NEWS | Wednesday, 21 January 2009

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Matthew Vella
The leader of the right-wing party Azzjoni Nazzjonali is calling for the support of Maltese migrants in the USA, to fund the party’s European Parliament campaign and help it become “a party to heed and to take notice of”.
Josie Muscat’s letter was posted on the Facebook group ‘Save Malta from Illegal Immigrants’, which is managed by Maltese-American Denis Catania, who lives in New York.
The party is fielding three candidates for the European Parliament.
Pictures inside the Facebook group show Catania and a score of other Maltese migrants draped in Maltese flags, eight-pointed cross motifs and national Malta rugby shirts, and holding posters in protest at “illegal immigration” outside the Maltese embassy in New York.
“It is so encouraging to know that our Maltese American brothers and sisters follow what is happening in their homeland,” Muscat wrote in his letter for the Facebook group.
“It is more encouraging to learn that the majority of you are deeply concerned by events unfolding in our island, an island that up to some years ago was known for its family values, rule of law, honesty and righteousness.
“Unfortunately, all this has gone overboard. Our social and financial problems worsen as our values reach rock bottom. To add insult to injury, the illegal immigration problem is worsening and as things stand, tends to become worse, with all that brings with it in the immediate and worse still, in the not too distant future.”
Muscat wrote that only AN served as a “consistent voice, calling for a determined response” to illegal immigration.
“Unfortunately, since we are a small party, it easy for the major parties and their media to put us in bad light, publicly misinterpret us and call us all sorts of names,” Muscat said.
AN was launched in 2007 with much pomp, only to perform dismally in the 2008 elections with just 0.5% of the national vote – 1,486 votes.
Muscat was recently awarded the ‘Politician of the Year’ award by Denis Catania, for “having the courage to speak out against the problem of constant and uncontrolled illegal immigration that Malta is facing”.
Catania also wanted to award Superintendent Silvio Valletta a ‘Man of the Year’ award for his outburst in court against the apparent lawlessness outside the Marsa open centre for migrants. Valletta, who was berated in the media for his comments, refused the award.

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