigrants, and that programmes were also streamed for the benefit of emigrants.

He commented that although it was not relevant to the convention, the opposition had raised an issue on the use of the Maltese language at the university. He expressed his concern in this regard, indicating that the Maltese language provided strength to national identity.

Dr Gonzi said that a permanent structure was being developed to ensure that the convention took place to its full effect.