Equality Minister Owen Bonnici’s anti-racism strategy is much the political rhetoric that one has come to expect from a minister rather than a measurable coherent consistent policy. It is a political document which can be successful only if it is founded on a firm political belief in racial and ethnic diversity and equality.
The policy criticises those who distort history and current affairs but then rewrites the minister’s own history of violating human rights, setting him forth as a champion of human rights. His personal history and the strategy beg the question on how the government is ensuring that its agreement with Libya guarantees that migrants are not subjected to violations of human rights.
After all, in the budget speech the government boasted that it is thanks to its agreement with Libya that there was a reduction in migrants making it to our shore. A rhetoric that itself appeals to racist elements in our society.
The strategy actions are not to be criticised except that they sound very much like political promises one reads in an electoral manifesto. They are well intended but say very little on how they will ensure that they will reach their objective.
The narrative adopted in this strategy implies that the equality body is being tactfully set aside. A commission set up to ensure the EU equality acquis was well implemented appears now to be just one of the stakeholders rather than the independent entity it should have always been. Had the strategy been launched by the commission rather than by the minister, it might have sounded less like a political promise and more like a strategic action plan.
Incidentally, in 2010, the NCPE had launched what it referred to as a Malta’s first National Action Plan against Racism and Xenophobia, the content of which is rather similar to the first national anti-racism strategy launched by Bonnici.
Most of the strategy actions are entrusted to the human rights directorate within the ministry, which, though may include persons whose intentions match their experience, they are at the end of the day answerable to the minister and expected to act under his direction.
The strategy makes plenty of reference to immigration and migrants but does not acknowledge that, today, Maltese citizenship is itself diverse in racial and ethnic origin.
It consequently seems to rubber-stamp the already socially embedded stereotype that if a person’s appearance is not entirely Maltese-style Caucasian, then you are an immigrant and a foreigner. It also fails to consider the multiple faces of racial discrimination which interacts with linguistic, religious and other cultural aspects.
The strategy does not acknowledge that Maltese citizenship is diverse in racial and ethnic origin- Therese Comodini Cachia
Promises to address racism in the housing, health, employment and education sector are all welcomed. Yet, pretty words need to be backed by meaningful actions and it is only when those actions are executed and their outcomes measured that we can really tell whether this strategy was a success.
The actions mentioned therein may collectively leave an impact in the longer term. Most actions are based on the development of codes of conduct, anti-racism training and education. All good actions but frustratingly too late for those who are today suffering the brunt of racism in our country.
I understand that changing culture requires actions whose impact is felt over time, however, it is utterly disappointing to have a strategy which gives government ministries until 2023 to implement an anti-racism action plan which would address their policies, employment and service provision.
This does nothing to allay the discrimination being suffered today. Only recently, protesters pleaded that they are “humans, not cheap labour”. They lamented policies that jeopardise their access to basic services, like education and healthcare. They complained of being treated inhumanely by Identity Malta and of policy decisions which left them exposed to being a “pool of exploitable labour”. They lamented the ordeal of Lamin Jaiteh.
Yet, racism in Malta is much more complex and, while migrants from Africa have faced the full brunt of violence and inhumanity, there are other communities who are also treated like foreign objects and subjected to mistreatment. The strategy does not particularly identify the risks of racism experienced by different migrant groups coming from a varied racial, ethnic and cultural background.
The strategy fails to identify their need to be considered as an integral part of Malta’s society, as valid contributors to social, cultural and political development. It considers the economic value of migration but then is silent on how their financial contribution could afford them with access to basic services, solidarity and assistance.
While Bonnici’s strategy comes 11 years after the one published by NCPE in 2010, it is now the role of civil society to ensure that all actions are executed in an efficient and effective manner.