People will seek ‘extremist support’ if their concerns go ignored – Muscat

It’s high time that citizens are shown and told that politicians do care about their concerns on migration, and the increase in the number of foreigners living in Malta. “Not doing so will only push people into the hands of extremists, whose solutions do not make sense in today’s world but they are the only ones who citizens may think are listening to them,” according to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.

The Labour leader, who today turns 43, was addressing party supporters in St Paul’s Bay, a locality which was recently hit by a wave of vandalism and graffiti. The more recent graffiti are believed to have been carried out by Serbian residents supporting rival football teams.

Since 2005, the seaside locality’s population has grown by 23%, making it the most populated in Malta, behind only Birkirkara and Mosta. The primary school, where nearly two-thirds are foreign, is an example of rich cultural diversity.

Standing before his followers, Muscat kicked off his address by reiterating that Europe needed to prepare for a new wave of migrants during Spring; he went on to add that the European Union needed to work with countries of origin and transit.

Read more: Malta’s ‘Libya deal’ to push EU border south

“I was thinking of St Paul’s Bay while I was addressing the European Parliament,” Muscat said. 

“Do you think that the Prime Minister is not aware that the community is feeling the pressure from immigration? We know that residents feel that certain zones have become dangerous and when we state that we need to tackle immigration, we mean that we need to this humanely.”

The Labour leader said the answer to this problem is not found by “waving the national flag” and shouting “Out!” or by suggesting one shoots at them.

“As politicians, we have the responsibility to talk about what the people are fearing: people fear the drunken group who are using their front door as a loo; or the fear that they might take away their jobs. If we don’t answer these apprehensions, people will turn to extremists.

“Our answer is that we will continue to work for a European agreement that discourages people from crossing illegally. But I want you to answer this: if I cannot take a call and it’s up to you to decide whether to save people off a sinking ship, what would you do? Do you want that child to drown?”

Muscat said the government will soon start operating an employment system by which employers will no longer be able “to shop” for workers round the Marsa roundabout but they would have to buy their services from an agency.

“Some will say, ‘that foreigner will be paid as much as a Maltese’… and these will only show that they failed to understand a thing. The moment that Maltese and foreigners have equal pay, the tactic will change and it will no longer be about who’s going to work for least.”

The Prime Minister argued that Malta was changing and it will continue to change.

“The decision to take is whether we want to close ourselves in behind imaginary walls until change takes over and start managing us. We want to make of Malta cosmopolitan country, where families have the best quality of life and where, we attract so much investment and work, that we start improving the lives of other people from other countries too.”

‘We won’t give in to provocation’

Muscat also urged party faithful to ignore “the provocation” coming from the opposition, which he said has “increased astronomically” over the past weeks.

“I know that I cannot accuse the Nationalist Party as a whole for falling so low because I know that a lot of them disagree with this; the PN has been taken over by an extremist clique.

“Our reply will remain that of extending the hand of friendship.”

He said that the Opposition was falling for “surreal” conspiracy theories: “It’s incredible that the opposition actually adopts an official position and repeats that the hijack could have been fake; the latest one was to suggest that we cut off electricity supply on purpose… it just leaves you asking ‘are they for real?’ [dawn bis-serjeta?].”

‘Corruption by Muscat's clique has divided Labour Party’ - PN

The Nationalist Party responded by claiming that a rift exists within Labour – between Muscat’s “corrupt clique” and “those who are fed up with the dirt that has infiltrated the party’s highest levels”.

“The only provocation and political hatred that exists in this country is coming out of Muscat’s corrupt clique. Muscat’s government is buried deep in unprecedented corruption scandals, and his only action is to try and tarnish the PN. No lies or provocation will stop the PN from continuing to expose the government’s corruption.”