Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said yesterday he did not get a wink of sleep on Saturday night, disturbed by the thought of about 700 dead migrants “floating face down” off the coast of Libya.
Speaking during a political rally in Marsa, Dr Muscat said he was informed at about 1am yesterday that rescue personnel from the Armed Forces of Malta were wading through hundreds of cadavers in search of survivors after what he described as the worst migrant tragedy ever. Not many more than 50 are likely to have survived after a boat carrying about 700 migrants capsized en route to Europe at about midnight on Saturday.
Dr Muscat made a plea for all Maltese people to express humanity and compassion for those who had lost their lives.
He acknowledged that some had a problem with the fact that these people were black. However, he hastened to tell the large gathering of supporters, that “does not negate the fact that they are men, women and children who are now floating face down in the water”.
This cannot go on and the judgement that will be passed on those that allow this to continue will be harsh
Turning to the international community, Dr Muscat said that if Europe continued to close its eyes to the Mediterranean migration problem, it would be judged in the same way it had been when it overlooked other genocides throughout history.
“This cannot go on and the judgement that will be passed on those that allow this to continue will be harsh,” he said.
Calling for a moment of silence, Dr Muscat pledged to help save all the lives he could.
The large crowd gathered in front of the trinity church in Marsa observed the moment of silence, and Dr Muscat was loudly applauded when he said: “This is the heart of the Maltese people”.
Opposition leader Simon Busuttil also weighed in on the tragedy.
Speaking to party supporters in Siġġiewi, he appealed to the government to extend all the help needed to save as many lives as possible, adding that the Prime Minister should call for an urgent EU meeting to address the matter. He pledged his support to the government, pointing out this was a matter that affected all Maltese.
President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca said Malta could no longer look at migration as a “bogeyman” to be feared.
In an impassioned speech at the Vilhena Band Club in Floriana marking the feast of St Publius, she called on society to welcome and show love to those who appeared as outsiders.
“We cannot have peace if people behave in a hostile manner just because they see someone with dark skin or wearing a headscarf,” she said.
“There are no easy solutions to migration. It’s no longer just about war. In today’s world, people are on the move, just like our own children are going abroad to improve their lot.
“If it were us, if we had to leave home for a chance of living a life with human dignity, wouldn’t we take that chance?” Ms Coleiro Preca said.