Aditus says that migrants should be given the vote in local council elections. I agree.
And look what one of Norman Lowell’s racists thinks about the matter – this is the same one who said yesterday that I ‘suck black cooks’
The human rights organisation, Aditus, has argued the case for migrants to be given the vote in local council elections, and for certain groups of migrants to be permitted to vote in general elections too.
I agree.
The best and most effective way to end this political violence perpetrated on immigrants is to give them the power of the vote. The way things stand, they are talked about and discussed as though they are things and not people. The minute they have the vote, to the political parties – yes, even to Norman Lowell, Arlette Baldacchino and the rest of the vicious lot – they will immediately be rendered human.
Right now, the political parties and those who vote for those political parties have power over immigrants, but immigrants are completely powerless (unless they are from other EU member states). Giving immigrants the vote, at least in local council elections, will help redress the balance in part and force even the Labour Party to respect migrants.
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http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140613/local/migrants-should-vote-and-stand-in-local-elections-aditus.523218
Sure. Once they are naturalised.
Charles Mangion disagrees. He’s got a thing about cooking, hasn’t he?
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1388221068062851/
Charles Mangion
39 mins
Can you believe these fucking assholes the next thing they be running fir Prime Minister and Presedent job kick these fuckers out and with them all those NGO maybe they will cook them in a big pot and eat them while they are in Africa
If they are permanent residents then they should have the right to vote in local council elections.
I don’t agree. For obvious reasons. They are not Maltese, they came here illegally and integration didn’t work in Europe, so here is no exception.
[Daphne – 1. Non-Maltese citizens who are resident in Malta already have the right to vote in local council elections, but not general elections, if they citizens of other EU member states; it is registered residency that counts and not citizenship; 2. any immigrant who has freedom of movement in Malta and the right to work is by definition not illegal; illegals do not have and obviously cannot have ID cards which are a prerequisite for voting; 3. ethnic and religious diversity are facts of life and there are no avoiding them; the key is to learn through the mistakes of others given that we are starting so much later than they did.]
What I fear is that the Maltese immigration system is lax and is not distinguishing between illegal immigrants and refugees.
Refugees should be going to North Africa not Europe. What is happening here is an ethnic cleansing of Africa which is allowing India, China, the US and Europe to invest there without much interference.
Only the Africans can save Africa. But the continent needs an attitude adjustment – it has relied for far too long on aid, therefore people have become highly passive and developed a sense of entitlement which is destroying them. They should be all up in arms to fight injustices and dictatorship.
And how many can we afford in this tiny island?
If we kick the Maltese racists and xenophobes off this island, we’ll have more space.
I’m curious, eve, are you in favour of Joseph Muscat’s citizenship sale?
If we can afford 1.5 million tourists a year, then we can afford 4000 illegal immigrants too.
You can’t argue with the maths.
H.P. Baxxter, tourists bring wealth to the country. Illegal immigrants drain the wealth of the country.
What you said is like saying that since I can invite 50 guests to my house for a party I can surely afford to invite a thieve or a rapist too.
Stefan Vella, the racists and xenophobes will cease to be so if and once we are rid of all the immigrants.
@Baxter: as far as I know the tourists dont come here to take benefits, using our free health care and education and taking jobs. Moreover I would like to know your reaction having a group of males living next to you with all their different cultures. Mur ara x’ taghmel kieku kemm twerzaq li qed ibaxxulek il valur tal propjeta!
That’s exactly what I’m saying, Chris M.
Malta is tiny and overcrowded, and yet we seek to attract even more tourists, and congratulate ourselves on the 1.5 million tourists a year.
4000 is a mere fraction of 1.5 million.
Please make up your mind. Is Malta tiny for everyone or not?
Eve, been there, done that.
@Chris M Xenophobia is intrinsic, as is any other type of phobia. Agoraphobes do not cease to be so because they are indoors. What would you suggest there? Building up every available open space just so agoraphobes can relax and feel they’re normal? What would you do about the claustrophobes, then?
The solution to xenophobia is to deal with the xenophobe and not with the focus of the xenophobe’s fixation.
@Chris M Tourists do not all bring wealth to a country. Some create more damage and disturbance than they’re worth. Tourism may inject cash into an economy but it depletes resources in other ways. Tourists are more likely to overuse or waste our very expensively produced tap water, for instance.
4000 migrants create less pressure on our infrastructure than do 1.5 million tourists.
When you factor in the low wages paid to immigrants who work in agriculture, tourism, and general public maintenance, you could say that migration is actually useful for Malta’s tourism industry. But that is not the point, is it?
Here’s the bit that racists and xenophobes never bother with: Malta doesn’t cover most of the costs involved in immigration. Other European countries do.
So do I.
And Jus Soli for general elections.
The PN to shirk off its supposedly black image and come out in favour of the sense of order it always had.
An order which lifts everyone up from this cold watery soup of a place Muscat turned us into.
