AD – ‘Let’s talk sense on migration’
Prof. Arnold Cassola, Alternattiva Demokratika spokesperson on EU and international affairs, has welcomed comments from Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini, dissociating the Italian government from the ‘stupid’ declaration by junior minister Stefano Saglia, who threatened to cancel the energy link between Malta and Italy. “Blackmailing tactics and attitudes only befit despots like Gaddafi rather than to members of civilised governments, as the Italian one has traditionally been,” Cassola said.
“on the home front, it is worrying to see that the Partit Laburista is still insisting that ‘The PL believes that whilst respecting human dignity, Malta should never let others abuse of it and we should safeguard our national interest, just like other countries are doing’. “PL leader Dr Joseph Muscat has praised Italy for not having accepted to host migrants rescued from drowning. Can Dr Muscat and PL spokesperson Dr. Michael Falzon please give us concrete examples of what they mean by ‘safeguarding the national interest, like other countries are doing’?”
Michael Briguglio, AD Chairperson, said that Italy and Malta should work together, and not against each other, “to ensure that other EU countries are finally persuaded that the much vaunted concepts of solidarity, responsibility sharing and mutual help do not remain empty words but are translated into concrete actions.”
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While I do agree that immigrants should be saved, we all know (immigrants and locals we're both on the same boat here) that this situation is unsustainable. We're small, we lack resources and immigrants don't want to stay here in the first place. Many of them have family in Europe so even if we give them a heaven on earth they'll still be unhappy here
If we really care about illegal immigrants and locals then we should pull the plug out of the dublin 2 treaty. We should refuse from taking finger prints to immigrants, we should close an eye whenever they try to escape and we should refuse to accept them back whenever they get captured abroad. Meanwhile if the VETO still exist then we should used it more often to keep the EU on their toes.If this means jeopardizing Malta's membership in the EU so be it. The EU big guys promised us that Malta was going to be treated with respect and solidarity and not to be converted into some sort of prison camp for immigrants.
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Time and time again the Italian government has refused to pick up migrants, many of which have died. This happens due to the callousness - the racism - of certain Lega Nord ministers which Joseph Muscat admires so much.
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There's some attempt at damage control in the comments on this page but the fact remains that Joseph Muscat has exhorted our government to imitate the callousness of the Italian government. with the consequence that people would drown. In the national interest.
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No amount of hype, name-calling and playing with words will change this.
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Can someone educate a certain "white trash blogger" to understand that it's not the saving of lives which is in question here, everyone obviously knows human lives should be saved (everybody except such blogger apparently). It's the ultimate burden sharing which is in the news and which this white trash fails to see.
Lives should be saved, this is agreed to by both main local political parties. However it is obvious that escaping refugees find either Malta or Lampedusa (ie Italy) as the first land 'ahoy!'
After search and rescue is conducted, the refugees should be distributed according to population density so that no unnecessary hardships occur. The countries with the most people per square kilometer in the EU are Monaco (a little independent village in Italy), Gibraltar (part of the UK), the Vatican (everyone knows what that is), Kosovo and Malta... in precisely that order. Anyone can check this information here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_and_population_of_European_countries
Now, guess which of the above countries is at the very perimiter between N.Africa and Europe? Does anyone think refugees want to stay in this highly densely populated area? Was that their intention?
Of course we should save lives, and shame upon any army or country which doesn't. But that doesn't mean that we should be sacrificing these people's lives to spend their eternity here. They happened to come here because they wanted to find a better life in Europe. They only chanced to get a glimpse of the first land... which happened to be us. It's not fair that we trap them here.
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@ antoine vella the point is that AD is a political party I am not. All three parties must offer their solution and then people decide which is best. Why stick to the two proposals you mention? How about repatriating them. How about having the EU so proper solidarity? How about the EU having a proper policy to encourage transition to free democratic elections in Africa.? How about the UN using the trillion dollars pumped into Africa on projects that actually help the people? A vella nobody has said that we should let any person drown so stop being a stupid prick.
eleonoray86cws Ca?uana •
Alchemist, AD hibernating? It's more likely you've not been following the news.
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Alan Smith, how about YOU tell us what you think should be done if "a few hundred or thousand helpless migrants" are stranded at sea and the Italians won't take them? There would be only two options:
1) Let them drown
2) Pick them up and bring them to Malta.
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Which would you choose?
John Paul Sciberras •
Hello, Alchemist. Found the magic formula yet?
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Ok AD good and fair comments BUT seeing that Italy are not playing ball what is Malta supposed to do ????? You keep harping on a perfect scenario where all European brothers embrace each other and work together.BUT YOU SEE that IS NOT THE CASE and you should actually tell us what you would do when the italians call up and tell us to pick up a few hundred or thousand helpless migrants because they interpret the law in an Italian twisted way.
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So is AD still around? Since it is Spring they might have come out of their hibernation.
There were times when I thought AD made some sense but not anymore. It is now clearer than ever that they are fully detached from the feelings of the majority of Maltese.
Keep on fighting the windmills!
