Pact - Alfred Sant
The Pact on Migration and Asylum published last week by the European Commission has a lot to chew on, not least by way of the almost five hundred pages of documents that have been issued. Obviously, the Commission sought to reach a compromise that all cou
Among EU member states, the strongest disagreement arises around two fundamental points: Should the burdens of irregular migration be carried by all members, who would receive arriving migrants on a shared basis? And secondly: Should incoming migrants remain in the country where they first arrive till a decision is taken about what should be done with them (which might take a long time)?
It does not seem as if the countries concerned have changed their position much over the months and years. The Commission is now trying to create structures to monitor, manage and finance migration that would give some respite to frontline countries like Italy, Greece (and Malta) without antagonising countries like Hungary and Poland. I doubt whether it has succeeded.
The Mill
It is sad to observe how projects which, at some time or other, were assuming a useful and interesting role would later close and end up forgotten. Most frequently, this happens with old buildings like chapels.
I wonder about this every time I pass by the mill on Naxxar Road, at the limits of B’kara. It had been restored, presented a permanent artistic display and was well looked after by the artist Gabriel Caruana. Once, he invited me to visit. I was impressed with what I saw and with his enthusiasm to
convert the building into some kind of creativity hub.
Two years after his death, it is now frequently shut down, as if in a state of abandonment.
Congo
“Congo”, by the Belgian Flemish author David van Reybrouck is a doorstopper, but the book deserves to be read from beginning to end. It tells the story of how the Congo, at Africa’s heart, a country the size three quarters that of Western Europe, was grabbed by the Belgians. They wanted simply to extract from it the rich raw materials they needed, doing so as cheaply as possible while exploiting, in a most brutal fashion, the African people inhabiting the territory.
German and American companies, among others, also got to the scene and they had no qualms about adopting the same methods as the Belgians.
Over the decades, mimimal attempts were made to set up a public administration, an educational system and a public health infrastructure. The different regions which had their own different languages were nudged towards mutual antagonism. Independence was granted all of a sudden, without much preparation. The result was chaos, deadly conflict and wanton destruction. The long years then during which Mobutu ruled were characterised by a waste of resources and corruption. Meanwhile, the multinational companies of the West continued to drain away the Congo’s raw materials...
It is a most unsettling story and puts the reasons why so many Africans migrate towards the north in perspective.
Adoption
In the middle of a discussion about a controversial issue, a friend broached another delicate subject – adoption. In societies which congratulate themselves on their hard stand against abortion, one would have expected that adoption – when seriously organized – would find good encouragement. That is hardly the case.
So this friend described the huge diffiulties experienced by couples who wish to adopt children: and they’re financial, administrative, medical as well as made up of sheer delays, apart from the risk, that remains quite significant, of getting tricked and much money gets paid with no tangible result.
It is not easy to come up with a solution to such a problem. Difficulties in the way are really enormous. Still the humanitarian benefits to be derived are considerable if matters could be settled correctly, transparently and with reasonable speed.
Passports
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Suarez, Barcellona’s wellknown football star, was close to being transferred to an Italian team. But the latter had already used the quota of non-EU players it could hire. To go on its books, as a Latin American Suarez needed to be given an Italian passport. A problem was that he found it difficult to comply with the necessary procedures in time. To be sure, no dissent was registered about this matter.
What most struck me about the whole business though was the context in which it happened.
Business it was, related to sport true, but still the granting of an Italian passport to Suarez was going to happen as part of a market transaction.
One could not but wonder then at what has been repeated so often about the sanctity of passports issued by EU member states, all this in relation to the investor citizenship programmes run by Malta... along with others... The tune has been that it is incorrect to put citzenship up “for sale” as this undermines the integrity of the EU and that... plus anyway, so many other reasons that have been put forward...
Now, again, it is true that as a process, the Suarez business is different from the investment for citizenship programmes. But still, as part of a trading package, why does nobody find it objectionable? Where is the coherence?
Political hypocrisy
Political hypocrisy is well rooted everywhere. In the US, it can even be flaunted on a continental scale with nothing to worry about.
With the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the greatly mourned Supreme Court justice, the process was triggered for the nomination by the US President of her successor. But in a few weeks’ time, Donald Trump will be facing a re-election contest to determine who will be President for the coming four years.
Many months before then President Obama’s term of office expired, a similar case occurred. With one voice, exponents of the Republican Party declared that Obama had to refrain from making a nomination, so that when the presidential election was over, the incoming President would present the nomination. Republicans did their best (or worst) to kill the nomination Obama put before the Senate.
Now, many Republicans see no problem if Trump proceeds with his nomination. They’re all set to approve it. It is difficult to understand how such positions can avoid creating a total distrust in political leadership.