We have been discussing citizenship rights for many months now, and while we have discussed the rights and wrongs of inviting non-Maltese with no links to Malta other than a Maltese passport, we tend to forget there are other classes of people already living in Malta and that from being a mostly homogeneous country we have become, like so many others, a country with different layers of citizenship.

Some are considered less citizens than others, and the privileged few are more citizens than others.

I am not talking here about the asylum seekers – the boat people – those who often find themselves in Malta by accident, although as last week’s terrible evidence given by a witness in court of the incredible manner in which a bound prisoner was kicked and left bound after which he had a heart attack and died, there must be volumes to write and consciences to sensitise.

Nor am I writing about the many non-EU people living in Malta, although these too, especially people fleeing from wars in their homeland, have their stories to tell and injustices to rail against.

No, today I am writing about the EU nationals, who – in our pride as an EU member state – we claim to be our blood brothers, sharing the same rights we enjoy with the same freedom of movement and common rights as members of this one big continental block.

At the last count (according to TVM last week) there are some 1,400 of these. And yet, over the years, and mostly still, they are treated as second-class citizens even though they pay their taxes and meet their other responsibilities.

Up to just a few months ago, they were discriminated against on the buses. Many times, we must have seen drivers arguing with foreign passengers who complained that they were being made to pay a higher fare than the Maltese.

They just could not understand this, and neither can I. The driver would ask them, in pidgin English: “You Maltese?” and ask them for the Maltese (expired) ID card. If they spoke in English, most drivers charged them the higher rate.

I just cannot understand the reasoning that introduced this discrimination in the first place. Thankfully, this double system has now gone the way of Arriva – out of the window and this government must be thanked for this small mercy.

The second target of the small but determined ‘Up in ARMS’ group that has been fighting the rampant discrimination against EU nationals wanting to settle in Malta, was water and electricity charges.

Many people, especially newcomers, do not understand this: there is a Domestic rate and a Resident rate. And the Domestic rate is 35 per cent higher for electricity and 60 per cent higher for water – and these are just rough guesstimates.

Again, I cannot understand the reason why this was drawn up and why it was imposed.

It was done in a rather stealthy way: a Maltese National was only required to show an 'M' ID card when applying for utilities. The ‘real’ Maltese were billed according to the Resident rate. Those in possession of an ‘A’ (for Alien) card were billed the Domestic rate.

Now I do not know if these EU nationals have any weight electorally speaking, nor do I know how many of them bother to vote. The fact is, however, that this discrimination mattered in the eyes of this administration.

Here is the bulletin sent out by Patricia Graham, the chairwoman of the group, to members some weeks ago:

“At a meeting last night, 29th November, attended by

Minister Konrad Mizzi, Energy Minister

James Davis, CEO ARMS, 

Mathew Grech, Lawyer for ARMS 

Patricia Graham 'Up in ARMS' lobby group, 

“Mr James Davis announced that all consumers would be treated as Maltese nationals in order that there would be no differentiation in tariffs between Maltese nationals and other nationalities.

“The meeting came about as a result of ongoing efforts by the 'Up in ARMS' group to end the two-tier, higher Domestic tariff that many EU nationals were subjected to.

“Mr Davis said that a Maltese national was only required to show an 'M' ID card when applying for utilities which, like the 'A' ID card, was expired but extended, and in order to treat everyone in the same manner the 'A' ID card or the new e-res-card would now be accepted by ARMS.

“It was noted that children not in possession of the ID card would have to present birth certificates, which are already required for the new e-res-card.”

That’s super, but the rot has set in.

Ms Graham continues:

“The downside – and efforts will continue in this area – is that this decision will not help those tenants who are billed directly by their landlord and those whose landlords refuse to either register tenants or place the bills in the name of the tenant and it is up to this group to push forward with their goals to inform and educate anyone considering renting a property in Malta. Questions must be asked before signing a lease, as in: will the landlord agree to register tenants etc.”

She added:

“ARMS eventually placed an advert in the newspapers informing consumers of the above and also informing them that anyone resident in their primary residence could apply for the residential rate, by filling in Form H change in number of persons declaration.

“What ARMS didn’t place in the classified ad was that those tenants living in their primary residence being billed by their landlord would need their landlord’s permission to be placed on the residential rate. An absolutely ridiculous state of affairs, I am sure you will agree.’”

Ms Graham told me yesterday:

“What we currently have is landlords receiving a bill from ARMS for the consumption of electricity in a dwelling rented to a tenant at the domestic rate, knocking on the door and asking for payment, many times without a bill and very rarely is the tenant given a receipt.

“Now what has happened is that everyone is asking their landlord to endorse Form H and many are refusing, which means these tenants, which include Maltese nationals, are stuck paying the higher rate. We have many instances where the tenant has asked for Form H to be endorsed and they have been verbally abused and told if they ask again they can pack up and leave. Some tenants have been physically threatened because many landlords believe that by endorsing Form H they will somehow be found to not be paying tax on their rental income.

“I contacted 14 estate agents last week with a survey. Only one replied and in that reply it was glaringly obvious that they are so not up-to-date with this blatant discrimination and, indeed, are giving wrong information to prospective tenants. Part of the survey included members requesting to view properties but only properties where the residential rates were guaranteed. I think one person got a call back.

“The tenant is entitled to the residential rate, the tenant is entitled to have his bill for his consumption in his name. Maltese law states this, as does EU law.

“In any other country, you move into your new home, call the electric company, phone company, internet etc and arrange service, with a phone call. In Malta you need your landlord’s permission to get a non-discriminatory pricing tariff and what annoys me most is that governments before actually thought this was okay!”

As Ms Graham says, this double-whammy also includes some Maltese nationals among its victims, as I myself found out some years ago.

In that case, no amount of reporting anywhere achieved any results. Ultimately, we had to move – sorry, to flee. I am in no doubt that there is still the same massive amount of non-response today from the police (notwithstanding all those high-level promotions), Mepa and Enemalta or the WSC.

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