Opposition MP Clyde Puli told Parliament yesterday that the Government was presenting the “suicidal” sale of Maltese citizenship as an innovation and a saver of the economy.

This certainly was no worthy follow-up to the previous administration’s achievements in financial services, the pharmaceutical industry and others that had all generated millions of euros and created thousands of jobs.

In effect, the proposed sale of Maltese citizenship was only the niche for mediocrity, ambition and lack of skills and ideas, leading to the capricious prostitution of the country’s identity in desperation.

So much for Labour’s pre-election promise of a transition from pre-history to post-modernism.

Over and above the Opposition’s objections to the Citizenship Bill, most of the people were very concerned, but many Labour MPs were keeping silent.

Mr Puli said the Budget for next year had already given proof of the Government’s ambition to distribute wealth, but much less skill at creating wealth.

Proposing the sale of Maltese citizenship as a solution wrecked the platform for social solidarity.

The Government was visibly in a panic.

The much-vaunted roadmap did not really exist, but was only a wishlist.

Much-vaunted roadmap did not really exist

After having for so many years fought against EU membership because it would have cost Malta its identity and laid it prone to European invasion, it was Labour itself which was now proposing an insult to the national spirit.

Mr Puli said events were making him acknowledge that the PL had really changed, because it was now neither pro-labour nor nationalistic.

The creation of a committee to plan the commemoration of Malta’s 50 years of independence and 40 years as a republic constituted jarring contradictions.

Citizenship was not simply a legal treaty but much more.

It was priceless and bore value because it represented the nation, its people, their sentiments, values and history, traditions, identity, language and culture, all encompassed in the Maltese flag, which now risked becoming just a scrap of material.

Malta was not an exclusive society; it was ready to mix, but its citizenship was not open to cheap sale leading to colonisation.

Also contributing to the debate on behalf of the PN were Ryan Callus, Kristy Debono, Giovanna Debono, Tony Bezzina, George Pullicino, Ċensu Galea, Antoine Borg, Michael Gonzi, Albert Fenech and David Agius.

At the end of yesterday’s sitting, it was announced that the debate in second reading would end during a sitting tomorrow morning.

The committee stage, to be debated in the full Chamber, starts tomorrow afternoon at 4pm and ends at 7pm.