Ever since the surprise launch of the cash-for-passports scheme, and I say surprise because nowhere was it to be found the Labour Party's electoral manifesto, the PN has resiliently voiced strong opposition.
Readers are now well aware of what is wrong with this scheme. But to list them once more, it is a programme that hands out passports in exchange for cash. It creates no tie to the island through the lack of a residency requirement. And it creates a situation where we are handing out all the rights and privileges of being Maltese based solely on the recommendation of the one firm the labour Government, suspiciously, holds in great esteem and favour - a firm that stands to make a fortune peddling Maltese passports. And perhaps most significantly it gives the impression that we are, financially, in dire straits. Those poor Maltese hit rock bottom - look at what they have had to resort to... That is what international media ran with and that is what a potential investor will remember now and in the future.
I have really had enough of this Government's attempts at deceitfully manipulating the Maltese people through blatant lies. It is as though the Prime Minister's arrogance knows no bounds. First, the scheme is bulldozed through the Maltese Parliament, ignoring the concerns voiced and the amendments tabled by the Opposition.
When the international press got hold of this news item, making Malta the subject of ridicule, and polls were released showing that the Opposition was in line with the general sentiment of the Maltese people, Government decided that it 'listens' and entered into negotiations with the Opposition. I have two objections to this.
The first is that the forum for listening, discussion, debate, compromise and so on is the Maltese Parliament - that is when the Government should have listened.
The second critique results from the conclusion of this listening process that seems to have achieved absolutely nothing save the scrapping in the early days of the highly objectionable secrecy clause. We were told that all stakeholders were consulted and listened to - it then transpired they were not. We were not that local firms would be put on an equal footing with, suspiciously favoured, Henley and Partners - it then transpired they were not. And as far as improvements to this 'revamped scheme', that was the result of all this humble listening process goes, all that has changed is a mediocre increase in price and perhaps an extra paper or two that will require being filled in.
Indeed following negotiations with the Opposition and such talks coming to an end due to lack of agreement, the Government unveiled a 'new' scheme that changes absolutely nothing apart from adding the necessity of buying government bonds worth 150,000 euro and signing a five year lease agreement totalling 80,000 euro. Basically the only difference is that passport buyers must now fork out an additional 230,000 euro. There is still no need for them to so much as set foot on the island, except perhaps very briefly.
It is nonsense to suggest that other member states have similar practices. And this Government has more than antagonised our European colleagues through "odious" comparisons - to quote the Austrian diplomat interviewed in The Times. Those schemes do not peddle passports, they allow residency and perhaps in some cases subsequently award citizenship to individuals that have contributed to the country in question.
The recent proposal by the UK Government, offering the possibility of obtaining a UK visa is case in point. Following substantial investment, this scheme gives individuals the possibility of living in the UK, with the possibility of citizenship in the future. This makes some sense as what is being provided is residency in exchange for investment. It ensures that these individuals develop ties with the UK, invest in the UK, do business in the UK and create jobs in the UK. Only after all this will the country consider granting citizenship.
This Wednesday, the European Parliament will debate EU Citizenship for sale; a debate prompted by the launching of the Maltese scheme. I want to be very clear in this regard. Opposition for the scheme does not originate solely from the centre right, but from across the political spectrum. The request have a debate on this topic was made by the greens and the liberals as well as the EPP. It has now been recently announced that the debate will be followed by a vote on a resolution the next day.
And despite it all, this Government has the audacity and guile to label the PN unpatriotic, behaving in a way that tarnishes Malta's reputation and image. The longer this scheme is the place, the longer our reputation is dragged through the dirt and the more our standing with our European counterparts is undermined. The solution is far from elusive - at the very very least, tie the scheme to residency, and do it quickly before you cause further damage.