The securitisation of Covid-19 in Malta

Abstract

The Covid-19 viral pandemic was a ‘black swan’ event par excellence. It provided the global community with the first existential threat of the 21st Century - and nobody saw it coming. The initial reaction of states was to seal borders and adopt a nationalistic approach to dealing with the pandemic. The issue was swiftly elevated to the level of high politics and national security through a process defined as securitisation. Malta was not spared this process and the securitisation of the Covid-19 virus led to the introduction of extraordinary measures to control viral transmission and minimise avoidable population mortality. Analysis of the literature revealed a potential gap, with no published studies on the securitisation process and its effects in Malta. This led to the formulation of the research question “What were the consequences of the securitisation of the Covid-19 pandemic in Malta?” A conceptual framework was created from the extant literature, drawing mainly on the Copenhagen, the Paris and the Welsh Schools’ interpretation of securitisation. The Prime Minister, Robert Abela, was identified as the primary actor securitising the Pandemic, as an agent of the state, with the Maltese public as a passive audience. The healthcare professions were secondary actors and securitisers, whilst the World Health Organisation acted as a norm entrepreneur. A clear period of securitisation was identified with the process of de-securitisation taking place rapidly and all extraordinary measures being rolled back, once the existential threat posed by Covid-19 had receded. The securitisation of Covid-19 in Malta followed a socially constructed interpretation whilst demonstrating clear realist tendencies, reflected in the reaction of the state when dealing with the security dilemma of balancing citizens’ wellbeing and the nation’s future economic viability. The consequences of the securitisation were illustrated in a restriction in human rights, a reduction in economic activity and an inequitable effect on vulnerable groups. It is proposed to draft a template for a transparent and legally enforceable instrument to be applied to future issues requiring securitisation, in order to pre-empt and mitigate the negative consequences of the process.