As Moroccan Harmony Ruptures Ratali Faces His 'Calvary'

Ratali Recalls: Final Part

The GBC Viewpoint programme dealing with the Moroccan ‘question' highlighted the results of a street poll which showed clearly that the Moroccan community as being highly regarded by the people of Gibraltar. And Ratali was bluntly outspoken about this relationship.

"Moroccans have never been discriminated against by the Gibraltarians," he said on the programme - and reaffirms today.  "It is only the Government who denies us our rights." 

Mesloul concurred with everything Ratali was saying, which prompted the GBC host to suggest that, as the two Moroccan associations agreed on the issues that were prejudicial to the Moroccan community, they should unite forces to tackle the matter. 

Ratali replied that he had tried to do this with Sasri, the MWA President, many times and was still willing to do so if the MWA agreed.  He added that he would "work elbow to elbow with them".  The host urged Mesloul to take up the offer, and Ratali was hopeful, seeing in this a great opportunity for unity in the Moroccan community. 

"It was a great step to resist openly and boldly Caruana's strategy of divide and conquers," he says. And he was so pleased that Mesloul had backed the arguments he'd put forward that he stood up and, offering him his hand, said "some will not be able to do this, for whatever reason, but I extend my hand in friendship to you Mesloul."

They shook hands. 

Unexpected Accord

The accord reached in the television studio was so extraordinary, so unexpected that it prompted the GBC host to ask Mesloul if this was sincere on his part, or whether it was just a shake of hands to be forgotten once the programme was over, Ratali recalls. 

Mesloul reiterated his sincerity, adding that Ratali should call him the following day to arrange a date for a formal meeting. 

"I left the television studio with a tremendous feeling of hope", Ratali says.  The programme had been tape recorded for translation into Arabic.  And when it was replayed with the translations many of the Moroccans watching it wept - so pleased and grateful were they for that reconciliation, Ratali recalls.

The day after the GBC programme he called Mesloul as had been agreed, and a meeting was arranged for the following Friday when a phone call from Mesloul would confirm it was to take place.  The phone call never came, says Ratali. But on the following Monday Ratali called Mesloul and made arrangements for the meeting, at which - apart from the presidents of the two associations and two committee members - there would also be present independent observers, which Ratali requested.  The MCA chose Felix Alvarez and MWA decided on Jose Netto and the venue was to be the Caleta Palace. However, on the day of the meeting, Sasri said Jose Netto could not make it, claims Ratali.

Ratali opened the meeting saying "Let the past be buried here."

But Sasri replied that to talk of the future the past had to be spoken of.

"What Sasri had made a point of stressing," says Ratali, "was very important to him.  He wanted his name exonerated from having been called a Government stooge."

The meeting degenerated into a harsh crescendo of voices speaking in Arabic, leaving Felix Alvarez at a loss.  But, wanting a fruitful outcome, Alvarez said that as long as some progress was made, it did not matter what language the meeting was conducted in..  It lasted three hours...but nothing was achieved.  Ratali had hardly spoken, and he put an end to the meeting by saying "Today we are getting nowhere. Are we going to meet again? If we are, let's do so with something concrete."

Each side put forward an agenda for the next meeting, in which Ratali wanted the TGWU involved.

Lack of Moroccan Rights

Everyone at the meeting agreed that the issue was the lack of Moroccan rights in Gibraltar.  Sasri stressed that only through dialogue would he take part in this - that is, there was to be no demonstration.

"Everyone knew what Sasri's stand with the Government was," says Ratali.

And nothing of what was taking place was to be made public. 

At that stage Ratali had become unemployed for a third time, when he was made redundant while working at the Rock Hotel. And though he later found employment at the Waterfront restaurant, when he took his work contract to the ETB it was the start of prolonged "hardship".

Work Contracts

Ratali had always dealt with Gibraltarians when dealing with work contracts at the ETB.  On this occasion however it was to be Azidin Mesloul who, according to Ratali, is the only Moroccan working for a Government clerical department. 

"Mesloul was very cordial," he says. "I handed him the contract and my passport, as was the norm for the documents to be photocopied.  But on this occasion it was not to be as it had been on previous occasions.  Instead of having the photocopies done on the copier that stood a couple of metres away from him, Mesloul took them to a room at the back of the office.

