Opposition Leader Simon Busuttil said yesterday the government’s cash-for-citizenship scheme attacked the country’s dignity and European values.
Just days before the European Parliament debates the issue, Dr Busuttil lashed out at the scheme, saying it “is attacking our dignity as Maltese and our values as Europeans and what Europe stands for”.
Speaking at the Nationalist Party club in Xagħra, Dr Busuttil referred to comments made by Hannes Swoboda, president of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, who said the scheme undermined European values.
“What do you expect? This is coming from a government that never appreciated Europe and is comparing the money that will be generated from the scheme to EU funds,” Dr Busuttil said.
He reiterated that the PN was against the scheme on a point of principle: the Labour government was selling Maltese citizenship, which was something “that cannot be sold”.
Describing it as “a great offence”, Dr Busuttil said selling a country’s citizenship was tantamount to selling one’s homeland.
The legal notice on the scheme was “full of contradictions”. Although it mentioned a capping of 1,800, this only referred to primary applications because one could apply for citizenship for him/herself and then also for close family members and relatives.
“This means that the figure of 1,800 will turn into thousands of applications for citizenship,” he added.
The Opposition wanted to find an agreement on the issue and “made an effort”.
“Had the government been ready to turn it into an investment scheme, we would have been ready to agree.
“A number of changes were made to the first scheme but these do not address the problem – that you are selling citizenship,” he said.
The Opposition had tried to find consensus on the issue and was surprised to hear the Prime Minister say that the second version of the scheme, which the PN also disagreed with, had been issued following consultation with the social partners.
The PN met the partners to explain its position and “we found these were not consulted”.
Dr Busuttil said the constituted bodies were appealing to the government to reach consensus on the scheme.
Later in the day, Dr Busuttil told the regional committee of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development in Gozo that the government should stop the implementation of the legal notice bringing the scheme into force if it genuinelyplanned to consider changes proposed by the social partners.
The Labour government had been capable of winning the election but was not able to govern, Dr Busuttil charged.
Nine months after being elected, it still had not come up with a plan for job creation and kicked out the company that operated public transport out of “revenge”.
Dr Busuttil called on the government to publish the recently negotiated exit contract signed with Arriva, saying the Opposition would continue insisting on transparency.
The Labour Party said Dr Busuttil had become extreme and negative since he took over as Opposition Leader. He was opposing and resisting everything, even when such attitude damaged the country, it added.
Labour said Dr Busuttil failed to mention that other European countries already had similar programmes or that the UK was moving in that direction.