Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/553115
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 9 AUGUST 2015 26 Letters Malta is unable to sustain the further inflow of irregular immigrants. The situ- ation is fast reaching boiling point. The arrival numbers, as compared with our population density, calls for urgent and coordinated international action. Malta, with its limited resources, is unable single-handedly to cope with this crisis. The writing has long been on the wall – the social and political consequences, if this matter is not handled firmly yet fairly could lead to serious repercussions. The solution needs a mixture of lateral thinking, tough bargaining and compas- sion. The solution does not lie in any easy rhetoric, racist outbursts or quick fix high-handed repatriation schemes. Find- ing a solution requires an analysis of the root cause of these desperate journeys of hope. These people are not leaving their country capriciously. Generally, they are trying to escape hunger, at times torture and poverty. They are desperate. We can- not accept that their desperation is just their problem. It is not. It is fast becom- ing the problem of the whole region and as such requires an urgent international response. All those Maltese citizens who earnestly supported the Live8 cam- paign to cancel Third World debt have a chance of putting into practice those ideals by accepting the challenge posed by irregular immigration. The situation calls for the same urgent response as be- ing shown in the global war on terrorism. Yes, the international community must galvanise all resources to wage a war on hunger and to really make poverty his- tory. Apart from the rhetoric, this means that we need to look beyond just having an agreement with Libya from where most of the refugees start their journey of hope to Europe. Malta must use all its good contacts with the Libyan authori- ties, if need be by involving also local personalities with influence in Libya. An agreement with Libya to repatriate these migrants will not solve their plight neither will it guarantee their security. The crisis calls for a joint European understanding with Libya whereby persons not asking for protection in any EU member state are repatriated to Libya on the clear understanding that their human rights and dignity are fully respected. But the time has clearly come for Eu- rope, the beacon of human rights, to put its money where its mouth is. This concretely involves looking back at Europe's obscene subsidies to its farmers. These handouts are the very cause of why African agriculture is non- competitive. If there really is a European commitment to making poverty history the CAP is the starting point. Political leadership is all about vision. European leaders must start placing the illegal immigration problem uppermost in their agenda. It certainly is a high priority for all Eu- ropean countries with a southern flank on the Mediterranean Sea. In a spirit of European solidarity it is also a prob- lem for European countries which are landlocked like Germany. This calls for burden sharing and a common approach. Malta should carry on making its case, if need be by diplomatically, and less diplomatically, screaming and banging until the European leaders acknowledge that this is not all about a few people illegally entering a European member country but all about poverty. The cause of their flight is hunger and as such it must become the concern of all enlight- ened Europeans. A joint European Union agreement with Libya is only the beginning of the solution. Europe was outraged that the Italian authorities had reached an agreement with Libya to repatriate without ensuring Libyan guarantees on respect for human rights. In the absence of such guaran- tees, the repatriation was considered as a ruthless shifting self-protection exercise. If and once the guarantees are in place repatriation is the correct way forward. But Europe must also shed its fortress image and open its borders to more eco- nomic migrants. Malta must tackle this problem firmly but fairly. Our people too for years trav- elled in large numbers seeking pastures anew. Apart from seeking international backing we must, and much precious time has already been lost, prepare and now implement our contingency plans. The calm seas and mild weather is most likely to see more immigrants reach our shores. We cannot simply say it's a crisis – we must live up to the challenge by having accommodation available. If not the present overcrowding in the detention centres will reach inhuman proportions. This crisis will place a further burden on our armed forces and the police who are already under great pressure. The crisis requires cool heads, strategic thinking and vision. It also requires an immigration policy that goes beyond the policing aspect of it. Irregular immigration is not just about detention. It is also about an active cul- tural and educational policy that seeks to dispel xenophobic myths and help irregular migrants among us integrate better into society. Malta is not a multi-cultural society and a sudden influx of irregular migrants with diverse backgrounds, ethnic origin and religion can be a destabilising factor unless people learn how to live side by side. And it's government's role to come up with a cultural strategy to make possible a smooth convivance between Maltese citizens and irregular