Former PM back on the campaign trail

Knocking on people's doors in Marsa, former Prime Minister Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici yesterday started collecting signatures for a petition calling on Parliament to take urgent action against illegal immigration.

As Dr Mifsud Bonnici and members of the Campaign for National Independence, which he heads, walked through the village centre two young women shouted out that the petition was a racist act.

After a loud exchange of views between one of the young women and a CNI member, where they accused each other of ignorance, the group continued knocking at doors.

Meanwhile, immigrants walked through the square of the village that is home to many since it houses an open centre.

Several people opened the doors of their homes and signed the petition. One woman signed the paper and then asked what it was about. Members also went to bars in the area to collect signatures.

When they stopped in front of a convent, a few women who had just walked out gave their signatures and a nun asked them not to sign anything on the premises.

The petition, written in Maltese, reads: "We the Maltese citizens ask the Maltese Parliament to take immediate and concrete action to stop illegal immigration in our country".

When asked how exactly he wanted Parliament to achieve this, Dr Mifsud Bonnici did not reply. However, he insisted the government was to take measures to stop illegal immigration.

"The majority, 99.9 per cent, of immigrants who come to Malta do not actually want to be here. So they don't want to be refugees here and it's absurd that Malta considers them as refugees once they themselves don't want to stay here," he said.

He stressed that if any immigrants needed saving at sea it was our responsibility to help out.

Asked if the petition could be interpreted as fuelling racist sentiments he said this was not the case. It was the arrival of thousands of immigrants on Malta's shores that was fuelling racist feelings among the locals, he said. By stopping these arrivals there would be no reason for these sentiments to grow.

The nationwide campaign to collect signatures for the petition was launched last week. After combing through all the streets of Marsa, CNI will move on to other localities.