Poll unequivocally calls for unilateral action by Malta

Over 90 per cent of respondents to the latest online poll by The Times overwhelmingly agree that Malta should take unilateral action to halt the influx of illegal immigrants.

The points they raised in their comments, however, seemed to focus more on their feelings towards "the influx of illegal immigrants" and not so much on the question of "unilateral action".

The poll seems to have struck a nerve and reflects the country's strong interest in the subject of illegal immigration. Several respondents posted pages upon pages of comments - lengthy ones at that - focusing more on what they see as the unbearable and unacceptable situation prevailing in Malta due to the presence of the illegal immigrants.

Among the comments and entire essays posted, the general cry was for repatriation of the illegal immigrants under no uncertain terms.

The EU was heavily criticised for being lethargic, as was Libya, considered to be the core of the problem, for its reluctance to help. Both countries were "taking Malta for a ride", said one respondent, whose disappointment at the EU for its lack of support was echoed by many.

"If Libya says it cannot control the exodus, and thousands keep on arriving, and the EU is still discussing and discussing, instead of taking action, in the meantime what are we going to do? Keep picking them up, feeding them, clothing them, admitting their children to our schools, allowing them to flood our health centres, giving citizenship to their newborns when our welfare system, our pensions and our jobs are already in a precarious state and we are splitting at the seams for space?

"So Libya remains passive, and Europe remains silent, and we, a little rock, are expected to bow our heads and take the brunt of Africa's problems and Europe's indifference! Is everyone blind?"

The government was not spared either for failing to take action and the country's "weak" leadership was attacked, and even The Times received its fair share of criticism for its "unstinting efforts to further the cause of these opportunists".

A respondent accused the government of "as in many other cases, wasting precious time in dealing with this long-standing problem and it seems to be in total oblivion to the many ethnic, religious and cultural problems that it is introducing in our country."

Respondents did not like the idea that the visitors were being referred to as "irregular immigrants" rather than "illegal" and insisted they were "economic migrants" in reality. The fact that they possess mobile phones and wear good clothing seems to be irking several Maltese too, who are not buying what they refer to as the "asylum seeker" pretext.

"Illegal immigration is a crime, let no one forget, and it should be treated as such, and not with kid gloves. People who want to apply for refugee status should be able to do so from EU centres set up in Libya. Why do they need to come to Malta and wait for their application to be processed here? The government is being far too lenient in dealing with this problem," one respondent said.

The poll question sparked strong opinions on illegal immigrants and the burden they are on Malta, which simply could not handle them, respondents said.

It also emerged clearly, whether they answered yes or no to the question on unilateral action, that the vast majority of the respondents have lost their patience and feel they are being invaded. Among the milder problems resulting from the influx of illegal immigrants was the loss of identity. Respondents said they were fearing the worst - an invasion of possible criminals and terrorists.

"How can we be sure terrorists, hiding from the law, are not among them? Are we ready to fill our beloved country with these people? Are we ready to let our children grow up with people who do not know the meaning of simple issues like sanitation, education and law enforcement? Does this country need the burden of such an influx of illegal immigrants? Can we financially permit it?" questioned one respondent - questions many of the 91.34 per cent who voted for unilateral action shared.

"I suggest AFM patrol boats stop illegal immigrants at sea and force them to turn back to North African shores from where, without any doubt, they departed. Also, they should be housed offshore on some ship, instead of in Malta. That way they would gladly give their true nationality and details."

Even foreigners were provoked to comment on the issue. "The Maltese race is going to be tainted, if it is not already. Wake up Malta. Soon it will be too late. Don't let the boats land. The Maltese unemployment is already at a disgraceful all-time high. And don't give me the lame excuse that they do jobs the Maltese do not want. Your main income, tourism, is in grave danger of diminishing very quickly. You probably don't know that some of us go overseas to get away from this type of stuff. Who wants to be confronted again while on vacation? It breaks my heart to see Malta losing its race and identity."

One of the 268 respondents who answered no to the poll question, claimed that Malta "should get support. It is a mammoth task to sort out even if we have other countries' support, let alone if we try dealing with it all by ourselves.

"But we should at least start doing something to show that we are serious when we say we plan on action. If we start, supposedly other EU countries will step in to help. Shame on them if they do not. The EU is supposed to be all about solidarity after all".