This was the Nationalist Party’s statement last Tuesday – the message needs to be repeated down the line
Il-Partit Nazzjonalista jawgura li jintlaħaq kunsens nazzjonali dwar il-liġi taċ-ċittadinanza
It-Tlieta, 19 ta’ Novembru 2013
Wara l-kummenti tal-Prim Ministru fil-Parlament b’reazzjoni għall-appell tal-Kap tal-Oppożizzjoni Simon Busuttil biex jintlaħaq kunsens nazzjonali dwar il-liġi taċ-ċittadinanza, il-Partit Nazzjonalista jistqarr id-disponibbiltà tiegħu sabiex dan iseħħ matul il-jiem li ġejjin.
Il-Partit Nazzjonalista mill-ġdid itenni li l-Oppożizzjoni hija lesta li tiddiskuti bidliet fil-liġi dwar iċ-ċittadinanza sakemm il-bidliet proposti ma jinvolvux l-bejgħ taċ-ċittadinanza iżda jkunu marbuta ma’ impenn biex isir investiment reali li joħloq ix-xogħol u perjodu ta’ residenza f’pajjiżna.
Il-Partit Nazzjonalista jawgura li fid-diskussjonijiet bejn iż-żewġ naħat jirbaħ is-sens komun u l-interess nazzjonali filwaqt li dejjem tkun rispettata r-rieda tal-poplu Malti u Għawdxi.
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Loud and clear
Very few people know that last Tuesday the Prime Minister called Dr Simon Busuttil to his office in an attempt to try to reach a consensus with the Opposition.
This is definitely significant given that a few days before, the government bulldozed its way forcefully over the Opposition. It did not even accept one single amendment presented by the Opposition with Minister Mallia constantly insulting and belittling Busuttil.
After the bad publicity Malta received in the media across the world, Muscat went into panic mode and last Tuesday he was quick to invite the Opposition leader to his office for talks. The meeting took place in the Prime Minister’s Office in Parliament and lasted well beyond midnight.
Message received very loud and extremely clear … only those who want to be ignorant will understand differently.
Oh, really? Muscat is not to be trusted, is he? http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20131122/local/pm-promotes-maltas-citizenship-scheme-in-miami.495843#.Uo-ZtBRwbIU
So Muscat got on that stage and continued the same spiel about talent, bla bla bla
It is now all about saving face – for the PM I’m afraid not the country. He’s destroyed our reputation overnight, one that was built up solidly over the decades, and with one hair-brained scheme he wrecked it all.
Now he is trying to get out of this without egg on his own face – screw the country. So he is rushing through discussions with the Opposition on a subject as delicate and complex as citizenship.
If he was a man and honest about doing what is good for the country, he himself would request Parliament to revoke that law. Like that the pressure would be off and this matter can be discussed properly and given the time that it deserves.
By rushing through the discussions the risk that we will end up with a scheme fraught with problems is really high.
But he will not do that will he. Now they, the Opposition included, have to somehow try to fudge it, to make the scheme one which is more appropriate and that fits within the law that Muscat and Mallia insisted on enacting.
I hope they haven’t paid Henleys any consultancy fees. Whatever consultation they gave, they really got it wrong (again). To claim that they tried to convince the Government to make it a programme linked to investment is bollocks. They certainly didn’t try hard enough did they and pirates that they are they went along with it? I guess birds of a feather and all that.
The Labour elves believe that it’s as though Malta is striking oil from the revenue generated. But Eur 30 million is not country-altering money. They seem to forget the 1 billion euros (1000 million ) Malta benefited from the EU in the past seven years, and another 1 billion in the next seven.
Besides the fact that the sale of citizenship must not be permitted, the second point to be made clear by the Opposition is that the changes must be reflected in the body of the law itself, including the changes about secrecy.
The stupid idea that changes can be made to the regulations instead should be immediately dismissed.
Oh, this means that the government’s humiliation about this betrayal of the nation must be well documented in the Parliamentary debates.
The Nationalist Party has always had vision, ensuring that it has been on the right side of history. The Labour government would do well to heed the Opposition’s advice, even at this late hour. Much harm is done but the day might yet be saved.
On a related subject.
So far, I have not heard a word about the National Development Fund, which, based on the Citizenship Act amendments as approved, should be that fund which will collect proceeds from the sale of citizenship.
Considering that the government has approved the sale of citizenship (even though it has later implied that the scheme is now suspended):
Has a law setting up the fund been enacted?
Has the government appointed a board to run such National Development Fund?
Are there rules and regulations on how this fund will invest its money?
Is there a business plan and a budget for the fund? Has such plan and budget been discussed in Parliament?
Id-diskussjonijiet li qed isiru huma aljenazzjoni u hela ta’ zmien. Muscat diga iddecida li l-ligi kif ghaddiet ser tibqa’:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20131122/local/pm-promotes-maltas-citizenship-scheme-in-miami.495843#.Uo-uq9K1xNd
“He (Prime Minister) said that now that the law had been approved by Parliament, another possibility for political consensus was being given before the publication of regulations.”
Bdejna niccaqalqu.
