Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/764316
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 18 DECEMBER 2016 15 me, the issue is the lack of a policy which looks at the reality of migra- tion, from the point of arrival on- wards. Because of this policy gap, each ministry and each department that deals with migration – there are several, because the system is very fragmented – looks at both the issue and the individual from a different perspective. This affects the person's ability to integrate. Integration is not just about being allowed to live in Malta; it is also about being given the prospect of long-term residency, or even citizenship. That is when a person becomes fully part of society. If there is no regulation, no law, no policy... no procedure to apply for citizenship or residency... how can there be integration?" And yet, the government does claim to have a policy for the in- tegration of migrant communities. There is even a Human Rights and Integration Directorate, ensconced within the Civil Rights Ministry... Bugre however stresses that an in- tegration policy also needs to have a clear, consistent vision. "Let me give an example. A few years ago, there was no such thing as a local disability policy in Malta. Then the government came up with a policy document, followed by a law... and today, disability is well-regulated. There is a Commission that looks out for the rights of these people: the system works well. Yes, there are persons with disability who still struggle to integrate. But we have gone far beyond what existed before. The same thing happened with the LGBTI group. Malta is still a very strong Catholic country: I remember the resistance against policies such as civil unions and, for instance, divorce. But the gov- ernment still took the steps it felt were needed; it came up with poli- cies, laws, consultation processes, and so on. Today, we have marriage equality. Whether you like it or not, it is now a reality at law..." No such advances have been reg- istered with Malta's declared inte- gration policy, he adds. "When it comes to the integra- tion of African people in Malta, that is not even discussed. This, to me, is where the problem lies. It looks as though there is a general rejection of the people who have arrived here irregularly... even if they are refugees. Should such peo- ple remain refugees the rest of their lives? There is this perception out there that one day, Somalia will get better. So all the Somalis who are in Malta with subsidiary protection: they should remain here in limbo, for as long as it takes for Somalia to improve. How long will that take? Haji had been living here since 2004. He died under a bridge aged 45. He had been here a quarter of his life. He hadn't seen his wife or children in all that time. He died without seeing them. And some have been here longer. I know one person who has been here since 2002: he still goes and renews his work permit every year. How long must you live and work in Malta, to be given the right to apply for citizenship... or at least, long-term residency?" Such questions seem destined to remain unanswered, Bugre sug- gests, for as long as Malta resists the concept of integration. "To solve this issue is actually to ask the question: do we really mean what we say when we talk about integra- tion? There is a ministry responsi- ble for integration... but what does that mean, when the decision to deport these people was not even taken by that ministry, but by the Ministry of Home Affairs? We may talk about integration, but migra- tion is still viewed as a security is- sue. These people who have lived and worked in Malta for 10 years, who have paid taxes... who renew their permits regularly, so their faces are known; their ID numbers are known... what security concern are they posing to this country?" Security is not the only concern, however. There is also the question of sustainability. Even those well- disposed towards migrant com- munities are worried about the toll taken by what seems to be a nev- er-ending influx. They argue that Malta is 'too small to cope'. Don't they have a point? "Malta is a small country, and we all agree that there has to be a proper management system of peo- ple coming and going. We already acknowledge that – or at least, the government acknowledges it – through the IIP programme. Peo- ple who are 'high-value' and have money, can come and buy a pass- port... and they can come and live here as Maltese citizens. So there is space. There is space for everyone. But it has to be controlled." Apart from such logistical con- siderations, Bugre invites me to consider the economic benefits of migration. "Every day we get phone calls here from Maltese employers, scared of losing their own em- ployees. They tell us that they've trained this person, invested in him, that he is a very trusted worker... so why is he going to be deported? They are even willing to pay fees to retain their employees. If there wasn't room, employers would not be calling us in tears. Malta always needs workers. There are Italians working here... Span- iards... Asians... Africans. Would the construction industry even function without African work- ers? Same for garbage collection, cleaning beaches... where can you go in Malta today, and not see an African person working? From fac- tories, to cleaning of the streets... there is a demand for workers. In Malta, the problem is not lack of space or lack of demand. It is lack of management." Interview AHMED BUGRE, director of the Foundation for Shelter and Support to Migrants (FSM) stresses the need for a consistent, long-term integration strategy for asylum seekers on migration PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES BIANCHI