 | 
| 
 
|
|
 | | |
Are you afraid of Irregular Immigrants?
Results of 31st August 2006
There is no other issue that concerns the Maltese people more than the problem of irregular immigrants. Every week boats with 20, 30 or even more people of mainly African origin approach the Maltese islands. Some of them escape from wars or civil wars in their home countries, others try to leave the poverty behind them in search of a better life in Europe. When they arrive they often require medical treatment and vaccination besides food and clothes. And, of course, they also need a place to live. The camps where they are being kept are filling up more and more. Malta's capacities for refugees are reached, but the stream of incoming irregular immigrants doesn't want to stop. The issue of irregular immigrants is then being used by political groups which try to find scapegoats for all the problems of the society. It comes in handy that those poor people from Africa can't defend themselves. They are the ideal scapegoats. What do the Maltese people think about it? Does the Maltese public get in line with the right wing extremists and their reasoning, are the Maltese afraid of irregular immigrants?
Between 10th and 24th August 2006 around 400 people participated in this online poll. Thank you very much!
Here the details:
440 votes were cast in this poll.
Unfortunately, there were 27 people who voted more than one time. Thevotes of these 27 people had to be made invalid in order to obtain aresult which is more honest and true.
So the number of valid votes was 375.
Here the percentages that the various answers got:
Yes, because they can harm us physically: 4 votes = 1,07 %
Yes, because they steal our jobs: 9 votes = 2,40 %
Yes, because they cost us too much: 80 votes = 21,33 %
Yes, because of all the above points: 138 votes = 36,80 %
No! They need our help!: 144 votes = 38,40 %
INTERPRETATIONS: In total more than sixty per cent of the people are afraid of irregular immigrants. They follow the propaganda of the extremists and believe their argumentation. Just a bit more than one third of the people realise that these poor mainly African people require help in the first place. Showing charity as part of christianity is more important to them than being egoistic and using the irregular immigrants as scapegoats and to detract from more important issues.
The editor would like to point out, thatthis poll is not representative for the whole country. However, itgives a clear indication anyway.
The Problem of Irregular Immigrants concerns us all. It is important that we remain human by the solving of this problem. We must not follow the reasoning of extremists, which is just too simple and does not give the true picture of the situation.
|
| | |
|
