Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1254350
NEWS ANALYSIS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 3 JUNE 2020 If tourists pose no risk, neither do migrants SHORING up popularity by trigger- ing a wave of nationalism may have boosted support for Abela during dif- ficult times. However, the return to normality al- so means that soon enough Malta will have to honour its international obli- gations to rescue migrants and bring them to shore. For while no COVID cases have been introduced by boats from Africa, tourism was a major con- tributor to the spread of the virus in the early days of the pandemic. If Malta fails to open its ports again to search-and-rescue operations it will be exposed as a pariah state which is detaining asylum seekers on Cap- tain Morgan pleasure crafts, using human beings as pawns in a stand-off with the EU. In addition, while a prolonged stand- off is unlikely to convince immigration hawks like Hungary's Viktor Orbán to assume their responsibilities, locally it will further embolden the xenophobic brigade, further raising their expec- tations. Abela now risks suffering a backlash from the same audience he has pandered to, as soon as ports are reopened. Wguke Malta's demands for greater responsibility sharing in the EU are le- gitimate, its erratic behavior over the past weeks may have further stained its international reputation, weaken- ing its credibility as a reasonable inter- locutor. In this aspect, Malta is more likely to find support for its diplomat- ic push in Libya, which includes a pro- posal to boost Libya's border control, to stop migrants from entering Libya. Nevertheless, this is also a hard sell considering the impossibility of po- licing a massive desert border and the risk that this would simply result in more deaths and human rights abuses will inevitably return to haunt Abela. Calls for justice will make a come- back in post COVID-19 times The COVID-19 crisis may have robbed Abela of his honeymoon but it also saved Abela from having to answer questions on the fate of high-ranking officials in the Muscat administration implicated in the as- sassination of Daphne Caruana Gali- zia, and in a string of scandals related to 17 Black, Panamagate, and the Vi- tals hospitals privatization. Abela's relationship with former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat will once again come under the spotlight. Muscat, who made a comeback as an advisor on economic recovery, still has many questions to answer on his relationship with Keith Schembri and Yorgen Fenech. Any failure to investigate Keith Schembri over possible obstruction of justice would expose Abela to charges that it was he who had made a diaboli- cal pact with his predecessor. While in a context of economic growth, it was easy to dismiss corruption allegations and the dark shadow cast on Castille by his predecessor's actions, these may gain new relevance in a context of economic uncertainty and insecu- rity. Abela may face conflicting pressures in his rush to kick-start the economy Over the past weeks, the Abela ad- ministration, mainly thanks to Envi- ronment Minister Aaron Farrugia, has sent some signs that the environment is a greater consideration when deci- sions are taken. But in the rush to re- store normality, Abela may be tempt- ed to kick-start the economic engine by pandering to the same big busi- ness interests, including construc- tion and hotels lobbies, which have contributed to environmental de- struction. Even during the health crisis, it became evident that the construction and hotel lobby still carry disproportionate political power. With the economy dip- ping, their bargaining power to dictate terms for recovery may be even stronger. The risk is that the economy may end up more, rather than less depend- ent on unsustainable sectors, which are wreaking havoc in our towns and villages. Chris Fearne is stronger now than before COV- ID-19 Buoyed by his excel- lent record during the Will COVID normality Low infection rates and high polling numbers have given Robert Abela a victory on COVID-19, but his return to normality can also backfire, JAMES DEBONO finds out