Resettlement pledges 'a failure', PN accuses Muscat of 'far-right' populism
The Nationalist Party is accusing Labour leader Joseph Muscat of “fraternizing with far-right politicians” after calling the government’s immigration policy a failure.
13 May 2011, 12:00am
Matthew Vella
Matthew Vella
2 min read
Muscat yesterday greeted news of the 323 resettlement pledges from European Union member states for asylum seekers and refugees fleeing the Libyan conflict, as a “confirmation of government’s failed immigration policy”.
He reiterated that the European Immigration Pact – a voluntary mechanism for the resettlement of asylum seekers around Europe – had not achieved anything to alleviate Malta’s share of refugees.
The PN accused Labour leader Joseph Muscat of having betrayed his “progressive and moderate” credentials, referring to reports that Norman Lowell of Imperium Europa would direct supporters to vote for Labour.
Today, Labour spokesperson for immigration Michael Falzon said Europe’s purported solidarity was nowhere to be seen.
“The absolute majority of EU states refused to help Malta… while the minority of states that are helping are doing so in the most meagre of ways considering that 12 countries of such large geographical proportions are taking the ridiculous number of 300 immigrants,” Falzon said in a statement.
Yesterday a pledging conference was held in the margins of a justice and home affairs council meeting in Brussels, where Germany and 11 other member states, as well as Norway and Liechtenstein, pledged to resettle 323 refugees from Malta. Notably absent were large member states like UK and France.
“Labour’s reaction is a yet another populist declaration that offers no alternative. Everybody agrees the solidarity shown can be better, but nobody can deny the progress registered in just a few weeks with European countries committing themselves to take one-third of all the immigrants that came to Malta in the last weeks,” the PN said.
The PN also said the countries that “adopted the politics of threats and fist-slamming that Muscat wants to use”, made no pledges. “Muscat’s extremist politics would have left us with nothing.
The countries that will resettle refugees and other asylum seekers are Germany, which will take 100 asylum seekers, and Hungary, Poland, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Bulgaria, Denmark, Romania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Norway and Liechtenstein.
Michael Falzon accused the government’s immigration policy while saying that “other EU states are taking even more decisive steps in their national interest.”
“It is absolutely necessary that we send a clear and strong message if we want to get the help we deservedly need.”
Matthew Vella, a freelance journalist at MaltaToday, was formerly executive editor at Malt...
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Salgister xtippredenti li il PN u Dr Gonzi ikomplu sejrin bil GIDEB taghhom u Dr JMuscat jibqa qiesu mhu jigri xejn Jekk Dr J Muscat qed jahseb li l-elezzjoni li gejja ser JIRBAHA ser JARRALU ghax ghalkemm il PN (Dr.Gonzi) ghamel hafna FREJJEG bhal ma meta zid lilu u lil kabinett 600ewro fil gimgha imbad nissilhom ghal 500 ewro fil gimghail PN ghad ghandu hafna loop holes min fejn jghaddi specjalment tal Karta ta l-Identita dak id dokument li IVVINTAW tal PN ghad ghandhom hafna loop holes bihom Dr JMuscat imissu QATT ma JHALLI li NIVVOTAW bdak id dokument imma ghanna BISS NUSAW IL KARTA TA L-IDENDITA Salgister jekk irid Dr J Muscat JISTA IZOMM lil Dr GONZI milli ihalli lil dawk it 3800 zaghzuh u zaghzuhamilli ma jivvotawx billi ghid lil Dr Gonzi jibdel id data tar referendum mela ihallih IWAHHAL FIH (Dr J Muscat )u Dr JMuscat qiesu mhu jigri xejn JIDDISPJACINI nghid li Dr JMuscat huwa Fidijll iehor bhal ma kien Dr Alfred Sant Dr JMuscat RESSAQ 100 Ruh lejn il PL imma gerrex mas 60 iehor ghax in nies mhux kuntenti BIH (Dr JMuscat)
Luke Camilleri •
The Difference between Dr. Gonzi and Dr. Joseph Muscat - This Quote tells it all;
A politician thinks of the next election; a statesman thinks of the next generation.
~James Freeman Clarke
No wonder we are so proud of our Leader Joseph Muscat !
Micheal Bonanno •
@Squall, x'tippretendi li jaghmel Joseph Muscat? Inizzel in-nies fit-toroq biex taghti arma li PN u fl-istess hin salvauomo qabel l-elezzjoni? Hallina trid. Joseph Muscat qieghed jaghti l-habel lill-Gvern biex ikompli jitghallaq wahdu!
