Martin Scicluna’s report for the Irregular Immigration Conference did not mince words.

It made it clear that this was a major foreign policy challenge that called for diplomatic muscle.

He lamented that in spite of the pivotal role that the Foreign Ministry is expected to play in tackling this security-related issue, none of the senior foreign ministry officials were present for the two day conference.

Was this absence the result of default, negligence, sheer indifference or deliberate stubbornness?

The absence of Foreign Affairs Ministry officials became even more conspicuous when realising that senior officials from other key ministries such as those responsible for Internal Affairs, Health, Social Solidarity and Education among others were present.

Although the Foreign Affairs Minister is known to have tackled this issue during some of his overseas visits, I do not know whether sufficient clout has been exercised in these encounters – particularly at EU level as well as with other neighbouring states.

This lackadaisical approach comes at a time when the French Defence Minister has discussed immigration problems intensively during her visit to Libya, while Italy and Libya are reported to have recently agreed to set up joint teams of investigators to tackle people-smuggling gangs.

While it is important to cope with the flow of illegal immigrants, we also need to address the core issue – that of stemming the flow itself.

The fight against illegal immigration also has to be fought within the context of the organised crime of which many of these innocent people happen to be victims.

While Mr Scicluna barely stopped short of calling for another Helsinki CSECE stand with the EU, our Prime Minister should be lobbying hard, together with the Foreign Minister and our Brussels Mission, to have the issue of burden-sharing of illegal immigration at the forefront of one of the very next EU Council meetings.

Just by having ministers stating, as a particular minister stated at the end of the conference: “li mhux ser noqghodu nigru bis- sassla” (“we will not go begging alms”) showed that we are almost renouncing a priori the right to fight for financial aid and assistance to combat this problem. Although usually such words do not come easily to Europhile MEP Simon Busuttil, he told the FAC and the immigration conference that the EU needs to be sensibilised to this urgent issue. I cannot understand the temerity of government ministers to at least speak in these terms by stating the obvious.

Dr Gonzi’s damage limitation exercise

The undemocratic decision taken by the Nationalist government to withdraw the candidature of prospective local election candidates at the very last moment is nothing but sterling proof of the PN’s attempts to limit the damage that the forthcoming elections are due to make to their already punctured image.

It was indeed a lapsus on Dr Gonzi’s part when he told a Super One reporter that this was done deliberately as part of PN strategy.

Comparing this negative development to other occasions when no elections were held in certain districts does not hold water. In those cases, no elections were held because neither of the two parties could find enough candidates to field.

But to have candidates and withdraw their candidature after they had regularly filed their application is a totally different matter.

Dr Gonzi has reason to be concerned.

If he fares badly at the forthcoming local elections, as he is expected to do, this will expose him as a serial loser – having lost last year’s local and euro elections.

A defeat next month would give them three in a row in less than one year! A rather inauspicious start for the new PM!

Predictably, by the time of writing this article, none of the PN-leaning newspapers had any editorial comment to make on the PN’s anti-democratic practice in Zejtun and Marsa.

Labour MEPs give a good account of their work

During the past few days, Joseph Muscat and Louis Grech had an excellent opportunity to give a good account of their highly valid work in the national interest in the Brussels fora they attend.

While Joseph Muscat gave a very detailed account of his committee work and personal initiatives during an interesting meeting of the Foreign and European Affairs committee meeting, Louis Grech spelt out his and Joseph’s stand on immigration in Brussels during the recent national conference on irregular immigration.

All this is notwithstanding the fact that Malta is not represented on the home and justice affairs committee that tackled illegal immigration issues.

Through their concise but very focused interventions they showed that they are putting the national interest at the forefront of their agenda in Brussels.

Lets us hope that all five MEPs will perform to the best of their ability – at least on this particular issue!

e-mail : leo.brincat@gov .mt