Generally speaking, up to now it has always been the case that when irregular migration became an important issue for Malta, the same did not hold for other EU countries. And vice-versa.

The Malta government is caught between the rock of how international law defines humanitarian obligations, and the hard place of what constitutes the national interest when it is clear that the best efforts need to be focused on overcoming locally the corona virus pandemic.

It is not a viable solution to let immigrants enter Malta, even if many people offer to host them at their home. Neither is the proposal to let migrants drown either acceptable or viable. Moreover, no matter what one does to confront the dilemma, the likelihood is that more boats will be leaving Libya.

Caught up in the priorities of containing the pandemic, European countries have limited appette to dedicate time and effort to arising problems in the central Mediterranean.

The Maltese people have exalted expectations regarding what Europeans could offer by way of relief. There will be no easy arrangements.

***

A SENSE OF DISCIPLINE

We used to lament about how indisciplined the Maltese are as a people. Nothing is sacred! Let who’s strongest get it all! Jump up the queue as far as you can and have no care for whoever waits before you...! These seemed to be the dominant popular guidelines all over the country.

Yet since there was the corona virus pandemic to deal with, a real sense of discipline has been shown... with exceptions that did not come close to the levels reached in other European countries. What a surprise!

Then, one remembers the available reports about how the Maltese people behaved during World War II. At that time too, a sense of discipline was manifest and it occurred as a grassroots phenomenon, not because it was imposed. For when the threat faded and people were looking towards a fair deal by way of social reforms, soon street demonstrations broke out when reforms did not materialise.

So the problem is – How can we mobilise such a sense of discipline whenever we are facing outstanding challenges, that do not necessarily have to involve matters of life and death?

***

TIME FOR...

Given how our employment of time developed under the conditions of isolation experienced in past weeks, we all of us have now found the occasion to carry out assignments which eluded us as the years went by.

Such as for instance as far as I am concerned, the opportunity to view two European Cup finals. One took place in Wembley Stadium between Panathinaikos of Greece and Bayern Munich, which the Greek side lost by 2 – 0. And the other between Juventus and Hamburg in Athens. The Germans won 1 - 0.

One tries to remember where and how one was when these games, now most probably forgotten by everybody, were being played. One observes how the same tensions were felt then like they are now, as the matches proceed. One realizes how sports techniques have evolved with time.

I guess that till everything that’s got to do with the pandemic has blown over, there will be more opportunities to take a look at old, forgotten games that were played. It might be a bizarre pastime to watch them, but they have certainly retained their entertainment value.