The IIP programme first became public back in June 2013 when the then Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and then parliamentary secretary for Competitiveness and Economic Growth Edward Zammit Lewis heralded, with much fanfare, what should have been one of “fresh” Labour’s few, indeed at the time only, “visionary” initiative to attract investment towards our country.

I was not yet into politics back then. But I had instinctively, and immediately, reacted forcefully against it. Not only privately or as a professional with a vested interest in the corporate service industry but indeed publicly. As an ordinary Maltese citizen. As a patriot. As a true Nationalist.

At the time when the first version of the scheme came out I had written highlighting the obscenities of:

1.       the secretive component of the law;   

2.       the exclusivity of the scheme in favour of the dodgy Henley & Partners as if they had some divine right on our sovereignty  (the inexplicable fact that as an investment scheme there was absolutely no investment required was a further perplexity); and

3.       the lack of true and veritable link with our country and therefore the hypocrisy of declaring that applicants where buona fide or indeed factually residents in Malta, when very evidently they would not have been so at all.

But above all and in principle I could never accept that as a sovereign state we would even start to conceive that we would sell our citizenship. Not bestow on those befitting, but outright selling it. Not for a fair price, not for plenty of money, not for a fortune… Ever!

Hence, I had been quick, if not the first, to call out Joseph Muscat as a salesman not a statesman.

As a Nationalist it was, is, and shall always remain, inconceivable to me that nationhood is a currency. That government can render our sovereignty into a product. That politicians could or ever should sell our passports*, which by legal definition, even in cases where citizenship is acquired through birth or naturalization at all times indeed remain property of the State.

I had taken this to heart and at the time had even taken to the streets to collect thousands, literally thousands of signatures in an effort to convince government that this law is not on. That this would hurt our country. That this is bad for Malta.

Government baulked and amended the law to accommodate at least the fundamental principles which would have been breached but persevered in passing the law.

When subsequently I had the privilege to serve my country as leader of the Opposition I had not only declared that the PN is against passport sales but called for first the suspension of the scheme, because a scheme it was and not a programme, soon after for its total abolition. Sadly government persisted and unable to inventively create new and innovative niches to attract clean and real investment soon enough became dependent on the funds deriving therefrom.

Today we are witnessing the fruits of this diabolical creation.

We must again be bold.

Not only criticizing where the scheme went wrong.

Not labouring to find ourselves justifiable ways how to spend the funds deriving therefrom as if dirty money can ever be laundered clean.

But declaring where we stand.

Against passport sales.

Against transacting our sovereignty for pecuniary gain.

Against the sale of nationhood.

As nationalists we cannot be otherwise.

As Maltese we should be proud to regain our dignity.

 

Adrian Delia is a Nationalist MP and a former Opposition leader