Prime Minister Joseph Muscat yesterday acknowledged that the controversial citizenship programme could have been handled better by the government, but he is still convinced it will be a big success.
He did not spell out where any mistakes had been made, saying that the decision to go back to the negotiating table to seek consensus with the Opposition was down to the government not being arrogant and wanting to listen to the people.
Dr Muscat’s admission came in the wake of the declarations made last week by Finance Minister Edward Scicluna, who told the European Parliament that Malta had rushed to enact the Individual Investor Programme, through which foreigners would be able to obtain a Maltese passport for €650,000.
Prof. Scicluna hinted the scheme could be set for an overhaul, saying that the government would be introducing a capping on the number of beneficiaries.
Interviewed yesterday morning on One Radio, Dr Muscat was optimistic that the government and Opposition could reach an agreement “as long as there is goodwill”.
He remarked that both sides had to shoulder their responsibilities, adding that the key would be to listen to the people, civil society and the constituted bodies.
“We believe that things could have been handled in a better way from our side but I personally believe that the programme will be a success,” said the Prime Minister.
He warned that it was totally unacceptable for politicians to use the foreign media as a platform to score political points as it would only serve to tarnish Malta’s reputation.
Dr Muscat added that during his time as Opposition leader he had on several occasions turned down requests to share his views on internal matters with the foreign media.
We believe that things could have been handled in a better way from our side
Touching on the issue of migration, Dr Muscat said that even though progress had been registered, as the EU has agreed on paper with various proposals put forward by Malta, this was not enough.
Welcoming the news that Malta’s financial allocation for the Internal Security Fund for External Borders and Visas had been augmented by €10 million, he said that money alone would not solve the problems.
Probed about the protest organised on Saturday by environmental groups, Dr Muscat said that the government was ready to take action not only against individuals but also the “big fish”.