A government – in this case Labour – that listens to what people are saying and goes back to the negotiating table over an issue on which there is public outcry is not a weak government. It is a government that understands it has made a bad decision and is ready to accept that it can change things for the better.

The Labour administration could be accused of being too hasty and of rushing through with a law without proper consultation; that it should have accepted, in part or in full, amendments that were being proposed by the Nationalist Party and other quarters before passing the law and having the President sign it; and that it should have anticipated that a delicate matter such as citizenship – which is not a domestic matter, and which therefore has international repercussions – would have created ripples beyond our shores.

But now that the implementation of the law has been postponed at least until bi-party discussions have been held to search for a solution that is acceptable to one and all, it would be wrong to accuse the Labour government. We have had governments in the past that were too stubborn to back-track over matters that were clearly unwelcome. Now that this government has recognised that it should hold its horses before any more damage is done, it deserves credit.

Yes, it’s true that Malta’s reputation has been badly hit by all this, but on the other hand it is positive that the government stopped before ticking the last box – the legal notice that would turn the bill into law – and is sitting down with the Opposition to review the whole situation. It is much better to amend the law that was approved by Parliament before it is enacted, than to press ahead blindly and make the situation worse.

The two sides of the House have now started discussions on the way forward. I have only one recommendation in this respect – and this is that they remember that the national interest comes before the interests of the political parties involved. Both the Labour Party and the Nationalist Party often accuse each other of seeking to score political points to win a vote or two; this time they should make sure that the compromise that is reached, if it can be called that, is one that suits the nation as a whole and not either one of the parties. It should be Malta that wins, not the government or the Opposition. And if it is Malta that wins, then both the government and the Opposition will have won as well.

They will be judged on what they decide, and they should look at the situation in the long term, and not for any short-term political gain that might be achieved. If either party seeks to win the political argument at the expense of what is best for the country, then they may earn some immediate kudos but will eventually lose out.

The law, as it has been enacted, is not good at all. That Maltese citizenship is sold to anyone with a €650,000 cheque with no strings attached is tantamount to a sale of nationality. What is worse is that with that nationality, Malta would also be selling European Union membership, and easy access to the other 27 European Union states, and in particular those that signed the Schengen agreement to allow easier travelling between states.

The least that Malta should be asking for is some kind of commitment from those who would like to have a Maltese passport. Whether this commitment will be residency for a determined number of years or job-creating investment in Malta, or both, is up to the government and Opposition to decide. They cannot get it wrong again this time.

A due diligence exercise to establish the background of people applying for Maltese citizenship is not enough; those wanting to become “Maltese” in name through this kind of scheme must give our country more than a one-off €650,000 cheque.

There are other points that have to be considered in the discussions being held, and these involve the promotion of the scheme and the actual granting of citizenship. While in no way doubting the credentials of the company that has been entrusted by the government to take care of the scheme, it would make more sense to not have the same organisation responsible for both its promotion and for the recommendation of candidates for citizenship.

The due diligence exercise itself must also be revised to make it more serious than just the signing of an affidavit. It must be include a comprehensive search into the background of the people applying to join the scheme. The authorities ultimately responsible for giving the green light to any application must ensure that the credibility of the scheme is in place from day one. Just one wrong step, the acceptance of just one person who will then use a Maltese passport for some kind of illegal activity, will put Malta under the spotlight for the wrong reasons.

The government and the Opposition have a golden opportunity to show political maturity. We have had such occasions in the past, but many of them were lost because the parties sought the short-term gain. With the eyes of the world on us to see how we will resolve this delicate situation, we cannot afford to put a foot wrong.

In this respect, the government and the Opposition should put aside the accusations they levelled at each other when the scheme was being debated in Parliament and come up with a rock-solid agreement that will restore trust in our country.

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