Mhux Mare Nostrum

Iż-żjara fostna tal-Kummissarju Ewropew Cecilia Malmström għandha l-intenzjoni li tiffoka fuq l-immigrazzjoni fil-Mediterran u fuq il-ħtieġa ta’ solidarjeta’ effettiva fl-Unjoni Ewropeja.

Għal min isegwi x’inhu jiġri hu ċar li Malmström taqbel fuq il-ħtieġa li l-Unjoni Ewropeja tibda terfa’ r-responsabbilta’ għall-immigrazzjoni. L-Unjoni Ewropeja trid terfa’ din ir-responsabbilta’, iżda huma l-pajjiżi membri li għadhom ma jaqblux li dan għandu jsir.

Fi ftit kliem il-problema tal-immigrazzjoni qabel ma tissolva fi Brussels trid tissolva fl-ibliet kapitali tal-pajjiżi li jifformaw l-Unjoni Ewropeja. Biex dan isir il-Gvern Malti jrid jikkonvinċi lill-Gvernijiet individwali. Mhux biżżejjed li jappoġġawna l-Italja, l-Ġreċja u Ċipru. Hemm bżonn ukoll li jappoġġawna l-pajjiżi l-kbar.

S’issa l-Ġermanja, per eżempju ma qablitx li l-immigrazzjoni tibda tkun kompetenza tal-Unjoni Ewropeja. L-anqas r-Renju Unit ma jaqbel ma dan. Għax dawn pajjiżi li jridu illi dwar l-immigrazzjoni jiddeċiedu huma, mhux l-Unjoni Ewropeja.

Biex nitkellmu ċar jekk irridu road-map, jekk irridu solidarjeta’ obbligatorja, jekk irridu strateġija fit-tul, jekk irridu li pajjiżi fl-Unjoni Ewropeja jkollhom l-obbligu li jieħdu f’pajjiżhom immigranti li jiġu fuq xtutna irridu nifhmu sewwa x’qegħdin ngħidu.  Li qed jgħid il-Gvern Malti – u jiena naqbel ma dan – hu li l-immigrazzjoni ma tibqax iżjed materja li niddeċiedu dwarha aħna fil-Belt Valletta, jew li jiddeċiedu t-Taljani f’Ruma, inkella l-Ġermaniżi f’Berlin. Li qed ngħidu hu li tkun materja li tiddeċiedi dwarha Brussels li jkollha l-jedd li ġġiegħel lill-pajjiżi kollha (bla eċċezzjoni) biex jagħtu daqqa t’id. Ifisser li jkollna politika Ewropeja komuni dwar l-immigrazzjoni.

Din il-proposta tal-Gvern Malti tal-lum kif ukoll tal-Gvern tal-bieraħ hi tajba għax tfisser li l-ġewwa mill-fruntieri tal-Unjoni Ewropeja għandna nerfgħu l-piż ilkoll flimkien, it-28 pajjiż li niffurmaw l-Unjoni Ewropeja. Kull pajjiż għandu jkun mgħejjun, iżda ukoll kull pajjiż ikollu l-obbligu li jgħin ukoll meta dan ikun meħtieġ.

Id-deċiżjonjijiet dwar l-immigrazzjoni fil-fatt għandhom jittieħdu Brusssels. Għax ir-realta’ hi li dan m’huwiex iżjed Mare Nostrum. Fil-fatt hu tagħna lkoll

Passaporti għall-bejgħ u Cecilia Malmström

Il-Gvern irid ibiegħ il-passaporti. Passaport ta’ Malta mingħand Joseph Muscat jiġi jiswa’ €650,000. Magħhom trid iżżid €25,000 għal passport ieħor għall-mara u €25,000 għal kull wieħed mit-tfal.

Għadu mhux magħruf jekk hemmx discount għal min jixtri passaport għal iktar minn mara waħda.

Ġie ippubblikat abbożż ta’ liġi biex jemenda il-liġi taċ-ċittadinanza.

Saret ukoll laqgħa immexxija minn Joe Vella Bonnici ex-kandidat tal-Labour li ser ikun inkarigat mill-aġenzija ġdida Identity Malta. Il-laqgħa kienet indirizzata mill-konsulenti Ingliżi tal-Gvern Henley & Partners. Imma qed jingħad li din il-laqgħa spiċċat bil-banda b’Vella Bonnici u dawk li kellu quddiemu jgħajjtu b’ħanġra daqshiex.

Qed jinkitbu ħafna artikli u bosta kummenti dwar din il-politika ġdida ta’ kif il-Gvern immexxi minn Joseph Muscat ser ibiegħ il-passaporti. Ġiet deskritta bħala politika friska u moderna li tikkuntrasta mal-politika preistorika li kellna sal-lum.

Qiegħed jingħad li dawn il-passaporti m’humiex ser jingħataw bl-addoċċ. Il-Gvern għandu target li matul is-sena finanzjarja li ġejja jdaħħal €30 miljun mill-bejgħ ta’ dawn il-passaporti. Dan ifisser li qed jippjana għal madwar 40 applikazzjoni li skond kemm ikun hemm persuni dipendenti jew assoċjati mal-applikanti jista’  jfisser il-ħruġ ta’ madwar 200 passaport.

Intqal ukoll li l-applikazzjonijiet ser ikunu mgħarbla sewwa u ser ikun hemm attenzjoni speċjali biex ma jkunx hemm karattri dubjużi li jingħataw dawn il-passaporti. Imma mbagħad qalulna ukoll li l-ismijiet ta’ dawk li ser jingħataw dawn il-passaporti ser jibqgħu sigrieti. Dik l-informazzjoni skond il-Gvern għandha tkun kunfidenzjali magħrufa biss bejn il-Gvern u min jiffirma iċ-ċekkijiet għal dawk it-€30 miljun.

