Now the Maltese in Australia are in revolt against Muscat’s sale of citizenship
Published:
January 21, 2014 at 9:14am
The Maltese in Australia (many of them have dual nationality) are in open revolt against the sale of Maltese citizenship. Just when the government thinks it can’t get any worse, a new battle front opens.
But we’re still going ahead. Because Joseph says so.
Even though he has absolutely no electoral mandate for what he is doing.
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http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140121/local/maltese-australians-campaign-against-citizenship-scheme.503510#.Ut4s1vs1gdU
http://www.maltarightnow.com/?module=news&at=Ta%26%23295%3Bwid+fl-ippjanar+ta'+laqg%26%23295%3Ba+tal-Kabinett+li+se+ssir+fil-Mellie%26%23295%3Ba&t=a&aid=99853671&cid=19
Well, if they want to launch a campaign, shouldn’t we try to do the same here and revolt?
Oh, and the comments beneath the article are already being filled with insults against the Australian-Maltese telling them not to interfere and blaming the previous administration for the ‘mess’ they left. Un-freaking-believable.
Debate from Parliament sitting on NET TV right now.
I found the link to yesterday’s parliamentary debate. I think it should be put in a separate post.
http://www.parlament.mt/filebank/audio/audiopublic/12thleg/Plenary/Plenary%20109%2020-01-2014%201800hrs.mp3
Read the inane comments to this news item and you come away scratching your head. Labour supporters calling Maltese born here and who migrated to Australia inferior citizens to Chinese billionaires that buy us chicken thieves with their small change. The minder got it wrong – he meant chicken brains.
Why aren’t the newspapers and the Opposition, for that matter, not driving home the argument about the non-existent electoral mandate on this Muscat-Mallia-Sale-of-Passports scheme? This is an important element which is not being given due importance. Dictators go about doing harm and introducing “surprises” because they find no real challenge. Muscat is doing precisely that.
“Demmu fuqna u fuq uliedna”, switchers.
Many comments under The Times article are just unbelievable and a clear reflection on the paucity of thinking skills of those supporting this shameful scheme.
Maltese-Australians did not BUY their Australian citizenship.
They got it by right, through their parentage or because they themselves were born in Malta of Maltese parents.
Australian citizenship, just like Canadian citizenship cannot be bought. The most that money can do for you, if you invest enough of it, in these countries is to get you a quick resident visa. Then, after (and only after) a specified period of residence in the country you will have the right as all other applicants to apply for citizenship of your ‘adopted’ country.
But some commentators in The Times are too thick to understand the difference. Those BUYING a Maltese passport will hardly consider Malta to be their ADOPTED country if there is no requirement to even set foot on the island.
Labour seems to think that we are all fools, who can’t see this scheme for what it really is – a money grab to make up for the lack of ideas on how to generate economic growth.
Mela bl-arroganza tal-push back qanqal is-sentiment ta’ xenofobija kontra l-immigranti. Issa bl-arroganza tal-bejgh tac-cittadinanza qanqal xenofobija ohra ta’ sentiment kontra Maltin hutna li marru jghixu barra. (araw kummenti tal-laburisti ghall-artiklu dwar din l-ahbar f’The Times of Malta).
http://www.google.com.mt/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=strait+street&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=f9cbmoOzK_HNDM&tbnid=dKBS5eWKp-NlLM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffineartamerica.com%2Ffeatured%2Fstrait-street-triq-id-dejqa-tony-calleja.html&ei=MjfeUqfgGKm-0QWGoIDwDg&psig=AFQjCNFmUO5l8UIF2C4Pk-pePah60B3opg&ust=1390381208172389
Malta spiccat qisa Strada Stretta fejn in-nisa kienu jitqahhbu ma nies li ma kienux jafu.
“Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad” (spoken by Prometheus in Longfellow’s poem The Masque of Pandora). Prior Latin version: Quem deus vult perdere, dementat prius (Boswell’s Johnson, 1783).
How did you disgusting nationalists manage to turn also the Maltese Australians against their dear homeland? Have you no shame? Why do you continue to betray our Malta like this?
Anyway, our dear PM will take respectful note of their petition and forge ahead irrespectively.
And now it’s the turn of Cyprus and Austria to tell Joseph Muscat that he is lieing when he compares the IIP to their citizenship schemes.
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-01-21/news/dont-compare-iip-with-our-schemes-austria-cyprus-3743973376/
What will the Muscatoffjani say next, that the PN been governing Cyprus and Austria since 9 March 2013?
correction: …that the PN has been governing….
