PM urges Commonwealth countries ‘to fight the fear’ sparked by terrorism

The Commonwealth Summit should send a clear signal that “we will not fear those who want to put fear in our lives”, the Maltese Prime Minister urged.

“Terrorists will win if they manage to induce fear. We can win terror by fighting back with hope,” Joseph Muscat said.

Addressing the Commonwealth Youth Forum which opened its first session on Saturday morning, Muscat said the world should show extremists that it was united against acts of terrorism.

“We can do so only by uniting even more than we are today. The Commonwealth Summit should send a clear singal that we will not fear those who want to put fear in our lives. We will continue with our agenda. Because we can make lives better for our people and we can chart a future which is bright – fighting inequalities, fighting poverty, fighting climate change, finding cure for ilnesses that are still killing so many innocent people, attacking the root causes of forced migration, providing more funds for research and development and make lives better for our mothers and fathers, ourselves and our children.”

The Commonwealth heads of government meeting (CHOGM) is taking place in Malta next week, as Europe is on alert following the Paris terror attacks that left 130 people dead. The Maltese government has reassured that it would not hesitate to cancel the CHOGM if the need arises. Urging people to remain vigilant, Muscat warned against paranoia.

Muscat went on to urge the participating youths to push forward a more inclusive society.

“I do expect some outrageous ideas coming out of this forum. Do not be as boring as us lot. Do come up with your genuine thoughts. You should be inspired and should provoke debate. It doesn’t mean we agree on every single thing that will be said.

“Let us have a genuine debate on gender equality, on democracy, on the division between state and religion, on sexual orientation and the way people with different sexual orientation are treated in our countries. Let us be honest about ourselves. We will not solve these issues in five days, but we can give out a signal that we are aware of all this.”