L-impressjoni li qed tingħata hi li l-filosofija bażika ser tkun li bil-flus tagħmel triq fil-baħar. Triq li twassal sar-Repubblika ta’ Malta li jekk għandek il-flus tiftaħlek il-bibien beraħ. Dan huwa l-mod modern ta’ kif titkabbar l-ekonomija. Min-naħa l-oħra għandna diġa l-assigurazzjoni li l-Gvern ser joqgħod ultra-attent biex ma jkunx hemm karattri dubjużi li jakkwistaw dan il-passaport.

Ngħid jiena kif nistgħu nieħdu dan il-Gvern bis-serjeta’ jekk fost il-persuni li għażel bħala l-konsulenti tiegħu hemm ċerta Shiv Nair. Id-dikjarazzjonijiet pubbliċi tal-Gvern [jekk nemmnu dak li qed jgħidu] jfissru li l-Gvern ta’ Muscat mhux kapaċi jagħmel il-vetting neċessarju għax ġiet ippubblikat l-informazzjoni dwar dan Shiv Nair li jnisslu suspetti serji: informazzjoni li din il-persuna qegħda fuq il-blacklist tal-Bank Dinji minħabba frodi.

Dawn l-affarijiet kollha juru x’tip ta’ nies jistgħu jixtru l-passaport Malti. Juru ukoll għaliex kollox ser jibqa’ mistur.

Il-messaġġ li Muscat qiegħed jagħti huwa preċiżament dan: jekk għandek il-flus tikkonfondi xejn, anke jekk ħadd ma jridek . Malta taħt Joseph Muscat toffrilek kenn. L-aqwa li tiffirma dak iċ-ċekk.

Imma l-messaġġ ikompli li jekk m’għandekx flus Malta m’għandniex post għalik. F’dak il-każ ċempel lil Cecilia Malmström il-Kummissarju tal-Unjoni Ewropeja.

Pajjiżna jixraqlu aħjar.

Sharing our responsibilities

The Lampedusa tragedy was a tragedy waiting to happen. .

Human persons in need of help have been on our doorstep, Europe’s doorstep. The help they sought was not available.

Malta has a government which belongs to that family of political parties, the socialist family, which describes itself as being the champion of the vulnerable and the downtrodden. In migration policy, in just seven months, the Labour Party led government in Malta has failed miserably in living up to its core values.

At this point in time none are more vulnerable than migrants fleeing persecution: in particular Somalis and Eritreans who account for the vast majority of migrants at this doorstep of Europe. The Labour Party in Government is not interested in their plight. It is more interested in a populist discourse to impress its hangers-on. Labour’s populism has diluted its core values  beyond recognition.

Labour’s push-back policy was not implemented due to the timely intervention of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. Those who think that  Joseph Muscat’s pushback policy was an exercise in bluff would do well to remember that  when still Leader of the Opposition Joseph Muscat had made statements on the need to suspend Malta’s international obligations if faced with large numbers of boat-people.

Many crocodile tears are currently being shed by those who in the past weeks advocated a hard-line inhumane attitude. Those who advocated push-backs are apparently shocked by what has happened.

Are they?

When we criticise the European Union for tackling immigration inappropriately we are also criticising ourselves as since May 2004 Malta and the Maltese are an integral part of the European Union. Malta forms part of each and every decision-taking structure within the European Union. Together with all the other member states Malta participates whenever a decision is taken.

The European Union needs a common migration policy which recognises that each and every refugee within its borders is its responsibility. The border states like Malta, Italy, Spain, Greece and Cyprus are shouldering a disproportionate responsibility which must be shared by all  members states.

So far, in the struggle between life and death the European Union (Malta included) has not opted to give adequate assistance to the living. As a result we are collectively responsible for the Lampedusa deaths. It is useless shedding tears for the dead if we did not respect them when they were still alive.

The Lampedusa tragedy was no accident. It is the direct consequence of the fact that on migration there is still a free for all in the European Union. A common policy is required to give flesh to practical solidarity and bury once and for all the culture of indifference.

The Greens in Europe are all in favour of responsibility sharing. That is, the recognition by European Union institutions that once a migrant crosses the EU borders he is its responsibility. Common borders are not just a tool for the payment of customs duties. A humanitarian migration policy is a must in every corner of the European Union. Crossing the border into the European Union should mean moving into an area which respects every human person, with no exceptions being permitted.

A first step would be amending what is known as the Dublin Convention such that the arrival of a migrant within any of the member states would not signify any more that he is restricted to remain in the country of arrival. Such an amendment to the Dublin Convention would facilitate the movement of migrants within the European Union and, consequently, their applying for refugee status, if this is applicable,  within any one of the member states.

This is the official policy of the European Green Party to which policy Alternattiva Demokratika has contributed considerably through constructive engagement with our European partners. The Greens in Europe are the only European Political Party which has fully appreciated the situation which EU border states are facing. Without any stamping of feet or smelling “pushover” coffee the European Green Party is the foremost proposer and supporter of an EU which shoulders its responsibilities through a policy of migration responsibility sharing.

The others just stamp their feet and indulge in inconsequential rhetoric interspaced with crocodile tears.

It is about time that the Nationalist Party and the Labour Party accept that their approach to migration has failed. They should take a leaf from the policy book of the European Greens and seek to convince their partners in the European Union of the need to share responsibility for migration with the border states.

Whether the Lampedusa tragedy will serve as a wake-up call is still to be seen. The comments from Jose Barroso and Cecilia Malmström at Lampedusa on Wednesday are good indications.

Well Muscat can smell that coffee now.

As published in The Times of Malta, Saturday 12 October 2013