Thursday, 4th December 2008 - 10:22CET
PL thanks US for helping Malta on migrants
The Labour Party in a statement today thanked the United States for taking more refugees from Malta, saying this was a gesture of solidarity which needed to be followed by other countries which spoke a lot about solidarity but hardly practised it.
Party spokesmen George Vella and Luciano Busuttil augured that the migrants would find a good future in the United States.
They said that this humanitarian and noble gesture by the United States also conveyed the political message that the United States was, unilaterally, putting into practice the friendship and reciprocal respect existing between the two countries. In this way it was helping to ease the burden which Malta was carrying because of a growing number of refugees coming to Malta.
They pointed out that the United States was also working with Malta to counter organised crime, drug trafficking and search and rescue, among other areas.
Special appreciation was due to Ambassador Molly Bordonaro, who over the years had shown consistent interest and commitment to help Malta in the case of the migrants.
The United States has been taking several several groups of migrants from Malta. The Times on Wednesday also announced that France will be taking 80 immigrants from Malta.
Contacted by timesofmalta.com, Dr Vella said this was the third time that the US was taking migrants from Malta. He said he also appreciated the fact that France had also said it would take 80 migrants, pointing out, however, that EU countries, in contrast to the US, had a duty to share the burden with Malta.
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Ms Goldirova, I am forced to disappoint you in informing you that I am not a creation of Mr Alex Ellul, but am a real person who merely happens to possess a different point of view than yourself. I would strongly caution that you avoid jumping to such conclusions in the future.
About learning I would also strongly caution against using the internet as your primary source of education. The amount of crackpot rubbish on the [mis]information superhighway is unfortunately often interpreted as fact by gullible. I champion the printed word above any of it.
Another source of learning is experience. I was part of the unbroken human link during the Singing Revolution in the Baltic States, and remember well the violent put down of protests in Vilnius by that entity you speak highly of.
Its hard to look at the world through the objective lens, but one has to try.
I am afraid the discussion has veered from the primary debate about the article, into something more base. I have nothing further to contribute.
@ W Alexander Hutton (clone?)
One needs to look beyond the headlines to see history facts.
Should you like to learn -with today’s technology, you can just Google and read.
However, this is my opinion – could also be it requires high-level heads Sirs. But facts on the ground supports my view and this is what counts.
I of course dont deny that war creates refugees and I agree America should stop meddling in other peoples business. I entirely opposed America's intervention in Iraq. After all, Saddam was doing a good job there, acting as a regional counter balance to Iran, as well as being democraticaly elected! Who cares if he was being a bit naughty? Its not any of our business right?
Ruth R. Goldirova,
If Alexander Solzhenytsin was still alive today, I am sure he would be taking notes from your most erudite contribution for his complete revision of The Gulag Archipelago.
@IGalea: Please know your history: Israel was attacked three times: 1956, 1967 and 1973, by the following countries: Egypt, Jordan, Syria. I am not sure if Iraq had been directly involved. However Israel did once attack Iraq and destroyed its nuclear power plants while these were being built with French technology.
@Victor Zammit: Iraq and Afghanistan were attacked after the USA was attacked by al qaeda and 3000 People died, mostly Americans. Remember 11th September 2001? What would you do if someone attacked your grand daughter? Bet you would send him a greeting card.
Demonising the USA is the leftists' hobby. It's not a perfect country, but we should all thank the USA for delivering the world from evil during the past century. Hope this planet will always have a good policeman. Imagine if the USA did not exist: My name would be Adolf, or Vladimir, and I would be living in a concentration camp, or a gulag.......
The emerging of illegally established ‘Israel’ (not the Jews) as a western potential war partner and later on un-conditioned sponsorship by the USA gave the latter the power to turn the whole Middle East area to powder keg.
Unfortunately, with the collapse of USSR power has changed. The new world order requires instability in the Middle East. So, democratically elected government such as Hamas must be isolated or toppled (no problems in killing or imposing siege on innocent Palestrina’s peoples -like what is happening until last night).
Iraq , Iran, Syria must be continually suspicious of any nuclear weapons and adding the term Islmaist or ‘terrorists’ and some times both adds further spices!
Presently they don't but you cannot deny that the 80,000 Iraqis that UNHCR wants to send to eu countries are all the result of the USA illegal war on Iraq. The USA has interfered into many other countries internal affairs to remove unfriendly governments even though they were democratically elected and instead install puppet regimes.
