All school vans will be used, scheme was a success - Muscat

The transport scheme to provide students with state-funded transport to and from schools has been popular, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat explained, that the island is in a situation where there will be no vans available for use in the mornings and afternoons.

Muscat said this during in an interview on One Radio, whilst also asking for patience as this scheme is new for the country.

“There will be confusion,” he said, “but we will try and coordinate as best as possible - this is an important learning curve for us.”

Migration

The Prime Minister then moved on to migration, where he went explained that whilst individuals entering our shores in the last years has been reduced to almost zero, the phenomenon of migration remains a very particular issue that we must keep working on.

“Our politics is sensible and one of common sense - if one is drowning, men, women, and children, we must save them. Apart from our duty, it is part of our humanity.”

Whilst restrictions are also of importance, Muscat doubled down on his previous comments and shot down the Opposition Leader’s suggestion for Malta to become a center for immigrants in the Mediterranean. He insisted that this would give smugglers and traffickers incentive to bring people to Malta.

Muscat also pointed out another issue where individuals who would have landed by boat in Italy and were unable to find work there, come to Malta, and seek work on the island.

“We are currently seeing every day that individuals who are not meant to be in our country, and not supposed to be working here, and are being sent back.

“We are seeing this in localities where there is a high concentration of migrants; Marsa, Hamrun, Santa Venera - not only African migration, but also immigrants from third nations that must satisfy sectors where there is lack of Maltese workers.“

He goes on to explain that the principal issue in this sector is that of implementation and law enforcement. This brings up particular situations where local councils have implemented new by-laws to ban drinking in public.

One of the solutions he referred to was the setting up of cameras to follow our every movement and discourage anti-social behaviour.

PN Leader

Asked to comment on statements made this week by the Leader of the Opposition, Muscat said that he was very surprised with certain declarations - particularly with regards to domestic violence.

“I cannot understand how you can make a political issue out of something like this.”

Leader of the Opposition Adrian Delia has voted against the domestic violence bill. His explanation at the time, and remained the same this week, was that the protection of the unborn was removed, opening the door for abortion.

Muscat also criticized Delia’s comments on children only being interested in cannabis. He insisted that children are the future of our country, and that he meets with hundreds of youths who are very interested and excited about technology and blockchain.

Brexit

The Prime Minister repeated his comments from this week where he had stated that no one would benefit from the UK leaving the EU.

He asked Maltese citizens living in the UK to make themselves known with the Maltese embassy in their localities.

Drug seizure

Muscat congratulated the authorities for their work in seizing over 10 tons of cannabis, saying that this is how a country where rule of law is present functions.

“Not only with words, but with concrete facts.”