We are bombarded practically on a weekly basis with stories about illegal immigrants, accusations about racism, Daphne’s weekly garbage about herself and her martyrdom for freedom of expression, and Peppi’s mediocre, sensational reporting.

Yet what is really not being done in this country is unbiased reporting. The media should be exerting pressure on the government to see what is being done about illegal immigration. It seems now very clear that Malta is split in two as there are those who are in favour and those who are against immigration. But the media has missed the bus on the discussion. Instead of promoting the discussion and creating a healthy debate it has created fronts. Like infantile games, there are the goodies and the baddies. Its position has become that of an aggressor and a judge, similar to that in police States; today the media rules and judges the common citizen. If we used the Politika tat-Tbezziegh in Mintoff’s days, it is very topical today and it applies to the media. People went to a protest, so what is the big deal? People protest, it is a right of expression. Yet the media has tied ANR motives to extreme right movements. Could it be simply because ANR might be an electoral threat to the PN?

The role of the media is to be balanced and arbitrary about the whole issue, and to investigate why people are unhappy with the situation. It is useless giving vent to columnists’ frustrations because some columnists in particular have vested interests on why to talk in favour of immigration. Some have made personal gain and are not defending the defenceless. In an issue of The Times this week there was a headline stating that Germany was to help Malta by relieving it of a number of immigrants. The headline was given prominence and was nearly as long as the story. It instantly caught my attention. I read on and learnt that Germany would be taking 20 immigrants. The prominence given by The Times was that the story deserved public applause. There was no discussion following the story by a single journalist of The Times whether Germany would take more immigrants in due course, or if they were just taking 20 to shut Malta’s mouth up.

I consider that in a democratic country the media should be unbiased and investigative. I have not read so far what new legislations have been passed so far to clamp on those who capitalise on human trafficking; even though a minister claimed the government has a majority in Parliament, which should mean it is easier to pass bills. Spain passed a law to jail those who traffic illegal immigrants to their shores for 11 years. Has Malta considered anything of the sort? Where is Parliament? And were is our international effort to solve the problem? Have the Maltese representatives gone hoarse on that as well?

Unfortunately, what I am aware of is that the Maltese media and Maltese politics go hand in hand. They use lots of big words and conclude nothing.

L.Galea

DINGLI