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Malta is unable to sustain the further inflow of irregular immigrants. The situation is fast reaching boiling point. The arrival numbers, as compared with our population density, calls for urgent and coordinated international action. Malta, with its limited resources, is unable single-handedly to cope with this crisis. The writing has long been on the wall – the social and political consequences, if this matter is not handled firmly yet fairly could lead to serious repercussions.
The solution needs a mixture of lateral thinking, tough bargaining and compassion.
The solution does not lie in any easy rhetoric, racist outbursts or quick fix high-handed repatriation schemes. Finding a solution requires an analysis of the root cause of these desperate journeys of hope.
These people are not leaving their country capriciously. Generally, they are trying to escape hunger, at times torture and poverty. They are desperate. We cannot accept that their desperation is just their problem. It is not. It is fast becoming the problem of the whole region and as such requires an urgent international response. All those Maltese citizens who earnestly supported the Live8 campaign to cancel Third World debt have a chance of putting into practice those ideals by accepting the challenge posed by irregular immigration. The situation calls for the same urgent response as being shown in the global war on terrorism.
Yes, the international community must galvanise all resources to wage a war on hunger and to really make poverty history. Apart from the rhetoric, this means that we need to look beyond just having an agreement with Libya from where most of the refugees start their journey of hope to Europe. Malta must use all its good contacts with the Libyan authorities, if need be by involving also local personalities with influence in Libya.
An agreement with Libya to repatriate these migrants will not solve their plight neither will it guarantee their security. The crisis calls for a joint European understanding with Libya whereby persons not asking for protection in any EU member state are repatriated to Libya on the clear understanding that their human rights and dignity are fully respected.
But the time has clearly come for Europe, the beacon of human rights, to put its money where its mouth is.
This concretely involves looking back at Europe’s obscene subsidies to its farmers. These handouts are the very cause of why African agriculture is non-competitive. If there really is a European commitment to making poverty history the CAP is the starting point. Political leadership is all about vision. European leaders must start placing the illegal immigration problem uppermost in their agenda.
It certainly is a high priority for all European countries with a southern flank on the Mediterranean Sea. In a spirit of European solidarity it is also a problem for European countries which are landlocked like Germany. This calls for burden sharing and a common approach.
Malta should carry on making its case, if need be by diplomatically, and less diplomatically, screaming and banging until the European leaders acknowledge that this is not all about a few people illegally entering a European member country but all about poverty. The cause of their flight is hunger and as such it must become the concern of all enlightened Europeans.
A joint European Union agreement with Libya is only the beginning of the solution.
Europe was outraged that the Italian authorities had reached an agreement with Libya to repatriate without ensuring Libyan guarantees on respect for human rights. In the absence of such guarantees, the repatriation was considered as a ruthless shifting self-protection exercise. If and once the guarantees are in place repatriation is the correct way forward.
But Europe must also shed its fortress image and open its borders to more economic migrants.
Malta must tackle this problem firmly but fairly. Our people too for years travelled in large numbers seeking pastures anew. Apart from seeking international backing we must, and much precious time has already been lost, prepare and now implement our contingency plans. The calm seas and mild weather is most likely to see more immigrants reach our shores. We cannot simply say it’s a crisis – we must live up to the challenge by having accommodation available. If not the present overcrowding in the detention centres will reach inhuman proportions. This crisis will place a further burden on our armed forces and the police who are already under great pressure. The crisis requires cool heads, strategic thinking and vision.
It also requires an immigration policy that goes beyond the policing aspect of it. Irregular immigration is not just about detention. It is also about an active cultural and educational policy that seeks to dispel xenophobic myths and help irregular migrants among us integrate better into society.
Malta is not a multi-cultural society and a sudden influx of irregular migrants with diverse backgrounds, ethnic origin and religion can be a destabilising factor unless people learn how to live side by side. And it’s government’s role to come up with a cultural strategy to make possible a smooth convivance between Maltese citizens and irregular migrants.
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