By Josanne Cassar

Copyright maltatoday

To date, five countries have announced they will be boycotting the Eurovision if Israel takes part: the Netherlands, Iceland, Ireland, Spain and Slovenia.

Spain’s withdrawal is significant since it is one of the Big Five which contributes financially to the concert.

“As joint organisers of the Eurovision song contest, we share a collective responsibility,” said the head of the state’s broadcasting station. “While Israel has regularly participated in the competition, the current events and the genocide currently taking place make it impossible for us to look the other way.”

But why am I not surprised that Culture Minister Owen Bonnici immediately poured cold water on any suggestion that Malta would do the same?

“I believe the Eurovision is a place of dialogue,” the minister was reported as saying. “Although I completely criticise the actions of the Israeli government, I believe that the window of dialogue should always be open.” He said he believes cultural spaces can be used to foster greater understanding. “I think that culture should be that one safe space where dialogue can always occur,” he said.

All I can say is that if all that were needed for Israel to stop the genocide in Gaza is a flamboyant song festival, then everyone has been going about it all wrong. Who needs dignitaries, peace talks and negotiations when singers in sequins and plunging necklines with back up dancers in tight, dazzling outfits could do the trick?

But, of course, rather than doing the right thing and taking a stand (which would require a bit of spine), Malta will go ahead and take part. Perhaps the government is seeing this as its one and only chance to win the damn thing, if other countries keep dropping out. I wonder, however, whether any Maltese singers will feel that it is wrong to participate in this contest and share the stage with Israel, or will they too reason that, the Eurovision is “a safe space for dialogue”.

It was gratifying to see Opposition MP Julie Zahra (herself a former Eurovision contestant) make a firm statement saying that she feels Malta should not take part. We need to see more of this from politicians—no hemming and hawing, and trying to please everyone, but sticking your neck out for what you believe in.

However, I was assuming that the general public would not agree with her, and I could already imagine the roar of outrage from some quarters at the very idea of skipping it.

But maybe I have underestimated how strong the national sentiment is about what is happening in Gaza. The Times of Malta is running a poll on whether we should boycott or not and at the time of writing, 640 people had voted. 75% said yes, 23% said no and 2% were undecided. Perhaps the culture minister should have gauged the zeitgeist first, and not have been so quick to speak for the entire nation on this matter.

Taking a stand…with the weak

It seems to be pretty easy to round up those who are living here illegally; in fact it is probably the easiest job in the world to stop people who are TCN and demand their documentation, because, et’s be frank, it is simple racial profiling. The headlines may look nice and are pacifying the frustrated public somewhat, but are the authorities really getting to the root of the problem?

Let’s start with the obvious. Many end up being ‘illegal’ because they have lost their job and have not managed to find another one within the stipulated timeframe. Or they have changed jobs but the change of employer and renewal of documents takes months so they are living in a precarious limbo, trying to stay under the radar until the bureaucracy is sorted. Without a fixed job and no money saved, they might also find themselves homeless. Yet the missing link in this chain continues to be ignored—why aren’t the employers who bring these workers to Malta not being held accountable?

The people at the top of the foreign workforce totem pole are certainly not the lowly employees; it is the people employing them, the agencies who recruit them, and the very authorities who have created this whole situation. So, while there is no question that everyone who is here should be here legally, it is extremely unjust that those who suffer the brunt of the punishment are those who are the most vulnerable. By and large, especially in certain sectors, foreign workers are at the mercy of those who employ them—the power is all in their hands. They can be fired on a whim, with a flick of a finger, without justification and many of the workers will just meekly accept it. Unless they are guided properly, those who are TCN will have no clue that they have rights, that they can go to DIER and file a complaint, and that they must be paid everything that is owed to them. Living in a foreign country where they are being faced by an ever increasing wave of resentment and hostility, it is little wonder that many just keep their heads down and accept what should be unacceptable.

So let us start making everyone who is responsible face the music and that starts with any employer who employs TCNs. Those who are abusing the system should not be allowed to keep discarding these people once they arrive here, and the onus should be on them to ensure that they have everything in order. Let’s stop treating this workforce which is propping up the whole economy as dispensable, expendable and disposable—they are human beings who are trying to support their families too.

It’s not just a matter of issuing fines to abusive employers. I would close down their business entirely. We cannot open the floodgates, close an eye to illegal employment when it suits us and then come down like a tonne of bricks on desperate people for cheap publicity, while the real culprits keep repeating the same behaviour over and over again.