Immigration, and in particular detention of illegal immigrants, has been the focus of the country’s attention in the past days with a visit by EU Justice, Freedom and Security Commissioner Jacques Barrot who, on the back of Medicins Sans Frontieres suspension of activities, has said that conditions are not satisfactory.

Mr Barrot has also pledged to offer Malta additional financial resources to improve conditions in the detention centres. He emphasised the need for the EU Asylum and Immigration Policy to be implemented as soon as possible and, linked to that, the EU Asylum and Support Office (which Malta has offered to host), which would help the countries most exposed to illegal migration.

But the government reacted with a statement, as it invariably does when something not constituting praise is stated and protested its innocence. The government primarily targeted MSF and said that its claims about health and sanitary conditions within the detention centres were “grossly misleading and unrealistic”.

This newspaper was one of the first to be invited into the Safi detention centre about a year back and reported that while certain things were lacking, the situation was not as bad as people feared within that particular centre.

However, journalists were never taken to other centres, in particular, the isolation areas within Lyster barracks, which MSF has termed appalling, with mattresses resting on cold hard unheated floors and sewer run-off waters seeping in. If this is not the case, then we invite the government to allow us into this centre to see and judge for ourselves at the earliest possible opportunity. We await the response.

While this newspaper agrees with the government, and indeed MSF and Mr Barrot, who have all said that this country is bordering on having an emergency, due to the influx of immigrants – it is time for someone to put their hand up and accept the blame.

One does not think that an international medical charity, stationed around the world’s troubled spots, would make something like this up. Also, Mr Barrot has taken a tour round the centres and has said that he does not deem the standards to be acceptable.

Well, the government can harp on all it wants, it seems that there is a problem and it must be addressed. But at the same time, the government is also right in demanding more from Europe, the so called model of solidarity. In fact, Mr Barrot launched a solemn appeal for EU countries to show more solidarity with Malta in view of the ever-increasing flow of migrants, mostly young, from the Horn of Africa and West Africa. Given the size and limitations of our country and infrastructure, the arrival of more than 750 migrants are putting a severe strain on resources.

Mr Barrot said he hoped EU countries would follow in the steps of France, which has recently declared it would take 80 refugees from Malta adding that it is hoped that the EU would launch a pilot project for its first resettlement programme just after the EU Asylum Policy is in place.

At the end of the day, the most pressing problem is that there is a problem with conditions within detention centres and the issue must be addressed. The government is also correct in attempting to ensure that no one with infectious diseases is released into the community, but in doing so, it must ensure that the dignity and basic rights of these people are respected while in isolation. Depravation of toilets, heating, medicine, fresh air and many other basic rights is not the way to go about it.