I think our prime minister should be worried because he is cornered.
The only reason that he can put a price on our citizenship is because of our EU membership and all the investment that he is boasting about from China is because of our EU citizenship so if we are sanctioned in any way or if he decides to go out of the EU what happens then.
There is no Gaddafi now – maybe North Korea is his only chance.
Now is the time for all those whose wanted to be in to stand up to be counted not hide in shame.
Even though he has absolutely no electoral mandate for what he is doing.
This is the point that the PN should be stressing.
Mhux ovvju . Min ghandu ftit melh f’ mohhu hekk jahseb .
I’m already seeing the ToM/MaltaToday headline on this…
“Maltese-Australians campaign against IIP scheme, Cuschieri says PN is spreading its venom once again”
Zgur xewwxuhom in-Nazzjonalisti kontra Joseph.
… and the Labour elves on the comments board are condemning them because they consider them to be “foreign”. The irony is completely lost on them!
He said he does, have a mandate that is. The more he speaks the more garbled the logic.
What’s fascinating is how he’d love to go ballistic and defiant Mintoff style, followed by bouts of earnest syllogism to justify himself.
Call it consensual Mintoffianism, trying to keep the bipolar forces exploited during the electoral campaign together. Remember his monotone sermons, the ones even he didn’t understand?
Good on ya mates.
X’inhi l-opinjoni tal-Kunsill għall-Maltin li jgħixu Barra minn Malta li twaqqaf fis-sena 2011 permezz tal-Att XX 2011, appuntu biex iħares id-drittijiet tal-Maltin li jgħixu barra minn Malta?
Nikkwota mill-AttXX2011:
Fost il-funzjonijiet tal-Kunsill għandhom ikunu dawn li ġejjin:
(ċ) li jiżgura l-ħarsien effettiv tad-drittijiet tal-komunitajiet Maltin u tal-membri individwali tagħhom li jkunu jgħixu barra minn Malta
Barra minn hekk:
4. Il-Kunsill għandu jkun responsabbli li jagħti pariri lill-Ministru dwar:
(a) kull Abbozz ta’ Liġi mressaq fil-Kamra li direttament jew indirettament jolqot id-drittijiet, il-jeddijiet jew l-interessi tal-Maltin li jkunu jgħixu barra minn Malta;
Altru mill-ħafna kummenti bla sens li għaddejjin fuq it-Times of Malta fejn qed jgħidu lill-Maltin tal-Awstralja ma jindaħlux.
Dan l-att jagħti lill-Maltin KOLLHA li jgħixu barra minn Malta d-dritt li jsemmgħu leħinhom u jiġi mismugħ.
As of today I have started the process of applying for British citizenship. Thank you PM for this ingenious move of selling our citizenship and embarrassing us as a nation. Surprise, surprise the PL in government cannot be trusted with our children’s future and this is just the beginning unfortunately.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140121/local/ep-candidate-asks-how-criminals-can-apply-for-citizenship.503527#.Ut5ySNJwaKo
So basically the prime minister is suggesting that the EU citizenship should be sold in order to pay for some socialism in housing estates in Malta. I suppose that Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, the Minister of Social Affairs, will be using the money to repair soap holders, wash basins, toilet bowls and toilet roll holders in Housing Authority apartments.
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-01-21/news/citizenship-scheme-investment-will-be-enjoyed-by-the-maltese-3746004992/
Mega projects indeed.
Why is the President of Malta on an official visit to Austria?
Could it be to mitigate the damage done by his government which equated the Maltese IIP to the conferment of Austrian citizenship to foreigners?
The horrible , hateful Wistin Abela has finally kicked the bucket.
People my age growing up in Dom’s Golden Era remember the feared phrase; Gejjin il marmalja Zejtunija ta Wistin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY0WxgSXdEE
The world economic forum at Davos is discussing ways to reduce inequality in wealth distribution, Muscat with his citizenship scheme is fueling it.
http://edition.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/world/2014/01/20/intv-quest-davos-inequality.cnn.html
http://www.mepranking.eu/state.php?st=MT&order=name#ranking
Oh cheer up, everybody, and be positive. Two more months and we’ll all enjoy a good €30 discount on our utility bills.
An exercise in rhetoric :
http://www.parlament.mt/filebank/audio/audiopublic/12thleg/Plenary/Plenary%20109%2020-01-2014%201800hrs.mp3
I’m surprised that no one has yet commented on the supposed ‘benefits’ of the generation of a large sum of money by means of the citizenship for sale scheme.
Any time a government is managing a source of revenue, it is understood that there will almost always be mismanagement.