migrants. Editorial • 07 August 2005 It's an emergency Setting the record straight on public consultation Loophole in financial ombudsman bill With reference to the article by Mark Camilleri (MaltaToday, 2 August), which unfortunately is full of inaccuracies, please note that the National Council for the Maltese Language has organised a large number of public seminars and talks to in- form and consult both with the public and with specific groups (publishers, writers, teachers, translators, etc.) about matters relating to the Maltese lan- guage. Indeed, in collaboration with the Akkademja tal-Malti, on 24 March, 2015, the council held a presentation specifically aimed at authors and publishers about the issue of how to write English loanwords. The meeting was very well attended, and appreciated by those present, who had the op- portunity to express their opin- ions, which, as is to be expected, showed a great deal of interesting and varying opinions. Another very cordial meet- ing was held on 22 April, 2015, this time specifically with local publishers, to discuss the same matter, this time focusing on the publishers' perspective. All local publishers were invited and representatives for Merlin, BDL and DOM were present for the meeting. Among other matters, the council agreed to make sure that the period of transition for the new spelling guidelines would be long enough not to create any difficulties for publishers. The council has organised several public consultation and information events during the 10 years of its existence. The events I mention above are just two very recent examples of consultation and information meetings. This goes to show that, contrary to what Camilleri seems to want to claim, the National Council for the Maltese Language is not some kind of exclusive club of self- righteous bigots and intellectuals. Ray Fabri President, Kunsill Nazzjonali tal-Ilsien Malti Reference is made to the article headed 'Financial arbiter could bypass BoV in compensating La Valette Investors' ( MaltaToday, 2 August). The article mentioned the Bill setting up the Arbiter for Finan- cial Services. The measure in establishing such an office is a big step in the right direction. There is however one particular measure which I believe should be reviewed in the proposed law. Clause 26 of the Bill states that the Arbiter "shall proceed to adjudication within ninety days from receipt of the complaint", which is fine. However this then is qualified by a proviso which states that if the complaint is "complex in nature" (whatever that means!) then the Arbiter shall deliver his findings "at the earliest opportunity" in- forming the parties involved of the "expected adjudication date". A shortcoming which has con- stantly undermined the effective- ness of such redress processes is precisely the lack of clear time- frames by when complaints should be decided one way or the other. I can understand that some cases may be more complex than others, but I firmly believe that ulti- mately there should be a definitive timeframe – say a maximum of a year – by when a decision must be given, with the Arbiter in question stating why and how much time he needs to conclude matters. If such a measure is not conclud- ed then I fear that this provision may be used as a loophole to pro- long proceedings to the detriment of aggrieved individuals, who may have long-standing legitimate grievances. Paul Edgar Micallef Valletta The recent statement about pow- er assisted bicycles and pedelecs issued by Transport Malta and quoted in the local press should be clarified to avoid misinterpre- tation. We advise all people on bicycles as well as bicycle retailers to read the full regulations, and the new legislation LN 176 of 2015, very carefully. Clearly all cyclists, in fact all road users, even pedestrians, should be conversant with the highway code. The regulations actually speak of a theory test for pedelecs and motorised bicycles, although the group is doubtful how this can be achieved in the case of tourists for instance. The group has been extremely critical of the regulations, which originally date back to 2004. Far from restricting home built motorised conversions of bicycles, these created a loophole for them. We don't know who let them in but it wasn't us. Legal pedelec kits and new technologies like the 'Copenhagen wheel' would become illegal overnight. What we are seeing is a situa- tion where law abiding citizens on pedelecs producing less power than the cyclists themselves are being used to bring illegal engine powered home built bicycle con- versions to heel. This is having a negative effect on the bicycle industry in Malta, with several businesses report- ing that sa;es pf pedelecs are down, even though bicycle use is increasing. In Europe, where pedelecs are treated as normal bicycles, sales are at record levels. The group noted that this downward local trend concurred with the National Bike Count that saw an 85% drop in powered bicycle use, including pedelecs, between 2012 and 2014. Neither did the group feel that a pedelec based public bike share like those proposed for Qormi or Gozo was possible under the current restrictions. Basically when we need to be doing everything to encourage bicycle use and other alternatives the transport regulator appears to have painted itself into a corner. Jim Wightman Bicycle Advocacy Group Outdated regulations on bicycles