If seeking information on the influx and rescue of migrants has “an element of curiosity”, as the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) conveniently argue, then let us all be very curious. Because this can mean saving lives.
Times of Malta formally asked the AFM how many people were rescued in Maltese search-and-rescue waters and how many were brought ashore, taken to Libya or Italy.
As the entity entrusted with public funds to rescue life at sea, the AFM has the duty to be transparent and accountable.
On Republic Day, in 2008, the AFM’s maritime squadron made history when, for the first time, the Midalja għall-Qadi tar-Repubblika was awarded to a group of people rather than an individual.
Among the most onerous tasks it had been rewarded for was its maritime search and rescue role, having saved many lives in distress at sea.
Still, the AFM prefers to remain silent in the face of our questions.
It tries to justify its illogical stand in every way possible: the requested information does not constitute a ‘document’ in terms of the law; disclosure could adversely affect international relations; such information could “reasonably be expected to cause irreparable harm and damage to security and/or defence of Malta” since what is being sought consists of operational statistics and sensitive data; it would be harmful to divulge the operational modus operandi of the force; some of the information is subject to an ongoing court case; the information requested could be used by third parties “with illicit intentions”; knowing how the AFM operates… might guide third parties to make their apprehension more difficult.
“What may merely be an element of curiosity for some, may be a valuable source of information to human traffickers, smugglers and other criminals,” the AFM argues.
Times of Malta, of course, disagrees with such a stand, insisting it is only after numbers not documents that would divulge military intelligence, operations or surveillance. So, it seems, does Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri. The minister had no problem informing Nationalist MP Albert Buttigieg in parliament just a few days ago that 92 people had been rescued in five salvage operations, coordinated by the AFM, between February 3 and April 18 this year. He also listed the nationality of the rescued migrants.
It is unlikely the AFM adopted such an irrational stand without the blessing of – if not outright instructions from – its political masters. So why does the AFM want to hide this information but the man politically responsible for it reveals it in parliament?
The message seems to be that people, and the media, should not be asking such questions, certainly not to the AFM. It could also mean that such information should only be sourced from the minister who then decides if and when to answer.
This is a clear sign that politicians and decision makers do not feel accountable to the public.
When there is no timely information, it is easy to manipulate.
Furthermore, by invoking only the element of security – as interpreted by the AFM, of course – we are not doing justice to migrants or to the Maltese people. When the narrative is dictated by security, it puts up barriers between the migrant and local populations and hampers efforts at integration. Scaremongering always fails to address the wider issues and real problems.
The AFM’s repeated refusal to furnish data – not operational details – itself proves that the culture of secrecy and the lack of transparency and accountability persist.