In a tweet sent yesterday, our Auxiliary Bishop Mgr Charles Scicluna made an appeal to Maltese MPs: “Do we really need to put Malta’s citizenship on sale? Is citizenship a bond or commodity? What else is on sale?”

These are very legitimate questions as it is worrying that Maltese citizenship is up for grabs.

Under the present system, citizenship is granted to persons who are born over here or who have lived for a number of years over here. It seems that the cynic got it wrong. This is the system adopted (almost) all over Mother Earth. It is believed that as a result of being born in a country or living in it for some length of time one builds a relationship with that country which can even take the form of an emotional attachment.

People who have lived in Malta for a number of years but not for enough years to become citizens are offered the option to get a status of permanent residence. This gives one many rights but not the full citizenship rights. The people who apply for this status are being asked to follow a course and sit for an exam about Maltese culture, history, political system and related topics. It is reasonable that one should know something about a country whose citizenship one holds.

All this will now be thrown overboard. Maltese citizenship is currently up for grabs. There is no need for residency. There is no need for any kind of attachment to Malta. There is no need for knowing anything about this blessed country of ours. There is dire need for only one thing: a fat wallet.

We are being told that this scheme will bring to Malta the best brains in the world and those who are most connected. Wow. Those who believe this deserve to be stripped of their citizenship!

I propose just two comments.

First comment: If it is the best brains and the well-connected who will apply to buy one of our passports why are they ashamed to have their names published just like all the others who become citizens? So we now have a system whereby a common Joe is proud to have his name published in the Government Gazette because he became a Maltese citizen but the brainy and well-connected people that will buy a passport are so ashamed that they want to keep everything under wraps! Secrecy not transparency will be the order of the day. A reference to smelling rats is more appropriate than smelling coffee.

Second comment: As I just wrote, we are being told that the bright brains and the well-connected will apply. However the proposed legislation does not make any reference to grey matter. The proposed legislation does not ask for a high IQ. It just asks for a fat wallet. More rats, less coffee even in this respect.

The selling of Maltese passports and Maltese citizenship shows a crude capitalist mentality. It is in line with the belief that everything has a price but nothing has value. Consequently these are indeed worrying developments.

Bishop Scicluna is more than justified in asking: “What else is on sale?”