Frank Portelli is quoted as saying that he would deport 80 per cent of migrants if he became prime minister. His claim that ‘patriotism’ is the route to a Nationalist Party victory tells us a lot about what sort of leader he would like to be. His rash promise of deportation makes him sound like he is better off with Muscat’s pushback team.
It’s no surprise that Labour hasn’t commented on such a statement. They are always silent on issues surrounding racism.
Malta is a deeply racist and homophobic country, so that’s perhaps why.
At the time of writing this, someone has just posted on Facebook a comment Portelli has just made about LGBTIQ rights.
He said gay people can marry someone of the opposite gender, have children, and then leave their partner to have a homo-sexual relationship.
Thankfully, my attitude towards marriage is far better than his, by the looks of it, and I can thank my parents for that.
I would never marry for convenience, nor would I ever make a mockery of marriage by simply marrying to have children and then walk out on my wife to marry someone else.
Predictably, it didn’t take long for a supporter of his to take that step towards the violent and point out that since the skin of gay people was once used for lampshades, we shouldn’t give them rights.
Portelli may not be responsible for what other people write on his wall, but he did make the first move, and the result was inevitable. I wonder what the Archbishop has to say about this man’s attitude towards marriage.
Patriotism today has nothing to do with one’s nationality. It is more about a country’s laws and how that country conducts itself.
The PN’s strong point was always the economics. Its weakness was always being too slow on civil liberties
I am proud to be Maltese not because I am Maltese, but because my country offers free education and healthcare, for example. Whenever I mention that to people from other countries I always smile.
“Yes, we do that,” I say happily.
It works the other way round, too. When Muscat didn’t fire Mizzi and Schembri I felt angry and ashamed of our leaders.
It would appear, however, that the majority of people in Malta still hold strong to ideas of patriotism that brought us World War II, that has landed the UK with the colossal mess that is Brexit, and brought forth President Trump in the US.
If Portelli thinks that pulling out the Alt-Right card is going to do the PN and Malta any good, he is grossly mistaken.
Social minorities rely heavily on public outrage to protect themselves from the likes of those who say the skin of gay people should be used for lampshades. Such statements are not, and should not, be ‘res-pected’ or treated as legitimate opinions since they are the imperceptible step towards unbridled violence.
And there is literally no grey area.
Even the slightest tilt towards bigotry spawns the same ultimate uprising of hatred. Whether it is saying that same-sex marriages are inferior, or treating immigrants disparagingly and calling for them to be sent on their way because ‘we don’t want them here’.
Outrage is the only weapon against that slippery slope, and we must never forget it.
All our politicians should be more aware of this, and do their best to lead people away from such bigotry, rather than reflect it.
Portelli, however, is not the only problem. Anyone who thinks that a turn to the right will benefit the country is wrong.
The PN’s strong point was always the economics. Its weakness was always being too slow on civil liberties. Trying to make the PN the party of Catholics is a fool’s choice. Religion has no place in politics.
As it stands, the PN has the opportunity to provide this country with a moderate liberal who doesn’t come with Panama accounts or any other corrupt background.
It would do well to choose such a person, perhaps someone similar to Simon Busuttil. Someone who will lead and come up with solutions that are actually creative, and not this ‘deportation’ nonsense.
Someone who will lead people away from the Alt-Right, and not promote it or pander to it. Otherwise we will continue to drown in the sea of corruption that is getting worse by the day. Please choose wisely.
Edward Caruana Galizia is an actor and studied psychosocial studies at Birkbeck University of London.