The statement issued by the PN on Tuesday 19 November 2013 states unequivocally that it is ready to discuss changes to the law regarding the citizenship scheme as long as this scheme does not involve the selling of the said citizenship but is tied to investment which creates jobs and residency in Malta.
This stance is a must as it is a reflection of the mindset of all right-thinking citizens and a shield against this heinous affront.
Consequently, the PN should – no, must – insist that this condition is irreversible and no amount of concessions by the PL will make it budge from its decision. Beware the cornered rat.
Prima facie it looks good.
However the PN has the interests of the country at heart while they are dealing with people who would sell their motherland for money anytime. Mhux xorta.
Mintoff wanted to do it during the integration debacle.
Mintoff tried it again in 1979 and then pretended to throw the British out because they refused to play ball, that is pay money and utilise Malta.
Now, the stakes are even higher and more ominous for the country.
If no agreement between the parties is reached it will be no big disaster for the PN.
The pimp will have to carry his Malta For Sale obscenity like the dead albatross around his neck for ever (The Rime of the Ancient Mariner).
” filwaqt li dejjem tkun rispettata r-rieda tal-poplu Malti u Għawdxi.”
That’s scares the hell out of me considering that the majority of the Maltese are illiterare or almost. Norman Lowell was right in describing this “id-demokrazija taz-Zeza ta’ Bubaqra”. How can one put the country’s future into the hands of such people?
Really it’s not that complicated. The underlying principle should always be that citizenship can be EARNED but should never be bought. To my mind, it is as simple as that.
The very rigorous due diligence process does allow for an IIP applicant to swear an affidavit stating that they have a clean criminal record (they have been a good boy or girl) if they cannot produce a police conduct certificate from the country of origin.
May we stop this blasted nonsense of saying “poplu Malti u Ghawdxi”? We’re from Malta, therefore we’re Maltese.
Has anyone ever heard the French president say “the French and Corsican and the Domains and the Territories’ peoples”? What utter balderdash.
Or the “Italians and the Sardinians and the Sicilians and the Pantellerians and the Lampedusians and the Caprisians and the Campion Italians and the outer Islanders”?
It’s Malta and the inhabitants are called Maltese.
Stop feeling so damned bloody inferior.
At least there is somewhere else that is as ridiculous as Malta. Buying citizenship with Paypal.
http://www.atlantium.org/citizenship.html
http://www.independent.com.mt/mobile/2013-11-22/news/malta-wants-to-attract-the-best-talent-pm-in-miami-3268411392/
Our Prime Minister is still insisting on attracting ‘talent’ by having people pay Eur 650,000 for a passport, in spite of all the lambasting he received locally and internationally for using the word.
He never really learns, does he? Or else the Labour-mantra-policy is too ingrained in him to get rid of so easily.
Incidentally, what has he done to his hair now? It looks like he’s wearing a brown shower cap with bits of hair glued on to the sides.
Bongu Defni
niehu gost naqra l-blog tieghek imma hafna fir-rahal ma jifhmukx allura qed nikteb blog biex forsi nies tat-triq bhali jifhmu xi ftit x’qed jigri
http://mariataxkieli.blogspot.com/
inselli hafna ghalik
Maria Ta’ Xkieli
Curious as to subsequent posts.
Change always starts from the younger generation. Eight months down the line and the people are already yearning for change.
http://www.maltarightnow.com/?module=news&at=SDM+jirb%26%23295%3Bu+l-elezzjoni+tal-Junior+College&t=a&aid=99852380&cid=19
In all these discussions in citizenship I still do not know why the Government is resisting the Opposition’s recommendations to link citizenship to residency and investment.
I would think this is a basic question that needs to be asked.
The Opposition are not saying that they are against a citizenship programme. They are saying that one obtaining citizenship must have some links to the country. By investing in it, they would be creating jobs and spreading the wealth around rather than making a one off donation to disappear into the Government coffers. By residing here they would become part of the community which they so “crave” to be part of.
So please Joseph Muscat enlighten us, why are you resisting the Opposition’s position on this so much? Why did you not seek consensus at the start which has always been the modus operandi where anything effecting financial services were concerned?
Is Joseph Muscat trying to convert the nature of the payment in the citizenship sale to “consideration” in a contract that once accepted cannot be revoked? Therefore the use of the term “investment” when it clearly isn’t?
When I buy an object, I am not directly contributing to an investment portfolio. If the accounting transaction then passes the net amount of sale income to an investment portfolio, it should be seen as a different entry.
If the investment porfolio consisted of setting up shop, employment of a workforce, living in Malta, becoming a contributor to local taxes, contracting responsibilities on the local scene, etc., then it would be a different matter.
The purchase of a passport, however, does not constitute an investment for Malta, but solely for the person purchasing it.
The passport for sale law should be scrapped, and a new dignified law will be drafted. The law at present is only there to raise cash to a short sighted labour Government. It is also very fertile ground for organized corruption to flourish.
The spirit behind a new law will be to allow bona fede foreigners to contribute in different ways for the common good of our country. It must give the authority to our Law Courts to revoke any passports issued to anybody breaking or abusing the conditions.