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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 • 31 MAY 2020 Malta must work towards a solution, too Editorial IT is becoming increasingly clear that Malta's deci- sion to hold rescued migrants at sea, pending a relo- cation agreement on the part of the European Un- ion, is not a long-term solution to the present crisis. With space already running out on the three Cap- tain Morgan vessels currently moored outside terri- torial waters, the government has now chartered a fourth tourist vessel, after the army rescued 75 people in distress on Wednesday. This brings the total number of people currently being detained at sea up to 425: a fact which also rais- es logistical questions about how long this situation can possibly be expected to last. Some of those people have already been detained for over 30 days – far beyond the two-week quar- antine period that can be justified as a precaution against COVID-19. Meanwhile, there has been no indication of any breakthrough for Malta's demands for a permanent resettlement. Indeed, there is no evidence of any discussion on this subject even taking place with the European Commission at all. Instead, Malta's policy has only invited internation- al condemnation, which is only expected to intensify as the crisis prolongs: possibly even culminating in legal action against our country in the international courts. Amnesty International has already warned that "such actions appear to breach the right to seek asy- lum and the right to liberty of the refugees and mi- grants affected". Separately, recent accusations that Malta's armed forces turned a migrant boat away at gunpoint from Maltese waters, after giving them fuel and the GPS coordinates to reach Italy, are reportedly the subject of an investigation in Italy. Faced with such a backlash, the government of Malta must sooner or later start questioning whether its policy really is serving the national interest. For even if Malta is technically right to complain about the EU's inaction, those complaints do not add up to a justification of what is, de facto, an illegal act of ar- bitrary detention, which deprives people of the rights accorded to them by international law. Nor can we ignore the fact that Malta has already received assistance from the EU: albeit not in the form requested. For instance, in 2016, over €5 million in EU co-financing funds were allocated for the con- struction of a new open centre at Hal Far: which has not, to date, been built. In view of such considerations, the government's consistent complaints regarding the EU have to be placed in their proper context. Yes, the EU should do more to address the humanitarian crisis unfolding on its own doorstep… but this should not be an excuse for our country to abdicate all its own international obligations. Above all, however, it is disappointing that the government has so far lacked enough vision to enact a comprehensive, long-term immigration policy of its own. From this perspective, Prime Minister Robert Abela's lightning visit to Libya, to kickstart discus- sions about migration, was clearly a step in the right direction. But it makes little sense to antagonise other European countries – including Italy, which should be our ally in this struggle – in the process. Rather than using asylum seekers as pawns in an ongoing diplomacy chess-game, Malta must find a way of making its case internationally, without also inviting criticism (and possibly sanctions) for human rights violations. Not all that glitters is gold On a separate note, it is significant that both Fi- nance Minister Edward Scicluna, and former PN MEP candidate Peter Agius, have adopted a similarly cautious approach to Malta's proposed allocation of €1 billion, as part of the EU's post-COVID-19 recov- ery funds. In Parliament, Scicluna likened the proposal to a 'prickly pear': arguing that most of the allocated sum would take the form of loans that would have to be paid back by 2058. "We have to know who will even- tually pay for the debt and this is where we have to uphold the national interest because there are dan- gers for Malta in some of the proposals made to fund the package," he added. Likewise, Agius argued that Next Generation EU's grants and loans would be financed using three taxes, two of which – financial transaction taxes and digital taxes – could be increased to the detriment of Malta. "This can be very dangerous for Malta," he said. Apart from offering a rare glimpse of convergence, these warnings underscore the importance of looking beyond the mere figures alone. It must be stressed that Malta's current resilience to the economic effects of this pandemic, is also due in part to the success of economic sectors – including the financial sector – that may be jeopardised, if we run blindly into a debt that may carry disadvantageous conditions. It is reassuring to note that, while the two parties may otherwise disagree on most issues, they seem to converge on the most important of them all: the need to defend Malta's interests, in a time of crisis. 30 May 2010 Borg Olivier knew about 'corruption' allegations THE secretary-general of the Nationalist Party, Paul Borg Olivier, was this week questioned at the police headquarters in Floriana, in the ongoing investigations into corruption allega- tions on the tendering process for the privati- sation of Malta superyachts. MaltaToday understands that back in 2009, Borg Olivier was informed of allegations made to him by bidders for the superyacht fa- cility, allegations that only surfaced last week after Labour leader Joseph Muscat made scant reference to it in parliament. But Borg Olivier is denying having been informed of an allegation of 'possible corrup- tion' back in late 2009 by one of Malta's lead- ing entrepreneurs: Beppe Hili. "I went to Borg Olivier to open my heart to him, and his response was: 'these things should not happen'," Hili said about when he told Borg Olivier of his concerns on the privatisation of the Malta Superyachts, for which his consortium was bidding. Borg Olivier yesterday told MaltaToday, that no allegation was made to him by Hili or anyone else over the "possibility of 'cor- ruption' or 'irregularity' in the tendering process." Reacting, Hili said he could not understand why Borg Olivier was changing his version of events. "The fact that he was summoned by the police to say what he knew about the alle- gations, is evidence enough that a meeting between myself and Borg Olivier happened… I told the police to summon him. My family is a well-known Nationalist family and we don't accept corruption," Hili declared. The allegation concerns an invitation to tenderers – made right before tendering was about to start – to grease the wheels of the privatisation process for the superyacht facil- ity, in return of a favourable outcome for the tenderer who obliges with a kickback. The same allegation was reported to Leon- ard Callus, a senior official in the Office of the Prime Minister, in September of last year. Borg Oliver has denied the allegation had been reported to him at the same time, claim- ing he had no reason to pass on the informa- tion to Prime Minster Lawrence Gonzi. ... Quote of the Week "This is not just about the percentage of EU funds that will be distributed as grants or on loan but we must beware the fruit that can turn out to be a prickly pear." Finance minister Edward Scicluna expresses caution on EU COVID-19 recovery funds MaltaToday 10 years ago