Former PM Gonzi cannot understand PM’s decision to block NGO’s plane
● ‘I am sad we have come to this point’
Former Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi cannot ‘understand what could possibly the justify’ the Maltese government’s decision to block NGO Sea-Watch’s search plane.
Speaking to The Malta Independent at a gathering in solidarity with NGOs vessels and migrants yesterday evening, Gonzi was asked whether he would have prohibited the entry and exit of vessels belonging to NGOs operating in the Mediterranean when was PM.
“No, I don’t think I would have, especially with the plane that was based in Malta which carious out a humanitarian initiative to save lives. I cannot understand what could possibly the justify that decision. I am very sad that we have come to this point,” he said.
He was then asked whether he was pleased with the path the EU was taking, given his involvement with the institution, given that the EU Council has vocally backed Muscat’s decision to block such NGO vessels, with Council President Donald Tusk making special reference to it in his speech following the council meeting last week.
“No. We have always criticised the EU, especially member states within the council, because while we insisted to the Commission that there should be burden sharing and that it would prove that ‘solidarity’ is not just a convenient word, who eventually agreed after a lot of negotiation, it was the member states who blocked the initiative. I find it galling that there are member states who make a big fuss when they come to discuss the financial benefits of the EU but then are not even prepared to shoulder a minimum amount of responsibility, especially when the whole EU should understand that border states like Malta, Italy, Greece, and Spain cannot shoulder the full responsibilities. I am not satisfied with the final outcomes from the EU or the actions of certain member states in the Mediterranean.
Given that the lack of EU action in the Mediterranean was a factor within the election of a populist anti-migrant coalition to Italian Government, Gonzi was also asked whether he feared the continued stagnation from the EU on the issue would give rise to such sentiment in Malta.
“It’s difficult to say, but it is a convenient populist topic that can be exploited by whoever wants to appear populist, by people who are unfortunately giving the wrong information.The whole of Europe and Malta knows that the numbers have gone down. We know, and Malta more than many other countries, that those who have landed on our shores and recognised as refugees and have integrated in our society are fully-active and they are contributing to our economy. “We don’t even have to look at numbers. Go around and look at our building sites, our bars, our restaurants, you’ll find that most of them are foreigners. I wonder what would happen if someone just told them to up and leave, there would be a total collapse. Is this being explained to our people? No one is touching this topic, and I find it very disappointing.
“I must emphasise that this is a tricky and delicate topic but we have to be honest with the truth and we have to make it clear that we must follow the values that have defined us,” he said.
Gonzi was then pressed on his own party’s rhetoric and whether he was worried with the direction it was taking given that current PN Leader Adrian Delia has repeatedly use anti-migrant sentiment, raising concerns over foreigners influence on Maltese culture .
“I would have perhaps treated it differently and from a different point of view. At the end of the day what concerns me is what I would have done or what would be the values that guide me. In this case I try my best to remind everybody that it is the value of every human life that concerns us. These are very vulnerable people, they are probably the weakest of the lot, and we have a duty ethically morally and legally to making saving lives our first priority and then take it from there.”