Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/195525
News maltatoday, SUNDAY, 20 OCTOBER 2013 2013 OPPOSITION TO VOTE AGAINST GOLDEN CITIZENSHIP SCHEME UNLESS IT IS LINKED TO LONG-TERM INVESTMENT Government hell-bent on making a 'quick buck' – PN the country should be considered, but citizenship should not be sold to the highest bidder," de Marco said. De Marco and the two Nationalist MPs also criticised the lack of any form of transparency or accountability on this issue, given that the millionaires who purchase Maltese passports will not have their names published in the government gazette, while Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia will be granted discretionary powers to award citizenship to applicants facing so-called "politically motivated" charges. JURGEN BALZAN THE Nationalist Party will be voting against the government's proposed citizenship scheme unless a number of amendments are made to the Individual Investor Programme (IIP). PN deputy leader for parliamentary affairs Mario de Marco said the Opposition was against the programme because citizenship should only be granted to a restricted number of individuals who commit themselves to a long-term investment in the country. Through the proposed scheme, foreign millionaires could pay €650,000 for a Maltese passport, without even residing permanently in Malta or making any investment commitments. "Maltese citizenship should not be for sale. No serious country sells its citizenship. Citizenship is built on a link between the individual and the state, such as marriage, residence and long-term investment which benefits the country," de Marco said. He added that the programme's name is deceptive, because the scheme is not an investment programme but the sale of Maltese citizenship, "to make a quick buck". The opposition had discussed the scheme with the government where it voiced its objections, however de Marco explained that the government was "adamant to forge ahead, without carrying out any changes". Asked whether the opposition would vote against the proposed legislation, de Marco said the PN Mario de Marco (centre): "Maltese citizenship should not be for sale" would submit its amendments in parliament, however he pointed out that the government had sufficient numbers in parliament to approve the law without carrying out any changes. In that case, the opposition would have no choice but to vote against the IIP, de Marco said. "We are not against attracting foreign investment. However, we are against a scheme which puts Maltese citizenship up for sale," de Marco said, adding that no other EU country has introduced a scheme which does not require its applicants to make serious commitments, such us take up residency or invest money in the economy. He said that the government's proposal compromised Malta's international reputation and called on the government to accept the opposition proposals aimed at safeguarding Malta's reputation while attracting long-term investment. Flanked by opposition MPs Tonio Fenech and Jason Azzopardi, de Marco warned that Malta's credibility and reputation, particularly as a centre for financial services, was not built overnight, though it could easily be lost overnight. "We cannot put at risk the country's reputation, which took decades to build. We cannot put at risk a sector which could attract boundless funds and create jobs," he said. De Marco explained that the Opposition was suggesting that citizenship should only be granted to a restricted number of individuals who commit themselves to a long term investment in the country. "No European country operates a scheme similar to this. Such schemes only exist in some Caribbean countries. An investor who has made a realistic contribution to "Why should government hide names? How will the public and media scrutinise applications?" de Marco asked, adding that the IIP is sending the wrong message because it is not only putting up Maltese passports for sale, but EU citizenship too. PN spokesperson for finance Tonio Fenech agreed that as things stand, the IIP "will not bring in any funds apart from the €650,00 fee, and will not create jobs or economic growth". "Malta's reputation should not be risked for a quick buck. The fact that citizenship can be granted immediately against payment sends the message that this scheme is a money grabber," Fenech said. He added that the government has so far failed to give any details about the ring-fenced National Development Fund that is being proposed. Fenech pointed out that the government was sending conflicting messages about whether the fund would be ring-fenced or integrated in the government's consolidated fund. On the programme's lack of transparency, Fenech said the IIP "should not be an escape route for foreigners" and cautioned that if applications can damage Malta's reputation, these should be refused. "The lack of transparency is worrying. How will we be able to prevent any damaging applications from being approved if names are not published?" he asked. On his part, Jason Azzopardi, the PN's spokesperson for home affairs, said that the Opposition is in favour of "investments, but not donations". "We believe that citizenship should be tied to a significant longterm investment, however this scheme amounts to the privatisation of citizenship by reducing it to a commodity. It has been reduced to a commodity," Azzopardi said. Describing the scheme's distinction between rich people and others seeking citizenship as an "far-right policy," Azzopardi noted that the IIP creates a divide between rich people and poor people since common folk seeking Maltese citizenship would still need to go through the lengthy process of naturalisation, which sometimes takes up to 20 years. He also called for an independent screening process of applications and the involvement of parliament to safeguard against any possible abuses, especially since the minister is granted discretion to overrule any rejected applications.