Non-governmental organisations strongly condemn what they describe as racist comments by Maurice Mizzi, nominated as Guardian of Future Generations by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. 

Mizzi hit out at irregular immigration into Malta, arguing that Muslims are “taking over” and insisting the country should stop migrants from entering.

In an interview with The Sunday Times of Malta, Mizzi turned to migration while talking about how working Maltese were failing to keep up with the cost of life – he argued that wages remained low because migrants were happy to work for the minimum wage.

“We should stop these people coming from abroad without a passport, with their children and with a different religion,” he went on to say. “We are living in a Catholic country, and when I die, I want to die in a Catholic country. At the moment, there are so many Muslims coming – they’re all having nine babies, next to our two – and they will take over eventually.”

In a statement this afternoon, the NGOs said that according to the government’s mission statement, Mizzi’s role is to “endeavour to facilitate closer collaboration between all stakeholders in the pursuit of the right balance between socio-economic development and environmental stewardship in the Maltese Islands”.  Finding a balance between socio-economic development and environmental stewardship is achievable by fostering inclusion, and certainly not by condemning difference, or singling out any particular religious belief. Mr. Mizzi seems to forget the responsibility that comes with his role and the essential point that the most important factor to achieve development and guarantee future generations is peace. 

“We, the undersigned, firmly believe that peace relies wholly on acceptance and inclusion; this means that people are entitled to have their own religious beliefs, or no religious beliefs at all. Singling out one religious belief as impeding development is untrue. It foments hate, something we can ill afford to increase in our small country because it only leads to violence, death and destruction, as very recent incidents in Malta have shown.  

“We remind Mizzi that migrants are generally fleeing from war, socio-political persecution and economic hardship, often induced by interests beyond their countries’ borders. Mr. Mizzi’s declaration contradicts the Prime Minister’s statement about the need for more workers, irrespective of religion, origin or colour. 

“Finally we remind Mizzi that it is his role to ensure that no person’s work is exploited in the name of socio-economic development, and protecting our environment from over-exploitation is part of his job.  

“The undersigned do not tolerate any form of racist discourse. There can be no space for this kind of ideology or language in our country. 

“In the light of such racist declarations, we demand his immediate resignation or removal by the Prime Minister as his position is no longer tenable.”