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2 maltatoday EXECUTIVE EDITOR Matthew Vella MANAGING EDITOR Saviour Balzan Letters to the Editor, MaltaToday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt Letters must be concise, no pen names accepted, include full name and address maltatoday | SUNDAY • 24 MAY 2020 No excuse for violating human rights Editorial FOREIGN Minister Evarist Bartolo certainly had a point when he stated, on Thursday, that "Malta cannot be expected to carry the weight of [the] dis- proportionate burden of migration, when ultimately it is protecting a European external border." But while there is room to argue for more Eu- ropean solidarity, the EU's failure to act cannot be used as a pretext for Malta to simply abandon its own international obligations when it comes to search and rescue, and recognising the right of asylum seekers to ask for international protection. Nor does the EU's intransigence absolve Malta of violating human rights. For the past three weeks, the Maltese govern- ment has adopted a policy of keeping asylum seek- ers on board 'pleasure cruisers' outside Maltese territorial waters, indefinitely, until the EU agrees to some form of relocation/responsibility sharing agreement. From a human rights perspective, this is utterly indefensible. As pointed out by 18 NGOs in a letter to the European Commission this week, Malta is denying these men their right to claim their right to asylum – a right that is enshrined in the Uni- versal Charter – as well as inviting international opprobrium for what amounts to inhumane, de- grading treatment. Detaining 130 people on a ferry boat for three weeks on the Mediterranean can only lead to seri- ous psychological harm. Already there are reports that some of the migrants are on hunger strike in an act of desperation. If the situation persists for much longer, it could easily lead to acts of self- harm or even suicide attempts. But there is more to this unwholesome situa- tion than the human rights of the people involved (though this remains the most serious consider- ation). What also makes this policy unjustifiable is also the declared strategic reason: i.e., that by holding them out at sea, Malta hopes to force the European Commission into obtaining a mandatory relocation of the asylum seekers and migrants. Effectively, Malta is using the lives of 130 people as pawns in a dangerous foreign policy game. As such, the actions of the government invalidate its own claims of being the 'victim' in this scenario: for even if it is true that our country has been let down by the EU, the government's disproportion- ate reaction will only impart the perception of ruthlessness with the most vulnerable. Sadly, there is also a populist dimension: for it is undeniable that such drastic measures will boost the government's popularity, among a wider public that is (understandably) frustrated and exasperated by the endless stalemate. But such short-term political gain will surely be counterbalanced by immeasurable reputational damage. Malta is now showing the world that it is hard of heart, and applying brinkmanship tactics that will surely burn bridges in the EU. There can be no doubt that Malta is right in in- sisting that the EU must come up with a migrant relocation deal that is also mandatory and long- term; but if Malta is going to scar the lives of 130 people to achieve such a deal, its reputation will be sealed inside the EU as an intransigent player (at a time when it is already at a low ebb, owing to the events of the past three years). At the same time, Malta is already playing an- other game of brinkmanship by withdrawing from Operation Irini – an EU military operation aimed at enforcing an arms embargo in Libya - and showing itself to be favourable to Turkey. This may even make sense, on the grounds that Operation Irini is in itself highly questionable. But combined with a policy that infringes human rights, these tactics might only serve to further alienate Malta from the European mainstream. Rather than just playing hardball, Prime Minister Robert Abela must show his mettle as a negotia- tor and a skilful statesman who convinces his EU counterparts through the power of persuasion. He must also understand that to win EU confi- dence, he will have to show that Malta is ready to play its part - and not play a dirty game of push- backs or diversions to Italy, which is itself suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, if Malta is returning to a new normali- ty, as Abela claims, then we must also restore our human rights obligations, get the courts back to functioning, and start holding physical press con- ferences when he and his deputy prime minister are addressing the nation. After all, the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be a 'crisis', only when it suits Malta's foreign policy objectives. 26 May 2010 Mimcol CEO on 'forced leave' Mimcol's chief executive officer Mario Mizzi has been asked not to report for work and to stay home on 'forced leave', pending a police in- vestigation into allegations of corruption in the privatisation process for Malta Superyachts. Mizzi, who was last week called in for inter- rogation by Assistant Commissioner Michael Cassar, was reportedly held for questioning for 48 hours, during which he also faced Police Commissioner John Rizzo. Senior police sources said they were investi- gating details mentioned in the statement given by Mizzi, and that the next step would be ob- taining data from phone companies to establish contacts made with bidders. It is understood that Mizzi has been advised not to approach colleagues from Mimcol until further notice. Further interrogations continued yesterday, with other members from the Privatisation Unit being called to the Police headquarters in Flo- riana. Another person to be interrogated was Mim- col's chairman Ivan Falzon. Contacted by MaltaToday, Falzon denied having submitted his resignation as was report- ed in the media, and stressed that "neither the Prime Minister nor the finance minister had refused the resignation, because there never was a resignation." The investigations into allegations of cor- ruption were instigated by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi last Wednesday after he was quizzed in parliament by Opposition leader Joseph Muscat as to whether he knew of any allegations that were forwarded to members of his staff. It transpired that Leonard Callus, a senior official in the prime minister's secretariat, had been personally informed of the damning alle- gation back in September 2009: namely of an in- vitation to tenderers to grease the wheels of the privatisation process, in the hope of a favourable outcome for the interested bidders. Callus took the allegation to the finance min- istry, which sought its own explanations from Mimcol but never reported it to the police. Gonzi said he was told last Tuesday that a claim on these lines had been made to the OPM last September and asked for the Police Com- missioner to investigate the claim... Quote of the Week "Nothing has changed for me to say other- wise… the more we open up, the greater the risks we face and therefore the greater the need to be disciplined." Prof. Chris Barbara on the recent relaxa- tion of COVID-19 restrictions MaltaToday 10 years ago