Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/306555
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 4 MAY 2014 XII Jonathan Shaw Europe 2014 Migrating solutions I mmigration is one of the most important issues on which Malta's MEPs can really make a difference. Most of the decisions affecting migration on our shores are taken in Brussels, following reports, discussions and negotiations by MEPs. Since immigration is a top concern for the Maltese, all our MEP candidates should have a plan in place, or at least some form of direction they can offer on the subject. Having primarily been involved in the business sector, I don't purport to be an academic or legal expert on the subject. However, this is how I would tackle the subject, given the chance. Accept realit y Malta's strategic location is a double-edged sword. Throughout history it has served to facilitate business and trade but has also forced things like war upon us. Crucially, however, it is something we cannot change. Remember when the Libya crisis was thrust upon us. Did we panic and try to stay out of things? No, we recognised an opportunit y and rose to the occasion to put Malta firmly on the map. We opened our doors to those who needed help and we did the best we could do. We were also rewarded for it, even if just by the good press we received. Immigration is something else that has been thrust upon us due to our location, but it is useless to see immigrants as undesirables who must be stopped. Immigration will never stop. If you or I were born into a country with a very low qualit y of life, either because of lack of opportunit y or persecution, we would be among the first to try and make our situation better by seeking greener pastures. After all, many young people today even leave their comfortable homes in Malta to improve their lot. Change the talk on burden sharing Very few people like to share someone else's burden unless they can gain something from it. Imagine you owned a shop in Valley Road that was very susceptible to f looding. Would you even bother asking shops in another road to help you invest in a proper f lood relief system? Why should they help you when they have burdens of their own to deal with? But imagine you found a way to capture the f loodwater instead and turn it into potable water. Chances are that shop owners from all over the country will come to you to buy your water treatment mechanism. And if the water were also cheaper than the one supplied by Water Services Corporation, they would probably buy your water too. This is "solution sharing" and it's the same thinking we must apply to the immigration problem. Instead of begging countries to share our burden, we must start pioneering solutions and best practices while promoting success stories and encouraging others to get in on it. We need to start treating our so-called burden as an opportunit y, a resource, something valuable - especially taking into consideration the complications of Europe's ageing population. It is only then that we can persuade other countries to jump on the bandwagon. This is not just a question of rebranding immigration in Europe, it's also a question of changing the way we approach the issue, starting with how we perceive migrants. Make migrants desirable Yes, Malta receives a disproportionate number of asylum-seekers arriving on boats. Yes, these migrants don't really have a future in Malta and would rather live in continental Europe. But the best way of ensuring this happens is to make the migrants desirable to other European countries rather than obliging the countries to make the sacrifice. If migrants were equipped with the right skills and were matched to the right opportunities in the right countries, everyone would be a winner. Our approach so far, of incarcerating migrants upon arrival and expecting other countries to take them in, is not working. We must instead incentivise migrants to better themselves so that other EU countries see the value in giving them opportunities of resettlement and employment. Applying a common tactic used in business, why not give migrants a bonus by reducing their detention time if they accept to better themselves through integration classes, language training and other coaching to improve their skill set? The Simshar tragedy, portrayed so eloquently on film by Rebecca Cremona and her team, teaches us an important lesson about immigration. Through the parallel stories of two sea tragedies, the film explores the local attitudes and perceptions towards migration and shows how easily these can change when someone, a doctor in this case, is faced with the humanitarian aspect of this challenge. With all the heated debates about this subject, this sense of compassion is possibly the most important thing to keep in mind. And if we afford some of our compassion towards Theo and his family, to the thousands of migrants who die every year while crossing the Mediterranean, perhaps we can approach the subject in a more level-headed and fair way to all. Jonathan Shaw is a P.N. candidate for the European Parliamentary elections www.jonshaw.com PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ATTARD Instead of begging countries to share our burden, we must start pioneering solutions If migrants were equipped with the right skills and were matched to the right opportunities, everyone would be a winner