Tackle the real taboo
The North African question and its emancipation from Islamic fundamentalism. In the name of all those women who risk their lives to bear their child here.
Labour remains a local party, or privy to the ruling elite’s trafficking.
From Mintoff’s declaration sealing Labour’s fate to ‘third world country’, to the complicit plot to displace millions from Africa and colonise it with Sai Mizzi’s brethren.
It is of the right to tackle petty xenophobia.
Everything that was predicted by Norman Lowell is coming true. He has said in the past that sooner or later the illegal immigrants will start demanding all sorts of rights.
Now Aditus/Neil Falzon is saying that illegal immigrants should be allowed to vote. This is unbelievable.
No! They should not be given the right to vote. They came here illegally and should be grateful that they were rescued and given a roof over their heads, food and medical care.
Read the article better. It refers to migrant residents and makes no reference to illegal immigrants and voting rights.
The NGO’s can say all they like, but anybody who came to Malta from outside of Europe WITHOUT the required documentation and not through the proper channels hence illegally is an illegal immigrant.
Please enough with the politically correct rhetoric. Political correctness is calling something or someone something that they are not to make them sound better.
An illegal immigrant should never and will not ever get the right to vote for any elections. Any government, be they red or blue who would allow that will be committing political suicide.
@Chris M
People who have residency papers, or who have applied for or are granted humanitarian protection or asylum, are not in Malta illegally.
It may be news to you, but the proper channel for seeking asylum is to enter a safe haven with or without documentation and to then apply for asylum.
Political correctness has nothing to do with the matter. These are facts, but you can’t rely on Norman Lowell for that sort of information. The man is not right in the head, and nor are you if you can’t see that.
Neil Falzon and Aditus are talking about all non-EU migrants residing in Malta, not just illegal ones. That would include the 30,000 registered Russians (of which about 5000 are residents), the 5000 Serbians, the Libyans and the uncounted Chinese.
Where did you think the crowds came that greeted the Huangshan and Hengshan at the quayside with little red flags?
No one rails against them.
[Daphne – Neil Falzon and Aditus are not talking about illegal immigrants at all, H. P. Migrants who have an ID card and freedom of movement in Malta are by definition not illegal.]
I mean illegal as in having entered Maltese territory illegally. Yes, I know about the nuances of the law which kind of makes the entry legal once it is established that the person has the right to be on the territory, but I think it’s best not to be clear about it. Call them boat people if you will.
Blimey. Aditus have just pulled the liberal, progressive rug from under Muscat’s feet.
And Muscat will be after the African immigrant vote 2 years before the next general election. What does he care where his votes come from?
What a sorry nation we are.
From what I notice in demographic surveys, it is highly probable that all those clamouring against the integration of migrants in Malta are the direct descendents of those who were manifesting strongly for integration with Britain in 1956.
According to these people it was quite acceptable for our backward nation; here we are speaking of Malta in 1956, to expect to integrate with the UK. It was justifiable to ask for our own representation in the British Parliament with three seats in the House of Commons, something which the British were prepared to accept.
Now almost 60 years later we suddenly feel we have become a superior nation free to determine the lives of those poor souls who have the misfortune of landing on our shores.
We have come a long way since 1956; most of us wear shoes now.
From a hospitable nation we have become a hostile nation all because a small number of these migrants are bad apples.
Instead of integrating and ensuring that these people respect our laws and participate in our daily life including having a voice in our local elections we fill the social networks with words of hate that do nothing but make the divide even more unbearable.
Malta was a colony of Britain at the the time…these nice fellas dont come from a `Maltese` colony…most of Africa was colonised by the major european powers, who exploited their natural resources and stripped them bare…so let those countries ,like Italy, Britain , Spain , Holland etc …to carry the burden and do the honours …
We have problems with other foreigners besides those coming from Africa or is it the colour of the skin that is really bothering you?
I see you are one of those wearing shoes now, only you have them on the wrong foot.
The Maltese colonised Africa too, you know: Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt.
Learn your history.
The comments beneath that report in Times of Malta almost want to make me weep.
paul camilleri
perhaps we should also allow insects vote
frank mallia
sheer stupidity ,in a country of 440 000 people ;we have enough intereference from big brother e/u
And these are just two of them.
There were quite a number of non-Maltese voters in the European Parliament election. So eligible migrants should be given the right to vote in local council elections – not the EP elections because only EU citizens are eligible to vote in that.
What a paradox it will be – those same people who cannot stomach black people – and vociferous about it – will be befriending them to get their vote.
Perhaps once they have a vote they will become welcomed guests.
Illegal immigrants, criminals to be given voting rights?
The lunatics have taken over the asylum.
[Daphne – Not very bright are you. Any immigrant with an ID card and the right to live and work in Malta is by definition not illegal. As for criminals, let’s not go there, shall we? Cyrus Engerer might be upset.]