Safi residents were at the back of government’s mind when Malta pushed for an EU agreement to tackle migration from Libya, the Prime Minister said this morning.
Joseph Muscat used his presence in Safi for a political conference to draw a direct link between the Libya-specific plan agreed at the Malta Summit last Friday and the concerns of ordinary citizens on migration.
“I understand when people from Safi call me worried about migrants in their locality. These are not racist families; they are good at heart but who believe migrants can be offered help of the numbers are controlled,” Dr Muscat said.
Of course, it was not just the 3,000 or so residents of Safi that Dr Muscat was speaking about but the wider concerns expressed by many on the impact of migration.
Describing Friday’s EU leaders’ declaration as an achievement, he insisted Malta’s job at the helm of the EU presidency was to make a difference in the lives of ordinary people.
We were told Libya has no solid government… but this is not an excuse to leave things as they are.- Muscat
“We were told Libya has no solid government… but this is not an excuse to leave things as they are. The agreement is not perfect but we showed that we understand the reality of people,” he said.
Dr Muscat said the agreement between Italy and Libya, which was endorsed by the EU Council, was intended to stop Libya from being sieve through which thousands of migrants passed, risking their lives in the desert and sea.
He reiterated the country’s duty to save lives at sea but noted the importance of breaking up the criminal networks that managed migration flows inside Libya.
Dr Muscat said the Italy-Libya agreement would also help improve the standards of migrant camps in the north African state.
“This is all a first step; the second step would be the creation of humanitarian corridors that would enable those who deserve protection to reach Europe in a safe way,” Dr Muscat said.
He then spoke of the City Centre investment by the db Group, which was given a concession to develop the site currently housing the Institute for Tourism Studies.
He said the investment aimed at providing better quality jobs in tourism.
Dr Muscat said the government had listened to concerns that the ITS site could have been given on the cheap and commissioned an independent audit firm to carry out an evaluation.
The government insisted on including a clause in the final agreement, he added, that would see the company pay more money if any future masterplan for the area granted the developers more advantageous terms than currently available.
“At a time when everybody thought we were with our heads in the stars we got the biggest Maltese investment ever,” he said.
Dr Muscat harped on the importance of government remaining close to the people and understanding their concerns.
Taking an indirect swipe at PN president Ann Fenech’s Facebook rant over the Prime Minister’s decision to take three European counterparts for pastizzi at Rabat’s Crystal Palace bar, Dr Muscat said he was not ashamed to join people for a cup of tea.
He reiterated the message that economic growth and prosperity had to have a purpose. “Prosperity has allowed us to increase the number of free cancer medicines available,” he said.
Taking another swipe at the Opposition, he said those who had no arguments to make tried to be divisive and provocative.
“In the quiet of their homes people evaluate everything that is being said and done; they determine what is right and wrong,; they know when mistakes are made but they also know who feels bitter and cannot stomach the country’s success or exaggerates in his criticism. We will rise above the name-calling. We will rise up to our families’ concerns and leave the fighting and division to others.”