According to a UNHCR Malta report, the majority of Maltese do not agree that high levels of immigration are threatening their way of life – raising the possibility that it is those who are the loudest who are being heard in Malta’s raging racism debate, and not necessarily those who are prevalent. On the other hand, though, there also seems to be an “out of sight, out of mind” mentality. Could it be that the majority of people simply don’t care, as long as they have no personal contact with Africans and Arabs? The figures do support the theory.
While figures showed that the majority of Maltese people (54%) do not feel that the arrival of migrants threaten their way of life, the study also found that just over 50% of respondents believed that too many refugees and migrants were coming to their locality. Residents of localities in Malta’s south were more likely to agree with this statement, while Gozitans were the most likely to disagree.
The figures then break down further. The above indicates an “out of sight, out of mind” mentality, but when one gets closer to the migrant centres, attitudes change even more sharply. Over 70% of those living closest to the Ħal Far open and detention centres perceived a threat to their way of life.
The figures do baffle and the outcome of the survey does show some contradictions in terms. 58% of respondents disagreed that a mixture of lifestyles and cultures make Malta a more attractive place to live, with a similar proportion agreeing that refugees and migrants should change their ways to become more like Maltese citizens. It is a fair point, integration should come with migration – put simply, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.
The biggest concern identified was Malta’s small size (19.3%), followed by fears of migrants taking up jobs (15.5%) and fears of criminal or violent behaviour (12%).
A significant proportion had no direct personal experiences to base their perceptions on: 43.8% said that they never spoke to a refugee or migrant, and 67.8% said that they do not know any personally. Just 9% visited a home of a refugee or migrant, while 7.5% had received one at home.
Like it or not, immigration is part and parcel of not only our country’s future, but of the world’s past, present and future. It is a phenomenon that humans have displayed since they first walked out of Africa. Some of the world’s biggest economies are built on immigration – with the US, the UK and Australia being home to a plethora of peoples.
Suffice to say that Maltese were once migrants themselves and many of those who left these islands last century now have firmly established themselves in those countries that we have just mentioned, among many others.
We also take note of the fear that migrants are taking the jobs of the Maltese, but the jobs that these people carry out are on the lowest rung, the jobs carry risk or stigma with them and the people themselves are often cheated out of their rightful wage or rights. The fact of the matter is that they are slowly integrating into society, trying to make a living by doing the jobs which the Maltese won’t. The same will happen as has happened everywhere else. The sons and daughters of migrants will become Malta’s success stories. Just like in the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, and other places, immigrants have worked doubly and triply hard to provide their offspring with the best possible chance in their country of birth – in this case Malta. Those children of migrants who we see today are accepted by those of their age in the innocence of childhood, but are still often shunned or ignored by the Maltese. But they are Maltese. They are born here and hold Maltese passports and nationalities. Just like the Abelas, Debonos, Gatts and myriad others who live in London, Sydney, New Jersey and many other places, these children are rightful citizens, and their parents are too. How can the people of this country be so vehemently opposed to and fearful of migration, when the Maltese are migrants in themselves?