Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/265009
25 maltatoday, SUNDAY, 23 FEBRUARY 2014 A few days ago, a group of young men were swimming arduously to what they were hoping would be a new beginning - a gateway to a life far removed from the hardships they have to face in their war-torn homeland. When close to their destination, these men were not welcomed by boiler-suited soldiers with medical facemasks, gloves, blankets and bottles of water. No, they were greeted by a shower of rubber bullets shot in their direction. Such treatment of migrants is reminiscent of policies advocated by far-right extremists. The geographical context of this scene is not the border of some fictitious state but it's very close to our own borders. I am referring to the recent incidents where twelve people are thought to have been killed in Ceuta - an incident that (rightly) sparked off protests on the streets of Spain. In the not so distant past, the attempt by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to send back a number of migrants to their country of origin was flagged by our Nationalist MEPs who unleashed fire and brimstone on the 'evil' Dr Muscat. The PN MEPs accused our Prime Minister of 'fanning the flames of racism'. This was a serious accusation and implies that we are led by a man who dislikes people of a different racial pedigree to the Maltese. This of course is completely unsubstantiated and could not be further from the truth, and Malta continues to punch far above its weight when it comes to the quantity of migrants handled. The PN MEPs, in the mean time, went bounding straight to Anna Cecilia Malmström's office to ensure that the European Commissioner for Home Affairs came down on Malta like a ton of bricks. Numerous statements were made, press releases were issued and other actions were taken by the PN to ensure that Malta would be portrayed in the worst possible light. "No Way" I hear Casa and Metsola shouting from their moral citadel where they loftily reside and dish out perverted and negatively construed versions of events. The recent incident at Ceuta certainly confirms this and exposes the PN and Simon Busuttil for the two-faced malefactors they truly are. For if they genuinely had the well being of African (or any nationality for that matter) migrants, they should have been at the forefront of the European parliament condemning such an act. Surely firing upon and killing helpless men looking for a better life in Europe is, to some degree or other, worse than threatening to send them back home (on an airplane, may I add). Therefore if we all agree that fellow Europeans taking the lives of migrants is indeed an act that is to be condemned then the very least one would expect Casa and Metsola to lead a crusade against Spain with the same verve and passion that they did against their very own country. Are we asking too much of our nationalist MEPs to apply the same weights and measures to fellow European countries as they did to Malta? Unfortunately, this incident shows that this seems to be the case. Our PN MEPs are choosing instead to concentrate on other matters and contriving to portray Malta in a negative manner. This seems to be their favourite past time. For example, Metsola has recently been investing her time in preparing petitions against the state-of-the-art gas storage system being proposed for the new power station in Malta. Our PN MEP is now focusing her powers on saving Marsaxlokk. What people need to know is that these special powers are an illusion and disappear altogether once her focus shifts from one dirty political deed to another. Today they champion their cause - tomorrow they drop you like a stone. If you think I am being too harsh or you simply don't believe me - just ask those poor migrants in Ceuta. Miriam Dalli is a Labour MP candidate. Two weights, two measures Miriam Dalli The PN MEPs accused our Prime Minister of 'fanning the flames of racism' There is nothing new under the sun. The ancient Romans used to sell citizenship! I quote from the 'Acts of the Apostles', Chapter 22, verses 25-29 (Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition, printed 1966): "But when they had tied him up with the thongs, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, "Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman citizen, and un- condemned?" When the centurion heard that, he went to the tribune and said to him, "What are you about to do? For this man is a Ro- man citizen." So the tribune came and said to him, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" And he said, "Yes." The tribune answered, "I bought this citizenship for a big sum." Paul said, "But I was born a citizen." So those who were about to examine him withdrew from him instantly..." In a footnote in Monsignor Saydon's Maltese translation, we read that even St Paul's father (who, incidentally, was named Alvinus) acquired his citizenship likewise, perhaps by making a big favour to the Emperor or, in my opinion, by outright purchase. So in imperial Rome, there was nothing sacred about Roman citizenship. How is it that Maltese citizenship is so sacrosant that is it offered only free of charge to those who contract mariages of convenience and other opportunists? Anton F. Attard Rabat, Gozo In recent years Europe has been undergoing a profound economic and social crisis. Europeans are still suffering the consequences of it. The unemployment rate, particularly among young people, is reaching intolerable levels in many EU countries. Doubt has taken hold. Populist movements are stoking the fears of many of our fellow citizens. Europe is being picked out, wrongly, as the scapegoat for all our ills. As European affairs ministers responsible for cooperation between Germany and France, we are not re- signing ourselves to this. Quite the opposite. Europe is not the problem, it is one of the solutions. We need a stronger, more mutually-supportive, more prosperous and fairer Europe. We must restore meaning and vigour to a mutually-supportive Europe. Solidarity is both an ideal and a value, a method and policies. We must act to bolster what makes Europe unique: that indivisible link between a union of values and a welfare state system. For a long time, Europe was merely a subject for fine speeches. Its ambition barely concealed the inadequacy of its achievements and of the resources allocated to it. Today we must revive growth throughout Europe – but mutually- supportive growth that leaves no one by the wayside. We've started along this path, through the June 2012 pact that put growth and employment back at the heart of the European project, through banking union, which will protect savers and place responsibility on the banks, through the inclusion of a social dimension in Economic and Monetary Union, and through the agreement on the posting of workers, which creates a fair bal- ance between economic freedoms and fundamental social rights. The fight against youth unemployment has been reflected in the personal mobilisation of heads of state and government, and by the allocation, for the first time, of a budget of €6 billion in 2014 and 2015 to combat this tragic problem. We shall have to continue making progress in the coming months. We shall play an active role to guarantee economic and social convergence from the top downwards. We shall, of course, be very vigilant to ensure that the social dimension is not the poor relation of European integra- tion. We shall advocate to our Eu- ropean partners the introduction of minimum wages defined at national level. We need more ambition for social and societal cohesion. In periods of economic and social crisis, the risks of a breakdown in the fundamental values on which European society is based are greater. We must tirelessly uphold these values – human dignity, free- dom, democracy, equality – because Europe's very identity is at stake. Whenever they are attacked, Euro- peans' confidence in their common project is eroded, and the example Europe sets for its neighbourhood, both to the east and the south, is al- tered. One has only to leave Europe to appreciate this. The people dem- onstrating in Independence Square in Kiev, and those risking their lives to cross the Mediterranean, all have a "desire for Europe". Our values create aspirations. This is also why we are open, too, to a political mechanism being drawn up which aims to more effectively ensure that our values are respected within the European Union, without weaken- ing the existing instruments. The Europe we are upholding together is both one of concrete solutions and one which compro- mises none of its values. Democ- racy, growth and solidarity – this is the trio which we intend promoting in order to boost Europe, restore confidence to its citizens, and allow each generation to contribute in a practical way, as convinced Europe- ans, to a better world. This is the European dream which guides what we do. Frédéric Depétris Chargé d'Affaires French Embassy in Malta Letters Send your letters to: The Editor, MaltaToday, MediaToday Ltd. Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 Fax: (356) 21 385075 E-mail: newsroom@mediatoday.com.mt. Letters to the Editor should be concise. No pen names are accepted. Ancient Romans used to sell citizenship Europe, a mutually- supportive union Cecilia Malmstrom