Malta will be celebrating its tenth anniversary of full EU membership in a couple of months’ time; 10 years which saw this country reach new heights which would have been unthinkable without forming part of this Union. I consider these years as being a success not only for us Maltese as a nation, but also for this “club” of 28 member states, following Croatia’s accession in 2013.

Naturally, this does not mean, or in any way imply, that certain matters cannot be dealt with better, or in a more expeditious manner. Nor does it mean that being the smallest club member is easy and does not denote tougher challenges at times. However, Malta has proven time and time again that it is not only perfectly capable of staying within this club, but it can also compete, collaborate and achieve at par with the other 27 member states.

Yet what we witnessed during the past days in the Strasbourg plenary was unprecedented. Following the hasty bulldozing exercise, synonymous with this government, in our national parliament to introduce the controversial cash-for-passports scheme, the international debate about the government’s intention to sell Maltese citizenship to anyone with a fat wallet reached new heights.

This time it wasn’t the NY Times or The Guardian. Nor was it the Financial Times. The European Parliament debated the Maltese government’s scheme to sell its passports, granting the eventual beneficiaries not only access to Malta and its market, but also access to the single market of the EU. A resolution was also put forward resulting in an astounding 90% majority of MEPs voting against this scheme. The reasons for doing so were given by MEPs coming from different political groupings, including Joseph Muscat endorsee Hannes Swoboda. The Opposition had already made most of these arguments locally, but we all know that the Labour government’s call Gvern li jisma’ was nothing but a cheesy slogan, and the legislation was brought into force without even considering the validity of arguments countering such a measure.

That was not all.

Commission Vice President Viviane Reding stated in an unequivocal manner that although citizenship matters are issues of national competence for every individual member state, citizenship should not be up for sale, as this goes directly against the spirit and objectives of the Union.

This was followed by yet another barrage of negative press from reputable international media houses, shedding more negative light on our country’s reputation.

Following such unfortunate happenings, rationality solicits an attempt to mend the severe bruising suffered.

But what we got was a stubborn nonchalant reaction from the Prime Minister. “We took note of the EP’s comments, but we’re moving ahead with the scheme.” MEPs David Casa and Roberta Metsola were labelled traitors for representing the massive opposition that this scheme was confronted with. The unpopularity of this scheme emerged also very clearly in every single opinion poll carried out locally and I commend fellow candidates David and Roberta for doing their job and safeguarding Malta’s interests and reputation in the European Parliament.

I encourage Muscat to stop and revisit his attempts during his days as an MEP to block substantial funding for Malta.  I am sure he recalls his steadfast attempts to block a €17 million project which today enables Malta to a waste treatment facility instead of a dump. How about that for a traitor? Opposing a national project from which the general public and the country at large would benefit, just to spite the then Nationalist government. But today the tables have turned and two weights, two measures have become the order of the day.

At this stage, I make yet another sincere appeal to the government. Stop this scheme instantly and consult all stakeholders, including the social partners and political parties to devise a scheme based on concrete investment, minimum residence in Malta in order to forge a real genuine link between a potential applicant and the country.

That is what is missing from the present scheme. That is what has caused all the attention and bad press. That is what significantly irks the European community.

Stop and listen!

Kevin Plumton is a Nationalist Party candidate for European Parliament election