The Prime Minister was quite cocky in his Sunday speech especially as regards the citizenship bill.

He blasted the Leader of the Opposition for his stance, the Opposition as a whole and its MEPs for their declarations in the European Parliament and above all, he exhibited nonchalance as regards the outcome of the debate in the European Parliament later this week and the vote that is expected to be taken.

He claimed, and one is unsure if he was completely correct in this, that the European Parliament also has taken a stance with regards abortion but that does not apply to Malta.

It is clear, has been clear all through this controversy, that the IIR scheme is a national issue and does not go against the EU legislation.

But it is also true, and this is becoming even clearer on all levels, that the scheme as it has been presented in the various forms it has had over the past months, has raised and is raising widespread concern among the different groups inside the EP, even among the European Socialists, the allies of the governing party in Malta.

The metamorphosis of the proposal, as it has been kicked around since the first days, does not reflect well on the government. The prime minister himself has admitted the initial proposal should have avoided some pitfalls, although this was hindsight speaking. In particular, the secrecy issue rankled and provided much unwelcome public attention and adverse perceptions.

Since then, the government has had at least two other phases of consultation. First there was the consultation described as with social partners – only we later found out that the so-called representative of MHRA was there on a personal basis and that other social partners had not been invited to that phase.

Then there was the wide and proper consultation with MCESD last Friday. Even here it was claimed no one from the social partners spoke against the scheme, when there was, and is, widespread criticism of the scheme not just internationally but also in Malta.

Whatever, one is still hesitant to describe the real and final contours of the scheme. There is still the debate in the EP to come, and, even more importantly, the debate in the Maltese Parliament even though this has already passed the bill which was later signed into law by the President, just a few hours before the government signified it was retreating from the secrecy clause.

The prime minister and his party’s media are insisting all the time that this scheme can bring in a billion euros and those who oppose it want to make Malta lose this bonanza. There was also the underlying theme that compared this billion euros to the funds coming to Malta from the EU.

The comparison is a false one. If we are ready to do this to obtain one billion euros, why not do anything else that may get us two billion, whether by fair or by foul means?

The discussions between government and Opposition have led nowhere and any possibility of any agreement, even it was very fragile at the outset, is nor practically nil.

So far, the present administration has failed to explain, and persuade the country about the advisability and the advantages that such a scheme has for Malta.

On the other hand, other countries are trying, have long been trying, to attract people with means/ideas/investments to relocate to their countries. The difference is that Malta offered not just residence but also citizenship, thinking and assuming that this could be the clincher, what gets people to Malta as against their going elsewhere.

By allowing its stance to harden in the face of so much opposition, and by going ahead with the scheme regardless of criticism, the government risks moving out on the branch and far from the tree trunk, with none of its usual supporters backing it.