Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1541680
public sentiment while recognising fundamental economic realities. Government has also been slow in addressing practices which enrich Maltese people while contributing to the demonisation of foreigners—we have seen landlords who rent their properties to a large number of for- eigners living under the same roof, sometimes in apartment blocks meant for a smaller number of inhabitants. Neither has the government shown resolve in following up on integration policies. Back in 2017, Helena Dalli came the closest when she endorsed a Human Rights Directorate report suggesting that non-EU foreigners should vote in local councils, the same as foreigners hailing from the EU. But the suggestion was aborted following backlash. On this case, former Labour leader Joseph Muscat had been more up- front and blunter on the benefits of labour migration, going as far as say- ing that this was key to the Maltese becoming 'sinjuri żgħar' but he is also to blame for the laissez-faire attitude towards businesses exploiting their labour, which actually contributed to the negative impression some Maltese have of foreigners. In short Muscat's Labour fed the narrative that it is our time to exploit foreigners to get rich quick. One may even argue that the unsus- tainable number of foreigners in some sectors—like hotels and construc- tion—is the consequence of a growth- at-all-costs economic model. But if this is Delia's starting point, he should focus on how to shift the economic model away from its dependency on over-tourism and construction. It re- mains unclear how the PN intends to change this model while still ensuring general prosperity. Still, it is easier to moan and rant about population numbers than to come up with pro- posals which are bound to alienate powerful business lobbies. 'Foreigners' are not just a problem but an opportunity Delia has also latched his rant about foreigners onto Clyde Caruana's fo- cus on the demographic challenges faced by the health system. "It's not the growing population or the impor- tation of foreigners that is concerning the minister, but the fact that the Mal- tese are living longer. How shameful," he declared. But on this count, the re- ality is that foreigners are part of the solution rather than a problem. Malta faces a demographic problem because Maltese citizens are having fewer children and living longer. But this is not just a Maltese problem—it is a global one. Europe's population is ageing; Asia and Latin America are younger but also ageing; Africa re- mains the youngest continent. If cur- rent trends continue, there will not be enough Maltese workers to fund pensions, staff hospitals, or care for the elderly. Ultimately, the question becomes painfully simple: Who will care for you when you can no longer care for yourself? Caruana himself is wary of propos- ing the integration of foreigners in Maltese society as part of the answer to the pressing demographic chal- lenge. Instead, he has focused on tax incentives encouraging people to have more children. The Opposition has also recommended family-friendly measures, like reduced working hours and a child trust fund for children born in Malta—available to those who have lived in Malta for five years and more, including foreigners. Still, this ignores the deeper cultural reasons behind declining birth rates. Women no longer accept being treat- ed as incubators, and people nowa- days have other interests apart from bringing up families. Some even pre- fer focusing their attention on nurtur- ing one child. Perhaps rather than solely encour- aging people to have more babies, we should think about how to welcome people from abroad who are ready to settle and raise families here. So far, we have always deflected concern of foreigners by saying that they tend to leave after a few years, after contrib- uting to our tax coffers and economic growth. But this has also resulted in the increased presence of people who feel little need to integrate. While this kind of migration is inevitable, we can do more to attract people who actual- ly want to be part of this country. That requires confidence and a de- parture from our colonial mindset, under whose lens we tend to view the foreigners in our midst as either mas- ters or servants. For while Malta was once a colony, today we are treating some of the foreigners in our midst in the same way our colonisers used to treat us… or worse. As revealed recently by MaltaToday, foreign tenants and workers are often treated as living ATM machines. If we continue down that path, we risk an explosion of social unrest. The anti- dote to this is a stronger sense of com- munity and a greater pride in opening ourselves confidently to those who wish to belong here either briefly or permanently. Social justice for Maltese, non-Mal- tese and aspiring Maltese alike is the key to get there. Populist slogans divorced from social and econom- ic realities will only fuel resentment and gloom. This is why irrespective of his true intentions, Delia's speech was an ugly one, far scarier than any hard-working foreigner living next door. 9 ANALYSIS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 30 NOVEMBER 2025 politics: Delia's migration gambit out of 68 localities, risks turning a complex reality into cheap scaremongering. But James Debono Delia has rebutted accusations of racism by saying the problem is not the people themselves, against whom he has no ill feelings, but the sheer numbers which have increased sharply over the past decade. But he is intelligent enough to know what kind of feelings drive some of those applauding him