Letters | Wednesday, 04 March 2009

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The problem of irregular immigration has been the subject of controversy for years now but due to the complexity of the issues involved, public discussion in Malta alone would not lead to its early resolution.
Discussion has to be coupled with appropriate political action. We have to distinguish between two aspects: the socio-economic reality and the political action that has to be taken. The political action has to be taken to protect the Maltese people in an issue of national importance due to the vulnerability of our country as a frontier state of the European Union.
It goes beyond saying that the wave of population migratory flows from Africa to Europe are of biblical proportions. This is an objective fact which will continue unabated, irrespective of what Malta and the other countries affected do or don’t do to control the harmful consequences on their territories and populations.
In this regard no legitimate action on the part of the receiving countries is to be construed as encouraging or discouraging the migratory flows. The receiving countries can control the negative consequences on themselves but cannot stop the flow itself. The migratory flows are the social consequences of the economic adjustments taking place in the African continent, and also due to the refugee problems resulting from situations of conflict within and between several African countries. The situation which has arisen in Malta as a frontier state of the EU has to be resolved by means of burden-sharing by the other EU countries.
This political will – in the other EU countries to help Malta in its plight – is lacking because the populations in the different countries are not aroused to our problem. This in my opinion is an important point, since it is public opinion in modern democracies that determine that particular action is taken or not taken and not solely governments or heads of state.
Now the Maltese Government and Opposition have already taken the appropriate action with the EU authorities and conveyed to them the gravity of the problems we are facing and that Malta could not safely absorb the number of immigrants coming into the country every year.
What could have been done by government officials, opposition party, MEPs in this regard has been done, but the EU institutions have not responded positively and are not addressing our problem collectively EU-wide. They are leaving us to face the problem on our own, since they cannot do otherwise. We would be foolish if we do not do what we have to do to bring our plight to the attention of public opinion within the countries of the European Union. Public opinion in Malta should work concertedly to send a message to the public opinion in the European countries to exert pressure on their governments to resolve Malta’s plight. This could be done in the forthcoming elections to the European Parliament by the candidates and the electorate sending a message loud and clear, by taking part in the electoral process while at the same time protesting the situation.
The candidates would dedicate their campaign to this issue while making sure that their name is not on the ballot, thus ensuring that no candidate is elected to the European Parliament and the seats allotted to Malta are not taken up immediately.
The electorate should be encouraged to join in the protest by either abstaining from voting or by invalidating their vote by writing a message of protest on the ballot.
Come next June – if not earlier – the European public opinion through the media would come to know about the Maltese protest and would be expected to take a position. Would they leave the situation as it is or would they voice an opinion that the Maltese problem, which is so huge for the Maltese to shoulder on their own, should be resolved within the European context?
Of course once the problem has been resolved, the candidates would not only be acknowledged as the country’s heroes but be given the chance to contest the election so that those elected could take up their seats in Strasbourg/Brussels. This protest due to its civility will not tarnish our efforts to fight the effects of the global economic crisis and would earn us recognition that we are really a mature people who should be treated on the basis of equality with the other European countries.

Mario Mifsud
Hamrun

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