"At the time l did not give this ‘strange affair' much importance," Ratali says.  "But it became stranger.  Mesloul returned, saying that I was to call back in three days time as the ‘boss' was not there to sign the work permit." 

When the three days were up, Ratali returned to the ETB and was told that he had to go to the Immigration Department.

"And that is where my Calvary began," Ratali says sombrely.  At the Immigration Department he was told that he was an illegal immigrant and when Ratali disbelievingly questioned this, he was told that the Government had denied him the work permit. 

"It was such a shock that I was assailed by outright confusion," he says.  "I was accustomed to dealing with, and largely solving, the problems of others, but now that it was my own problem, I felt helpless," he adds. "However, I did not seek help from the Union: there would be no help coming from that quarter."

He went to see the MCA lawyer Stephen Bossino and was also advised to approach Opposition leader Joe Bosssano.  Bosssano phoned the Department of Labour and also spoke to Joe Holliday who was acting Chief Minister.  The Department of Labour reply to Bossano's enquiries was that they were acting under Government orders.  Holliday's reply was that the matter would have to wait until Caruana returned to Gibraltar - but that there was nothing to worry about, Ratali says.

"For the next three weeks nothing happened.  Bossano tried his best so that I would not lose the job and called the restaurant owner who assured him that the job was reserved for me." 

Stopped at the Frontier

But by now Ratali had become very wary and suspicious of everything in which Government could play a part.  So much so, that he went to Bossano's office to find out what would happen if he were to be stopped at the frontier from coming into Gibraltar.  Bossano assured him that that would be impossible since he had a waiver in his passport and a job offer.

During those three weeks there were phone discussions about Ratali's situation between Bossano, Bossino, and the restaurant owner.  But by then Ratali suspected  that he had sealed his own fate with that hand shake in front of the television cameras.

"Caruana was not going to allow Sasri being removed from his side," Ratali claims emphatically. "However much the others were doing to help, my future looked bleak."

Although Ratali had been in and out of the frontier almost daily for 20 years, one Saturday morning driving into Gibraltar he was stopped by an Immigration officer who asked for his passport which he took away, returning later with another officer who informed Ratali that a representative of the Immigration Department would be coming to deal with the matter. 

Ten minutes later, says Ratali, a plain clothes policeman arrived and told him that he had been ordered to deal with the matter. 

"He said I have been given instructions to cancel your waiver,'" Ratali says.  "When I questioned this, no reply was given and I phoned Bossano on my mobile - who then asked to speak to the policeman on the mobile. But it turned out that being a weekend nothing could be done until Monday when Bossano could approach the Governor.  "All part of the Government's machinations," Ratali nods expressively. "They chose the day on which to so this." 

Crestfallen, he returned to Spain where his wife told him: "Forget Gibraltar, make your life here."  He thought about the logic of her words, but he was not ready to follow her advice until he had received a reply to the letter he had written the Governor.  When the reply came, the Governor told Ratali that he could not interfere in Gibraltar's internal politics. 

Charles Sisarello had recently been elected Branch Officer.  He organised a demonstration in support of Ratali's plight.  Sisarello said that it appeared to be politically motivated and that the press statements issued by Governments only served to confuse the public.  "The truth of the matter it seems is that Bro Ratali is the outspoken president of the MCA, who the Gibraltar Government does not recognise, despite being a legal bona fide association." 

Discriminated

And Sisarello asked: "How can Government consider and treat Mr Ratali as a new ‘immigrant' when he has worked in Gibraltar for more than 20 years."  And he added that "Moroccan nationals are discriminated and treated as second class citizens.  We can confirm to Government that this Union will fight to eradicate this scandalous situation as part of our policy of equality of rights."  

Only about 200 protestors took part in the demonstration after the MWA pulled out, explaining they had sought and been given Government's assurance on the Ratali case.  "In view of this, it would resist and reject any possible attempt by another entity to manipulate the MWA for their own particular interest, and consequently would not take part in the demo." 

A few weeks after Ratali had signed on as unemployed in Spain, he was offered by that department a job as chef in a tourist complex in Vejer De La Frontera earning 2600 euros a month plus the perks that came with it.  He was provided with board for himself and his wife and worked there for the next two years.

"I was very fortunate," he says. "The opportunity allowed me to save up some money which, with a little I had already put aside, was enough to afford me this little but pleasant restaurant."