The island of saints

Xenophobia! Bigotry! Workers' rights! Patria! Racial purity! Government expense! Deterrence! These are all too familiar in a war of words and emotions that erupted just days after an outpouring of emotion and compassion for the tsunami victims in the Indian Ocean.

There is but one race, the human race. The things that bind us most are what we have in common and that includes the experience of pain, be it of the heart, body or mind, and the desire for happiness.

Franco Galea MP was quoted in The Times (January 29) as saying that "some things are deeply disturbing the Maltese population, such as the fact that some of these immigrants are costing the country about Lm80 a week per capita" and again "the main problem... being not those who are in detention centres but those who are still free among us".

Are we to understand that Mr Galea is putting the public purse before our nation's integrity? Does he think that money makes the nation? Does he consider that some Maltese might in fact find "deeply disturbing" the way members of our armed forces, also paid by the public purse, have treated asylum seekers?

To the officers in the armed forces I would like to ask: Does human dignity stop at their front gates? Did you consider the protest at Safi as constituting a threat to our island's security? Do you think that your action brings honour to your nation and uniform? As for the rank and file in the army, do these consider themselves in some way victims of a demanding immigrant population? Trained as they are to endure hardship in times of conflict, are we to understand that it is they who are enduring unreasonable hardship, not the immigrants, whose living conditions in Safi seem to be worse than those at Corradino prison?

Deputy Prime Minister Tonio Borg has defended a policy of detention as deterrence. In all fairness he is not alone in this, since it is shared by both sides of the House. Do the policy-makers in Parliament honestly believe that this argument sticks with rational members of the electorate who are sensitive to issues relating to human dignity? Do they think it sticks with their European counterparts who have opted for a different policy altogether? Do they think a Maltese or European court would not find fault in such policy?

And how does one justify restricting access to the detainees by members of the media and others?

Incidentally, what exactly are these irregular immigrants guilty of? Is it the act of having been found at sea without personal documents? It seems to me they are rather guilty of having been born in lands ravished by war, poverty and suppression and having nowhere to turn to. Do they think their departure from their homeland was not fraught with doubt, anxiety and trepidation and probably prompted by force majeur?

There may be some among us who think that immigrants constitute a threat to our subsistence, way of life or ethnic mix. Strange thoughts indeed, considering that probably every family on these islands has members who migrated to Malta years ago from Europe and the Mediterranean, or who emigrated to Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada or the United States. There are more Maltese living abroad than on these islands. How would these react to news of how their beloved native islands are now reacting to prospective immigrants and asylum seekers? How many would be reminded of unpleasant scenes when they were themselves at the receiving end of racism, bigotry, prejudice or xenophobia?

As for those who incite hatred and instill fear in others, this is nothing new. Fascism rears its ugly head, given a chance, and its policy is to rule with an iron fist through fear. It is just a ploy but it is also a plague that can spread like wildfire through the hearts and minds of people who know no better. This will be the consequence of inaction on the part of the authorities in stemming the dangerous flow.

The media has its role to play here too. Some upstarts with illusions of greatness have nothing to live for but to feed their own egos through growing publicity. Should the media limit this to informing us of the legal action taken against them for inciting hatred and racism? I do not consider grandiose statements and scaremongering by racists and fascists as newsworthy. Should the media?

The late Fr Charles Caruana SJ had a maxim: "People are more important". Some persons gain respect through fear, others through integrity. Fr Caruana's integrity shone through brightly and clearly.

A word of council to those who harbour prejudice and who attempt to gain stature through fear and hatred: Look into the hearts of these immigrants. They are no different from yours. Confucius said that we should do unto others what we would have them do unto us. Anyway, what goes around comes around. Life can sometimes turn on a dime. Both Dragut and La Valette were commanders of their fleets, yet both were also at one time reduced to galley slaves. Let us do unto others while we can and while we have a dime to spare.