Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/311673
€0.90 WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT WEDNESDAY EDITION WEDNESDAY • 14 MAY 2014 • ISSUE 364 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY Newspaper post Editorial - PAGE 10 World Cup 2014 PAGES 22-25 Labour officials instructed to make migration their focus LABOUR Party officials, party communication coordinators and TV hosts working for Labour party's One TV have been instructed to fo- cus on migration issues during the European Parliamentary elections. They were informed of this in a communications strategy meeting held at the Office of the Prime Min- ister at Castille. The Labour Party is worried that a large number of Labour voters will not be voting in the upcoming Euro- pean elections. While party bigwigs may give the impression that surveys do not re- ally matter, the Labour Party has insisted that all of its officials and TV hosts emphasise the immigra- tion issue, given that it emerges as a primary concern among people, ac- cording to all polls. The same trend emerged in the reputable MaltaToday surveys, even though the concern seems to be higher with Labour voters than PN voters. The revelation comes after a spate of tragic incidents off the island of Lampedusa. In fact, on Thursday hundreds of migrants were feared dead after a boat sank 100km off the coast of Libya and 200 miles south of Lampedusa. Reports in the Italian media said that the boat was carry- ing around 400 asylum seekers. Speaking on Reporter last Monday, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat de- scribed EU president Martin Schulz – the candidate for the European Commission presidency – as some- body who had a plan for immigra- tion and for a system of legal migra- tion to the EU. "He proposes what Malta needs," Muscat said. Muscat has changed tack on mi- gration, a far cry from his radi- cal call for a pushback. Observers have criticised the political class for overinf lating the migration is- sue, more so when most of the mi- grants in boats are being picked up the Italian authorities – even when the obligation lies with the Maltese government. Italy is taking to the seas to save migrants that are 'technically' Malta's responsibility Former far right apologist reappears next to Busuttil ALEXIS Callus, who resigned in 2005 from the Safi local council as PN deputy mayor after he made racist comments on a far right website, reappeared on Simon Bu- suttil's side. Callus, who is the nephew of Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, was a vociferous apologist for the far right movement in Malta. He had attended a Norman Low- ell meeting in Safi during which Lowell had attacked politicians and media for 'defending' mi- grants. Callus, said that he had taken responsibility for the comments he posted on the internet, and re- signed his councillor's post. Writing under the pseudonym Operazzjoni C3, Callus was a regular poster on Ave Melita, a far right internet forum that at- tracted media attention as immi- gration became more of a critical issue in 2005. Callus, then aged 24, called for a 'Partit Nazzjonalista Veru'. In one of his deleted messages – which was then retrievable from the internet thanks to other fas- cists who reproduced it elsewhere – Callus said that Turkey might be useful within Europe, only to host unwanted Africans. "If Tur- key would consume the migrants from Africa (due to their cultural similarities), I think Turkey can become the compost heap of Eu- rope and free our country from the unwanted waste." During his public appearance in Zurrieq last Monday, Busut- til attacked the Labour party for turning Cyrus Engerer into a champion, and went on to list a number of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's shortcomings. Alexis Callus as he appeared in In-Nazzjon yesterday