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Ghalija jien Dr Joseph Muscat huwa l-akbar RIEQED li hawn go dan il pajjiz biex ihalli lil PN jinqeda BIH (1) Niehdu il kaz ta DIVORZJU Gonzi id data ghamilha HU u kien jaf li ir Rferendum ser isir fi 30 ta Mejju ghallura kif Dr Gonzi qed IWWAHHAL f Dr Joseph Muscat li lil dawk 4,000 votanti godda qied ICAHHADHOM milli JIVVOTAW Dr Joseph Muscat ma ghandekx il HILA lil Dr Gonzi tghidlu biex id data jibdilha u JAGGORNA ir REGISTRU ELETTOLARI (2) Meta il PN ghamel dik il FROGA l-ohra ta Dr Justyne Caruana meta wahlu FIHA li IVVOTATmhux bhal mhux ukoll HALLEJTA tibqa sejra daqs kemm gabu SKUZI li kien HEMM il Microphones MITFIJA u xnaf jien dak in nhar kien KAZ SERJU hafna Dr Joseph Muscat u il PL hallejtu lil PN JITMEJLU BIKOM bil HMERIJIET U SKUZI LI BDEW IGIBU (3) Issaniehdu din ta L-IMIGRAZJONI daqs kemm ftahar Dr Simon Busutill bil FRONTEX din l-orginizjazjoni MIETET QABEL TWIELDET jigi il ministru il QADDIS li ghandna Dr Mifsud Bonnoci u jigi ghidilna li xi 33 pajjiz ser jiehdu l-330 immigrant hallina Dr Mifsud Bonnici kemm ser IDDUM tmur TITKARRAB quddiem l-UE u taqa ghan NEJK lil MINTOFF riedu dawk ta l-UE ghax kien jurihom min hija MALTA mhux PASTUR BHALEK dr MIFSUD BONNICI
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Issa jf il poplu jaf kemm kienu weghdi fierha dawk l weghdi ta solederjata li kienu jweghduna tal PN qabel ma dhalna fl-EU
Possibbli l gvern ferhan bit 323 immigrant li weghdu li ser jehdulna? Dawn kollha jigu fuq trip wiehed
.Possibbli li l gvern ma kellimomx lil dawk l pajjizi li wara li sfruttaw lil Afrika biex issa jaghtuhom daqqa ta id u mhux inbatu ahna minhabba li hsiebhom kien biss li jisfruttawhom?
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Mr Mifsud Bonnici and Mr Busuttil should resign. It was the PN government who placed us in this problem in the first place by signing the Dublin 2 treaty and it is the PN government who after years of 'negotiating' has once again failed to come out with a decent solution. By taking just 323 immigrants the EU was publicly ridiculing our efforts in front of a big problem which we haven't created in the first place. It would have been better to show some pride and leave the conference rather then accept such pathetic gift symbol of years of begging at the EU doors.
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qabel ir riferendum tal Europa, kinu qalulna l Europa tfiser solidarieta. Jista xi hadd jispjegali xi tfiser dil kelma? Qed nistaqsi ghax s'issa qatt ma rajta mil Europa ma Malta fil mument tal bzonn f'dawn is sitt snin. U nidubita kemm se narawa. Nahseb iktar kinet Malta li uriet solidarieta' mal Europa...kollox bil maqlub.
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Malta is too small to cater for the immigration problems that are currently occuring. The government has so far done very little towards solving this problem. Unfortunately other big EU countries are greedily thinking about themselves only!!! Malta is quickly becoming the 'dumping' ground of the European Union. I fully agree with the PL on this issue.
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mhux fuq il-mitejn kull wiehed kellhom jiehdu dawn. Igri nehilsu min dawn il-qabda bla ........
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Meta l-PN jsejjah tal Labour far right ikun qed jinkuragixi dawk tal-far right biex jivvutaw lil tal labour. Allura nahseb li l-effet hu ezatt bil maqlub ta dak li jridu tal PN. Jekk tal PN jahsbu li b'daqshekk se jiksbu simpatija, qed jarralom.
Isabelle Borg •
GonziPN = bla bocci
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Jien twiliedt u waqatli zokorti nazzjonalist, imma issa ma nistax nistenna izjed biex nehles min din il klikka ta inkompetenti w arroganti li ghandna minn dan il gvern to Gonzi. Disappuntat mijja fil mijja.
Hbiebi jajduli, imma tal-Labour sejrin ikunu ahjar??
Jien ma nafx, imma dawn ma nistax niflahhom izjed, w hadd ma jista ikun ghar minnhom.
duncan abela •
Nothing but a sop from Europe and less than what we receive and have to care for in a single boatload landing. The irony of it all is that Britain and France whose so-called humanitarian mission has led to this uncontrolled exodus did not even bother some token gesture of appreciation and support. I associate with all those who are disgusted with the current attitude of the majority of European countries.
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Is-soltu tattika faxxista. Dejjem jwahhlu f'Joseph Muscat ghan-nuqqasijiet taghhom. In-nies hasbuhom imzazen Ahjar jharsu fil-mera u jghidu lillhom infushom mea culpa ghax fallew f'kull qasam u mela jaraw lil min se jippuntaw subaghhom. Rigward l-imigranti tant jikkuntentaw rwiehom biex xejn li lanqas hasbu ghal-futur. Minn ghalihom mhumiex gejjin izjed immigranti. Stenn daqsxejn ghaziz Ministru u tara kemm intkom minbarra li intkom bla bocci tal-laham, u laqghin tal-Eu, lanqas mohh biex tahsbu m'ghandkom.
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Was it Joseph Muscat that sent back somali refugees to be tortured and killed? Come on Gonzi show us some solidarity. Ask your supporters to take in adopt a couple a refugees for summer. The church could house a couple of hundred at leat in its vacant convents. Come on show Muscat for what he is a populist rascist. Not like you a hallowed Hypocrite. You remind me of those angels at the base of a 'Vara' they are all smiling although having a nail in their backside. Just like Europe is hammering nails in your backside but you's still smiling.
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I think what Mr. Muscat is saying is supporting by the vast majority of the Maltese an dGozitan people. We are for helping out migrants but only for a short term. Most people don't even want to help out. Period. Malta is simply too small for any kind of influx that we are seeing. At least in Lampedusa, they are scattered throughout Italy. In Malta, they are stuck here. The national interest should always come first.
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Ara vera ghandna ministri li ,a jafux jisthu ! kujisthu ! Ghax se jiehdulna TERZ mill-immigranti li dahlu f'Malta f'dawn l-ahhar gimghat, qed jghidu li huma kuntenti. Anki lin statwi tal-angli bil-musmar f'darhom jidhru qeghdin jidhqu u kententi !
