This week a lot of persons are heavily enquiring about the influx of a substantial number of irregular immigrants. We all know that the sheer numbers coming in, or as we are informed, are helped to Malta, are out of proportion to our size. The last group to arrive was seen equipped with life jackets crammed onto a dinghy type craft making it impossible for anyone to move, else the equilibrium of the boar be compromised. So, how did they make the journey from Libya without moving, not even for their basic natural needs. They were seen waving to other immigrants on the shore, a sort of welcoming party, who probably told them to come over to Malta.

It is more than evident that this is an organisation that tends to change patterns and now we see mother ships setting these people out at sea before they come to shore. The organisers get away with a lot of money and push the burden onto us. The empty talk and inaction of Frontex is not acceptable. Bottom line is that we cannot sustain these people. Other countries do not wish to share the burden as useless words have never translated themselves into concrete actions. Only the removal or relocation of these persons is the solution for us. I prefer avoiding to mention the word illegal immigrants as there is nothing illegal about them. They are escorted in, given food, something to drink, accommodation, a hope of a better life, probably complimentary social services, guards, and all the frills. Few will ever be grateful. It is also a burden on the country’s coffers.

Our voice is not carrying far enough. Smiley press conferences are not a solution, only actions are. We cannot sustain this influx. With Frontex, this influx seems to accelerate. There is also an email doing the rounds these past weeks, which ends with an immigrant saying, Malta is so nice, we decided to get our families over, stay here, and asked the Maltese to vacate the island, by providing them with similar craft to what they came on. This email is verging on the truth.

All of these people are young, today. What will happen when they grow old here, or get sick. Does the local taxpayer have to bear this oncoming, great, monthly expense?

Thank god that the transport strike is over. We did have some anxious hours, and as I was at the airport on Monday, I witnessed many an ugly scene that gave tourists a very bad impression.

Well handled or not, it was a messy situation. What I did not miss during the strike was the useless and horrible loud horns that these buses blare out, each time they find a car in front of them, or salute a colleague going the opposite way. Don’t we see that these horns are a noise pollution, in what should be a tranquil holiday island. With reform in sight, can these horns that annoy so much people, except the drivers, be banned and normal horns be used? Can we ban this noise pollution or are we asking too much? I do hope that we all learnt a lesson from this latest showdown.

We do see a certain reduction in foreign students going round in our areas. Probably arrivals in July were a bit down from normal. Some groups have been absorbed in the St Paul’s Bay area. Not so, I am told, in the Kappara area, where a school does also accommodate foreign school children during the daytime. Summer seems to be a high yield situation for this school, giving no break to the residents and a foreign embassy. Some residents recounted an incident, involving a police man who could not handle a situation. As investigations, I am informed, are ongoing, I will not mention the police number in the hope that these matters are solved and residents can go back to a decent daily life. On the school theme, there seems to be a shroud of secrecy on the expansion of such, and the multi purpose usage of this school. If it had been allocated elsewhere, as it should have, then it can disturb nobody. This lack of respect to neighbours is quite alarming. Can a school not be just for local education?