In most cases this is because of the government’s ability to control the market, or utilise public funds to subsidize itself, as well as lack of transparency. Barring issues with transparency, this isn’t the problem here.
In other cases, and this applies to Labour’s scheme (it is not Malta’s scheme, let’s be clear about that), it creates dependency on that revenue at the expense of other sectors such as investment in education, and the creation of employment, and a structure that facilitates the natural growth of the economy and the well-being of the population.
Dubai is an example of this dependency, with a high percentage of uneducated and unskilled locals who were wholly dependent on oil money, and are now feeling the crunch of a dwindling resource. In our case, the population and what defines us has become an involuntary source of revenue, and understandably this is what most of us are angered by. But what happens if Labour caps those 1,800 sales (supposing they do)? What next?
Muscat has so far stated that the bulk of the money will go towards local council projects, but ultimately these are still controlled by government agencies. Essentially local councils have very little say over what projects are carried out in their communities.
Doesn’t this give free reign to Muscat and Co. to control what gets done and what doesn’t and where? Aren’t there labour dominated local councils and nationalist dominated local councils? Isn’t this creating further problems of accountability, and grounds for discrimination?
In the last ten months we’ve seen what ‘Malta taghna llkoll’ really means, and nothing suggests that that will change in the future.
A last point, and this is with reference to the billion Euros obtained from the EU and the ‘convenient’ sum of a billion Euros Muscat intends to generate. How are these different?
If we really regard ourselves as being European, and being part of a European community, then the funds obtained from the EU are a reflection of our contribution to that community, and represent a real European community investment in us.
The funds are allocated to different areas of social and economic development, they are aimed at creating a solid enduring structure. Muscat rewards that trust in the most callous manner, taking something that is also theirs and cheapening it for HIS selfish benefit, and in a rabid rage decides to discard all advice and ‘Move on’. Just like a spoilt child – ‘Malta is my toy and if I want to break it I can’
http://english.sina.com/world/2014/0121/665444.html
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2014-01/22/c_133063522.htm
http://www.china.org.cn/world/Off_the_Wire/2014-01/22/content_31265940.htm
http://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2014/jan/21/china-british-virgin-islands-wealth-offshore-havens
Perhaps Malta will be more convenient ?
Daphne, this makes an interesting read: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-25823953. It provides some possible background as to why some Chinese may be seeking EU citizenship.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=663324733690286&set=a.143878302301601.19655.143877665634998&type=1&theater
He’s back.
http://www.maltarightnow.com/?module=news&at=Alfred+Sant+jiddefendi+lill%2DGvern+ta%27+Muscat+u+jinjora+wkoll+il%2DParlament+Ewropew&t=a&aid=99853713&cid=19
Serrah mohhok – il-fexxin xow u l-futbol tal-V18 ga gew organizzati:
‘Addressing a press conference this afternoon, foundation chairman Jason Micallef said the annual report highlighted participation in 50 cultural programmes organised by V18.
Mr Micallef said this year’s programme had also been finalised.
It includes a revamped Malta Fashion Week, to be held in the capital, a Valletta Green Consciousness Festival and a collaborative project with the Malta Football Association.
In the latter project, the foundation will help organise the under-17 UEFA football tournament at Ta’ Qali stadium later this year. Mr Micallef said the tournament had attracted broadcasting giants Eurosport.’ http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140122/local/thousands-involved-in-valletta-2018-foundation-projects.503664#.Ut_fucukqSO
this nonsense quick buck program must be stopped at once
“Let us rein in the media.”
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/national/PN-s-head-of-news-alleges-media-pressure-20140122
It goes without saying that the government has no right to stop independent news media from reporting stories of interest, especially if they regard “investment” in Malta and global “talent” coming to our shores. The government should have seen this coming: its Finance Minister said that there are no persons of “calibre” in Malta, so it is quite obvious that when one arrives at the Malta International Airport, this makes the headlines and the public would want to see what such person looks like.
If the media has the right to film poor African immigrants when they arrive in Malta in inhuman conditions on “rickety boats”, then, the media should have the right to film Chinese billionaires who come here on private jets to become benefactors of Joseph Muscat’s government.
Although the source of pressure is not stated, it is obvious that it was the Labour propaganda which started this.
Kindly send me your email address.
thanks
[Daphne – [email protected]]
The Italian accompanying the Chinese billionaire suggested in a demeaning manner that the Media.Link Communications journalists at the airport should go and steal chickens. With the sale of passports we’re giving the impression that we’re “morti di fame.” Shame on you, Mr. Prime Minister.