Are Refugees Human?
Last week saw an ugly piece of news. It didn't originate from Australia, where we believe we're stopping a huge invasion of refugees. It came from our land of origin - Malta, and the surrounding countries.
It's been reported that a twenty metre boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea, in the waters between Lampedusa, Malta and Libya, with 700 people on board. It's also reported that only 28 survived.
Although this is a big and sorrowful tragedy, don't for a moment think it's unique. It's been calculated that last year, 3500 refugees drowned while attempting the crossing from Africa to Europe1. Also don't conclude that this always happens due to the bad weather that often plagues the Mediterranean. Last year, one incident of 300 people drowning was caused by the people smugglers scuttling a boat on purpose as the passengers were refusing to disembark onto a smaller boat.
These are sickening stories. One wouldn't want to hear similar stories about animals, let alone humans.
My astonishment increases and multiples when I read the political commentary on the situation. And for once, I'm not referring to party politics, but country politics of the country members of the European Union.
Last year, there was an operation in the international waters of the Mediterranean Sea, called Mare Nostrum. This has been reported to have saved 140,000 people over a year2. After some comments by some EU countries that it was too expensive, this was changed to a smaller operation called Triton, that only operates up to 30 nautical miles from the Italian coast.
The Maltese prime minister, Joseph Muscat, has warned that Europe and the world may be judged harshly if nothing is done and those who are comfortable close their eyes to such tragedies3. I do feel that these words may be truly prophetic.
Those that have the suffering and danger experienced by refugees at heart have been calling for the Mare Nostrum operation to start again. Now with this simultaneous death of 700 last week, these calls can only grow.
However I would ask, is this enough? Is saving people from drowning sufficient? Will it suffice to fight the people traffickers? Is it enough to stop desperate people from embarking upon sea vessels falling to pieces?
What will happen to those to arrive at the coast, fleeing conflicts, fighting, persecution, hunger? What will happen from those who are terrified of ISIS? Shall we tell the Libyan people to build new camps along the Libyan coast, with this country being splintered, a failed stated that hasn't recovered from the anti-Gaddafi revolution, where the legitimate government is not even strong enough to operate from the capital Tripoli?
And will these camps continue to grow without bound, until the conflicts and persecutions stop? This is just absurd.
I think it's necessary to kill two birds with one stone. Apart from the increase of force in the Mediterranean that is ready to save people in an emergency, there needs to be preventive measures as well.
Countries of the EU, together with other countries of good faith, need to accept a substantial number of refugees from Africa, each country according to their means. The number needs to be substantial enough to tempt those who are desperate on the Libyan coast that there would be hope for them if they stay at properly equipped and secured camps, apply and wait there, rather than attempting the sea crossing at great risk.
It cannot be accepted that countries in the north of Europe, which are amongst the richest in the world, act as if this problem did not exist.
I'm one of those that believed in the European project, that was started in 1951 by six countries after the Second World War as the European Steel and Coal Community, then the European Economic Community in 1958 and the European Union in 1993.
Article number two of the EU Treaty speaks about solidarity. I would ask, where is this solidarity? It's evident to me that the countries that are bearing the brunt of this huge wave of refugees, primary examples being Malta and Italy, are being left alone to deal with them, by the other countries of the EU and other rich countries around the world.
Shame on those who only pretend to believe in this principle!
Ir-Rifuġjati Umani?
Il-ġimgħa l-oħra kien hemm aħbar kerha ħafna. Ma kinetx ġejja mill-Awstralja, fejn nemmnu li qed inwaqqfu xi invażjoni kbira ta' rifuġjati. Kienet ġejja minn art twelidna - Malta, u l-pajjiżi ta' madwar.
Huwa rrappurtat li dgħajsa twila għoxrin metru nqalbet fil-Baħar Mediterran, fil-baħar ta' bejn Lampedusa, Malta u l-Libja, b'700 ruħ abbord. Huwa rrappurtat li biss 28 salvaw.
Għalkemm din hija traġedja kbira u tal-biki, ara biss taħsbu li din hi xi ħaġa unika. Huwa kkalkulat li s-sena l-oħra, 3500 rifuġjat għerqu waqt li kienu qed jippruvaw jaqsmu mill-Afrika għall-Ewropa1. Ukoll taħsbux li dan huwa dejjem riżultat tal-maltemp li sikwit jaħkem lill-Mediterran. Is-sena l-oħra, għarqa ta' tliet mija kienet ikkawżata mill-kuntrabandisti tan-nies jgħarrqu dgħajsa apposta għax in-nies ta' fuqha rrifjutaw li jiżbarkaw għal fuq dgħajsa iżgħar.
Dawn huma stejjer li jqallbulek l-istonku. Lanqas tkun trid tismagħhom fuq annimali, aħseb u ara fuq il-bnedmin.
Jien l-iskantament tiegħi jkompli, u jitkattar, meta naqra l-kummentarju politiku fuq din is-sitwazzjoni. U għal darba, m'inix nirreferi għall-politika tal-partiti, imma l-politika tal-pajjiżi tal-Unjoni Ewropeja.
