Abela’s new friends in Europe

Robert Abela has made it crystal clear in parliament he is serving the interests of the merchants of hate by messing with the European Convention on Human Rights once Malta gets the presidency of the Council of Europe this May. I am sure this will also go down well with his political base in Malta.

Although purportedly ‘Labour’ and of the left, the most vociferous of Labour’s base are, in fact, deeply conservative, far-right and pro-Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Abela, despite his longtime posturing as coming from a family of philanthropists and ‘Caritas’ volunteers, no less, is espousing the neo-fascist politics of hate.

Nothing new, former Labour prime minister Joseph Muscat had fanned the flames of racism some years ago, to the delight of far-right Labour supporters.

It is a well-known strategy of far-right governments and parties to tighten their grip over their country, its institutions and people by creating a false narrative of a looming threat. Selecting a group of people, usually the most vulnerable, be it because of their nationality, the way they found their way into the country, their ethnicity or their poor living conditions, and shifting blame for all sorts of ills on them.

Countries face challenges all the time, these situations require calm, rational and humane responses. However, the amoral among our so-called ‘leaders’ take the opportunity to consolidate their base by giving them what they want: empty nationalistic rhetoric and hate. This is what Abela is doing.

Abela tells us that the European Convention on Human Rights does not function properly in today’s world. Finalised in 1953, it worked in the aftermath of the huge upheaval and destruction of World War II.

It set down principles based on the dignity of each and every person, irrespective of colour, creed and nationality. Yet, Abela dismisses the efficacy of an international convention on human rights because of an imagined ‘threat’. He says that, in a crisis, the convention does not work.

It is precisely to ensure that human rights are respected by states during crises and challenges that we have a convention on the matter.

When everything is plain sailing, it is dead easy to pose as a champion of humanity and rights. However, when push comes to shove Abela panders to the hatemongers and shamefully allies his government, and, unfortunately, our country, with the likes of Giorgia Meloni, Matteo Salvini, Viktor Orbán, Geert Wilders and other right-wing populists in the EU and beyond. His Labour base seem delighted with their new friends.

Abela’s attack on the human rights convention is another chapter in the aftermath of his shameful collaboration with Libyan warlords and torturers. Italy’s Meloni went as far as using a state jet to fly a Libyan butcher and torturer back to Libya despite an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Abela, just like his new friends Meloni and Salvini in Italy, uses both subtle and not-so-subtle anti-immigrant rhetoric. It is also shameful that the PN and EPP’s partner party Forza Italia is part of Italy’s far-right government.

Robert Abela shamefully allies his government with the likes of Giorgia Meloni, Matteo Salvini, Viktor Orbán and Geert Wilders- Ralph Cassar

In Labour’s rhetoric, civil society groups rescuing people in the Mediterranean Sea are framed as ‘traffickers’.

Will Labour join Meloni in proposing a naval blockade to unlawfully push back boats carrying people fleeing persecution, rights abuses and hardship? Stories of pushbacks by the Maltese maritime squadron or the ignoring of distress calls are not new. Tonio Borg and Lawrence Gonzi had a go with Silvio Berlusconi some years back.

Remember Muscat’s pathetic show screaming and screeching “pushback” in 2013? Then, again, the Labour base was really amused. The cherry on the cake is Abela’s plan to emasculate the European Convention to make it legal for him and the Labour government to return migrants to Libya where it has been proven that they face arbitrary detention, torture and other abuses that, according to the United Nations, likely amount to crimes against humanity.

In the meantime, we will soon be seeing Abela and Labour politicians doing the rounds at exhibitions and cultural events about the Passion of Christ. They revel in these things because, according to their own posts on social media, it means that they are “close to the people”.

It is all a charade to keep their base and the “prosit king” and “prosit ministru” crowd happy.

Meanwhile, they keep a straight face while talking about ‘economic growth’ on the back of cheap labour and low wages. All while blaming ‘others’ for the challenges any country worth its salt tackles with humanity and respect for everyone.

Politicians should show leadership by explaining the issues and challenges we face, show leadership by acting with respect and humanity towards everyone, especially the oppressed and the vulnerable. Instead, Abela chooses the excuse of ‘neutrality’ to suck up to Trump and Putin when it comes to Ukraine.

He chooses to forget the Palestinians, abandoning a long-standing Maltese foreign policy stance. He chooses the cheap, dangerous and frankly fascist rhetoric and actions of Meloni, Orbán, Farage and Wilders. ‘Suldati tal-Azzar’ my foot. Labour has shed its mask, it is a party of amoral, small-minded politicians.

Ralph Cassar

Ralph Cassar is secretary general of ADPD – The Green Party.