The Nationalist Party will tomorrow file a judicial protect against the government and Henley and Partners over the citizenship scheme, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said today.
He said the purpose of the action would be to stress that applicants for Maltese passports must be told that the scheme was being investigated by the EU and challenged by the Nationalist Party.
"Those who apply for a Maltese passport must be told what they are going in for, and that their passport will be withdrawn by a future Nationalist government," Dr Busuttil said.
The applicants had to be told that their passports would only remain valid till the next general election.
He said the Opposition would also challenge the scheme in Parliament. This, he stressed, was the time for MPs of good will on the governemnt benches to speak up and stand up to be counted if they wanted to stop the harm that was being caused to Malta.
"We are ready to do it, but we need you too," Dr Busuttil said.
OPEN, INCLUSIVE PARTY
Dr Busuttil said the Nationalist Party would next week discuss changes to its statute and organisation to make it more open and inclusive.
The changes, he said, were being made as the party was rebuilt and as the government continued to show that it could not govern and it was disloyal to the people and the European Union.
In this, the fiftieth year of Malta's independence, the PNn needed to continue to show itself as the party of ideas, a party built on seriousness and integrity which was proud of Malta's identity and would defend it.
AD REACTION
In a reaction, Alternattiva Demokratika said Dr Busuttil’s insistence that a future PN government would revoke the citizenship acquired through the proposed scheme meant that a PN government would ride roughshod over human rights.
Alternattiva Demokratika Chairperson, Arnold Cassola said "The sale of Maltese and European citizenship scheme as proposed by Prime Minister Muscat is not acceptable as it is since it creates discrimination between rich and poor and could go against Article 4.3 of the European Treaties to which Malta is a signatory.”
“However, the threat by Simon Busuttil to revoke the acquired citizenship when and if in government is unacceptable. Acquired rights are not thrown into the dustbin.”
“The international reputation of our country, already severely damaged by Muscat's citizenship proposal, will plummet even further through Busuttil's threat. If no agreed compromise, compatible with international law, is found in the immediate future, the people of Malta should have the final decision on the proposed citizenship scheme through a referendum on the 24 of May”.