Is-sena l-oħra, kien hemm operazzjoni fil-Baħar Mediterran f'ibħra internazzjonali, imsemmija Mare Nostrum. Dan huwa rrappurtat li salvat 140,000 ruħ fi żmien sena2. Wara xi kummenti minn pajjiżi tal-UE li kien qed iqum wisq flus, din ġiet mibdula b'operazzjoni iżgħar imsejjħa Triton, li topera biss sa 30 mil nawtiku mill-kosta Taljana.
Il-Prim Ministru Malti, Joseph Muscat, wissa li d-dinja u l-Ewropa għad ikunu ġġudikati ħażin ħafna jekk ma jsir xejn u dawk li huma komdi jgħalqu l-għajnejhom lejn traġedji bħal dawn3. Jien inħoss li dawn il-kliem għandhom mnejn ikunu profetiċi.
Dawk li għandhom għal qalbhom it-tbatija u l-periklu li jgħaddu minnu r-rifuġjati, ilhom jgħajtu għal Mare Nostrum biex jerġa jibda' jopera. Issa bil-mewt ta' dawn is-700 ruħ tal-ġimgħa l-oħra, l-għajta biex dan iseħħ jista' biss jikber.
Imma jien nistaqsi, daqshekk biżżejjed? Li nsalvaw lin-nies mill-għarqa biżżejjed? Li niġġieldu lit-traffikanti tan-nies biżżejjed? Li nwaqqfu li n-nies iddisprati milli jirkbu fuq bastimenti jaqgħu biċċiet biżżejjed?
X'se jsir minn-nies li jaslu sal-kosta, li qed jaħarbu mill-kunflitti, mill-ġlied, mill-persekuzzjoni, mill-ġuħ? X'se jsir minn min huwa mwerwer mill-ISIS? Se ngħidu lill-Libjani jibnu kampijiet ġodda fil-kosta tal-Libja, li bħalissa huwa biss pajjiż imfarrak, pajjiż fallut fejn għadu ma rkuprax mir-rivoluzzjoni kontra Gaddafi, fejn il-gvern leġittimu lanqas m'għandu saħħa jaħdem mill-kapitali Tripli?
U dawn il-kampijiet se jibqgħu jikbru mingħajr tmiem, sakemm il-kunflitti u l-persekuzzjonijiet jieqfu? Dan huwa biss assurd.
Jien inħoss li hemm bżonn li noqtlu żewġ għasafar b'ġebla waħda. Apparti ż-żieda ta' forza fil-Mediterran li tkun lesta li toffri salvataġġ f'emerġenza, hemm bżonn ta' miżura ta' prevenzjoni.
Hemm bżonn li l-pajjiżi tal-UE, flimkien ma pajjiżi oħra ta' rieda tajba, li jiddeċiedu li jaċċettaw numru mdaqqas rifuġjati ġejjin mill-Afrika, kull pajjiż skont il-mezzi tiegħu. Dan in-numru jrid ikun imdaqqas biżżejjed ħalli jħajjar lil dawk li huma ddisprati fil-kosta tal-Libja li hemm tama għalihom jekk imorru f'kampijiet mgħammra u fis-sigurtà garantita, japplikaw u jistennew hemmhekk, minflok ifittxu li jaqsmu l-baħar b'periklu kbir għal ħajjithom.
Ma jistax ikun li l-pajjiżi tat-tramuntana tal-Ewropa, li huma fost l-iktar għonja fid-dinja, jaġixxu qishom din il-problem ma teżistix.
Jien wieħed minn dawk li emmint fil-proġett Ewropew, li nibet fl-1951 minn sitt pajjiżi wara t-Tieni Gwerra Dinjija bħala l-Komunità Ewropeja għall-Faħam u l-Azzar, wara saret il-Komunità Ekonomika Ewropeja fl-1958 u l-Unjoni Ewropeja fl-1993.
L-Artiklu numru tnejn tat-Trattat tal-Unjoni Ewropeja jitkellem fuq is-solidarjetà. Jien nistaqsi, fejn hi din is-solidarjetà? Hu evidenti għalija li l-pajjiżi li qed iġarrbu din il-mewġa qawwija ta' rifuġjati, ewlenin fosthom Malta u l-Italja, qed jitħallew waħedhom mil-pajjiżi l-oħra tal-UE, u pajjiżi għonja oħra madwar id-dinja, biex jaffrontawhom.
Għajb għal min jagħmel biss tabirruħu li jemmen f'dan il-prinċipju!
1http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32376082, retrieved 20/4/2015
2http://ecre.org/component/content/article/70-weekly-bulletin-articles/855-operation-mare-nostrum-to-end-frontex-triton-operation-will-not-ensure-rescue-at-sea-of-migrants-in-international-waters.html, retrieved 20/4/2015
3http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20150420/local/migrants-boat-may-have-been-carrying-900-some-locked-in-hold-when-it.564511, retrieved 20.4.2015
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