Partit Demokratiku, whilst acknowledging the much needed significant progress made in Civil Rights in Malta, has said that the basic human rights in certain sectors of Maltese society are not being protected.
"Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela recently said that children born in Malta to Eritrean parents will not be sent to Eritrea due to lack of documents in Eritrea. PD therefore asks: are these children stateless? If that is the case, then they should be given the citizenship of the country in which they were born, Malta".
Turning to the case of Malians awaiting deportation, the PD said that some have been in Malta for years, having worked here and become fully integrated into our society. "Whilst we acknowledge the authority's actions are within the law, PD asks; are people who have lived here for years - become law-abiding members of our society and have never caused trouble - better candidates for citizenship than some millionaire whose wealth is of dubious origin and has never lived here?"
"In light of this, the citizenship question has to be revisited. A person can live here for years, work legally, pay taxes, rent, pay national insurance contributions, satisfying all acceptable criteria, and yet may only be granted citizenship at the relevant Minister's discretion. Yet others, without any interest in our country and to only to gain a financial advantage, just need to pay a certain amount of money up front in order to be granted a Maltese passport".
The PD states that this system is "unjust and elitist" where those with money are treated differently than those without. "It must be revised so that all are treated equally. Only then will the fundamental human rights of all living here be safeguarded".