A chara, - Trevor Troy (February 4th) is right that we need an "open and honest debate about immigration". While his apparent focus on refugees and asylum-seekers as well as Africans and Asians deals only partly with the breadth of current immigration, he correctly identifies a number of issues that merit discussion. It is also true that some people's fear of being branded racist is a constraint to proper dialogue.
However, his suggestion that the advocates of a multicultural Ireland are monopolising the debate is, at best, exaggerated. In the often superficial and polarised coverage of immigration-related matters, bad news stories are regularly covered. The single dominant figure on immigration-related issues in the media is undoubtedly the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, while in your own paper Kevin Myers has been one of a small number of regular and outspoken contributors on related matters. Neither could be said to be carrying the flame for multiculturalism.
A common experience of the Irish Refugee Council, which deals with asylum and refugee concerns rather than the full range of migration issues, is that potential discussions are cancelled frequently because a Government representative is unwilling to take part in the debate or because a contributor will not participate when faced with an opposing view. The reasonable position held by some key people in the debate that they cannot comment on individual cases has all but become a mantra justifying non-participation in essential dialogue.
The astonishing lack of transparency in many areas to do with immigration has meant that we have scarcely heard of developments such as the expulsion from Ireland of over 8,000 would-be immigrants in the past two years alone - none having had access to human rights monitors or legal assistance and many of them having been taken straight from their airport of arrival to a prison pending their removal from the State. In one such case brought to my attention a young man who arrived in Dublin on Christmas Eve to claim asylum was detained until expelled two days later having spent Christmas in an Irish prison. In another case, an infant not yet out of nappies was held in detention with both parents after their efforts to claim asylum as they set foot in the country were not accepted.
Debate will happen only when people of all views are encouraged to discuss their opinions in an informed and mutually respectful environment. This would mean that those who unreasonably shout "racism" would need to change their tune. It would equally demand that all those in positions of authority and responsibility on matters related to immigration would play their part in discussing the issues. The media would also have an important role to play in exploring, explaining and, where appropriate, challenging the realities of a changing Ireland.
Ultimately the debate is in everybody's interest. Let's have it! - Is mise,
PETER O'MAHONY, Chief Executive, Irish Refugee Council, Dublin 1.