While our doublespeak Prime Minister has secretly gone to Miami to sell Maltese citizenships on the same day he hypocritically called for more talks to reach a consensus, more sectors of civil society are expressing themselves against the sale of Malteses citizenships.
The Federation of Lanuage Schools (FELTOM) said that “Malta’s success as a regional centre of excellence in the global Teaching of English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) sector, is largely based on the reputation we have managed to build together as a country. But the citizenship scheme as proposed by Government has drawn significant negative international attention to Malta. The federation believed that the citizenship scheme would impinge negatively on Malta’s reputation, which will also affect numerous economic sectors Malta has a stake in.
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UHM has also taken a position after it convened its general council to discuss the issue. UHM said it was "categorically against the sale of citizenship".
"The council is of the belief that, per principle, become Maltese should not be seen as a way of how to boost the economy. The sale of citizenship should not be considered as an economic activity," the union said. "Not everything that renders money is morally just and could not be considered as economic activity."
The UHM's council said the government should that, together with its right of power, it should respect its duty to listen to the people.
"The government has a nine seat majority which gives it absolute power. But for government to respect the principles of democracy, it is exactly this moment that it has the duty and obligation to listen to the people," it said.
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The National Council of Women has condemned the selling of Maltese citizenship, saying that it does not agree with any scheme whose sole aim was to raise immediate revenue.
"The granting of Maltese citizenship should remain a process according to measures that Malta has put in place and developed over the years, thus guaranteeing the dignity it deserves and at the same time encouraging integrity of the individual to whom it is granted," she said.
Attard said that the Council was very concerned with the possible repercussions of such a scheme, highlighting the possible negative effects on Malta's strong and competitive financial services.
"This is not just a question of reputation, but rather a question of trust and credibility, which has been one of Malta's major assets," she said.
On the possibility of Malta raising additional revenue from the scheme, Attard said that "the means do not always justify the end", adding that this was a "dangerous attitude" for a government to adhere to.
"Ethics might not be a written law, but they are undoubtedly an important and mature safeguard against irresponsible and quick decisions," she said.
"It is not enough to state that no law is being broken. Decisions taken on the basis of ethical considerations are what raise the status of any country. Ignoring them and acting without ethical principles will not only make Malta a laughing stock but also a pawn for all those who would be tempted to abuse of the country's vulnerability," she said.
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