Victor Zammit
Apart from helping Israel to split Iraq into different separate entities such as a Kurdish, Sunni and Shiite parts so that it will not be a danger to it. Divide et imperiat. Remember that Iraq was the only state that attacked Israel and was helping the Palestinians more than any other Arab state. This is real politics at the international plane.
would you be kind enough to expand on your void statement? The act of blaming every trouble on Gods earth on America is a bit naive. Perhaps that glowing beacon of democray that is post colonial Zimbabwe is also America's doing too?
lgalea:
Arent we discussing the illegal immigration towards Malta, and not other issues? My reaction was towards Joseph Cachia's absurd statement of blaming America for malta's immigration problems! As far as I know it, Iraqis dont form the bulk of immigrants towards these shores.
The opposition's mission is to take into account the government's actions; its an important function of a European Democracy. And, P.L is doing its duty well enough. In case you have not noticed, it is defending the ordinary citizen against the blatant scandal of the Data Protection, it is inquiring about the irregular tenders at MCAST, it is enquiring on the spying scandal at MITTS, it is arguing that the government should not raise the electricity tariffs,now that the oil per barrel is 40$. It is also arguing that the government should be more efficient in the E.U funds allocated to Malta. Are these actions not to your likings?
What about the 80,000 Iraqi refugees which the UNHCR wants to dump in eu countries?
Are they not the result of the American war on Iraq?
USA interventions since the last century in other countries are too numerous to mention.
‘How do you explain the fact that most of these refugees seem to come from countries that the US has had absolutely nothing to do with (eg: Somalia, Sudan, Eritrea)?’
Read any paper of 1986 onward please.
@ Alex Ellul
My 8 years old Grand daughter knows that Iraq was attacked for its oil. Anybody living on planet earth knows this!
An opposition being vocal doesn't mean it is an effective one. Perhaps Lino Spiteri said it best when he described as theatricals.
An Opposition is there to be critical when need be and vigoursly at that to. However, the duty of an Opposition does not end there either. It is duty bound to offer alternatives to the Government of the day and in the process domonstrate that it is indeed a Government in waiting. This is not achivied by oppossing any thing under the sun. What we need is constructive opposition and not destructive opposition.
Quite frankly, this constructive voice, in Malta have been hijacked from the MLP, now the PL, by the Unions and other NGO. The recent debate about the water and electricity is a case in point. The electorate demand more then criticism, the electorate also demands alternatives.
No wonder why the MLP have been the party of the minority since 1981. Unless wholesome changes are made by the PL in its' approach to politics, it will remain the Party of the minority.
The Electorate is not stupid, at hte end it will see through all the rhetoric.
How do you explain the fact that most of these refugees seem to come from countires that the US has had absolutley nothing to do with (eg: Somalia, Sudan, Eritrea)?
.....and to my amusment, I couldnt help but notice such anti american sentiments chiming well with Igalea!
@ Ivan Galea..I am ALL for vocal opposition, so you got it wrong, Sir. But one must keep one's place and only go about publicly thanking other nations when in power. As to emulating the PN of the 80's, I sincerely hope you don't believe the PL has similar reasons to behave in the same manner.
Perhaps this has something to do with Joseph Muscat and the MLP changing position and now coming out officially by supporting illegal immigration as long as it involved only males of certain age?
Correct 100%
America caused this mass upheaval in the MIDDLE EAST and AFRICA when INVADING
countries and /or interfering politically and WE suffered with the influx of ILLEGAL migrants.
This is not humanitarian, it is an obligation and a MUST that america start solving the problem
it created.
shall I thank the USA for creating the condition?
I would suggest Dr. Muscat to read the following:
On Friday, 14th December 2007 MEP Dr. John Attard Montalto wrote a factual article that may interest those who seriously wish to be aware of the core problem of Africa. Here I quote a paragraph - (The scramble for Africa has started all over again. In the colonial period, European nation-states competed between themselves. After World War II, the US permitted Europe to continue to dominate the continent, on the reckoning that the boost to the European economies would boost trade with the US itself.)
This piece of article highlight the core issue
Maybe the Labour Party wanted to represent that portion of the Maltese people who DID vote for this party to lead them for the next five years but unfortunately did not have the opportunity to make their wish come true.
While you have every right to voice your opinion, I feel I must pass my judgement too.
What is really humiliating is not the PL but people like you who are still narrow-minded enough not to realise that this is a free country and everyone can thank whoever they want.
I'm sure the PL did not thank the US merely for the sake "to be noticed" as you put it. The PL is noticed enough rest assured because apologists like you rarely comment on anything more useful besides PL. It's always 'PL this' and 'PL that' and lo and behold, PN is rarely mentioned.
I guess you are a sort of person that believes a country can do away with a vocal opposition,,,,unless this is a PN one. Maybe you believe that the opposition should emulate the PN of the 80s and start a roadshow abroad shaming and damaging the island' s image....x tahseb???
'THE TIMES' does not appear to share your opinion. If it did I do not think that she would furnish us with such a news item.