Malta has long been losing out on its genuine citizenship and public domain as a result of the large-scale public land transfers in favour of local and foreign 'land grabbers' and as a result of our controversial 'golden passport' scheme, whereby suspect foreigners were enabled to buy Maltese citizenship under questionable circumstances, with advantages and benefits emanating therefrom.

What should serve as an eye-opener for the future is when we recall a number of policies and dealings that this and previous administrations adopted and undertook that have left an indelible and negative impact on our small country.

A negative impact in the sense that public land was given up by our authorities, not for sound economic reasons but purely for private profit. Remember the demolition of the Hilton Hotel only to be rebuilt into a bigger private project, the Portomaso, with a yacht marina as we know it today replacing a natural rocky coast, together with innumerable luxury apartments? A large tract of public land was eventually sold to private developers for a meagre €1.8 million, as a result of which they filled their pockets with millions of euros with the sale of layers of luxury apartments.

Remember the Tigné and Manoel Island development by the Midi consortium, which was another exercise involving public land handed to investors almost exclusively for real estate purposes, or the controversy surrounding Żonqor Point in Marsascala and the Dock One buildings in Cospicua to the Sadeen Group for the creation of a higher education institute?

Of course, it is very easy and convenient to argue and rebut one's concern by stating that any such transfers and dealings today have to be approved by Parliament. The fact remains that such transfers and concessions create environmental precariousness and social inequality, resulting in a lack of public space for enjoyment by the community. Furthermore, they increase the strain on aspects of public infrastructure such as roads and water.

It is not only in Malta that public land is being given away in a cheap manner to speculators but also, more worryingly, in its sister island of Gozo, which risks losing the gem that it once could boast of. In the offing might be further controversial and highly suspicious transfers and dealings with respect to the White Rocks complex in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq, Smart City at Kalkara, and other, till now publicly-enjoyed spots situated in prominent places around the country.

As outside interest increases and the government or markets make land available to prospecting investors, public land acquisitions may result in local people losing access to the resources on which they depend. To my mind, we do not have in place sufficient legal or procedural mechanisms to protect local rights and take account of local interests, livelihoods and welfare.

Even where legal requirements for community consultation are in place, implementation of these policies and processes to negotiate land access with communities remains unsatisfactory. Lack of transparency and checks and balances in contract negotiations creates a breeding ground for corruption and deals that do not maximise the public interest.

In another period, our recent 'Golden Passport' Scheme was facing an EU-generated rollback, thus showing its elusive shine, until, that is, it was struck down by the ECJ. Meant to introduce a new route for investors to receive citizenship after three years of residence, which could be reduced to one year on the basis of providing "exceptional services", the Scheme legitimately raised local eyebrows too. Let's face it, citizenship is one key element in all that it takes to make up what is Maltese.

Investment-based citizenship is often perceived as a new phenomenon. Yet obtaining legal status through wealth is not a historical novelty. The Romans, too, offered citizenship to men who could afford it, provided they also met other requirements such as residence, ethnicity, and military service. Things have changed since. But in Malta a financial contribution was all that was needed to secure the passport of a country running such a programme. What had caused this development, where it was possible to obtain citizenship in exchange for an investment, donation to the government, or real estate purchase, and why?

What and why have easy answers. They are found in the tempting opportunity for generating easy money that ostensibly would go on to help fill up the country's coffers. At least 5,300 were approved in Malta from the programme's launch in 2014 until 2024. Different concerns were raised in the context of good governance (such as corruption and money laundering) or the economy (such as skyrocketing real estate prices). The exact numbers of people who obtained citizenship through this scheme are supposed to be in the public domain, but reporting obligations are not clear at all, and public authorities are often slow or unwilling to provide the information.

So on whose laps should we lay part of the blame for all this mess that has given up and continues to give up most of the best parts of Malta to private local and foreign speculators and for the alienation and corruption of what was once a true, original, and national Maltese identity? Shouldn't it be on those of most of our seasoned politicians, whom I compare to stale air, necessitating to be replaced by fresh air?

Dr. Mark Said is a lawyer.