The market rules OK

Muscat’s audacity on citizenship has not only given rise to nationalistic fervour on both sides of the tribal divide, but raises questions on the commodification of rights

Jurgen Balzan 21 January 2014, 12:00am

3 min read

What if the rest of Europe will drive us into a race to the bottom outbidding our citizenship price tag?

The trend of Maltese political leaders building their reputation over their capability of raising funds continues. We first milked the British Empire, then pursued 'friendships' with Italy and China, then centred the debate on EU membership over financial gain, and now Prime Minister Joseph Muscat promises a 'generational transformation' thanks to the citizenship scheme.

I have a hunch that many so-called leftists would have shred the scheme to bits had it been proposed and implemented by a PN administration. But their silence is deafening.

The saddest part is that most of the Labour-voting leftists, who are either defending the scheme or staying silent, would have opposed the scheme for the very same reasons it makes me cringe.

Firstly, it creates a two-tier system which grants people rights according to affluence. Rich foreigners who might have built their fortune in legitimate but unethical manners can acquire a European citizenship, and therefore rights enjoyed by EU citizens, by parting with a fraction of their vast wealth. This is the brave new world where rights are market-driven.

While the rich purchase rights, the only currency the poor deal in is hope. Asylum seekers who risk their lives and part with their life savings to reach Europe are treated like shit. We not only shut them up in cages, where they break our precious toilet seats, but we treat them with suspicion and keep them out of sight.

Asylum seekers who are mostly fleeing war, poverty, persecution and utter misery (and we Europeans might have something to do with it too) will not be granted the rights they seek. Even if granted some form of protection (unless we push them back to a distant and dark corner of a that place we call Africa) they still do not enjoy the rights enjoyed by EU citizens and the goods and services we purchase.

Moreover, another issue being largely overlooked is the incongruity that will be created in regards to other non-EU nationals seeking Maltese citizenship. I personally know persons who despite paying their taxes in Malta for years, having children here, sending them to state schools for which they had to pay, integrated in society and gave immense cultural, political and social contributions to our community, they had to wait 19 years to be granted citizenship.

Unfortunately apart from a few sole voices, the criticism has been weak. The PN is tackling the matter from a partially partisan standpoint (especially since their main bone of contention is residency), which the government will probably quash by underlining the economic benefits of the scheme ad nauseam.

And this brings me to my biggest concern. With the PN still coming to terms with Labour's ability to build a hegemony on the very same foundations the PN had built its own, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat is set to conquer his doubters if the scheme yields the projected €1 billion.

According to Muscat the country's future investment in innovation, health and social services depends on the success of the programme. What will happen once the funds will dry up? What if the rest of Europe will drive us into a race to the bottom outbidding our citizenship price tag? What will happen if the EU blocks such schemes?

Above all, I am concerned with the direction this country (and many others) seems to be heading to. Once again, the Asian economic model seems to have captured our political leaders' imagination. Strong nationalistic discourse and a new-found enthusiasm for maximising unrestrained sources of income to bolster national prosperity, has become the order of the day.

Muscat's audacity has not only given rise to nationalistic fervour on both sides of the tribal divide, but it has also raised many questions on the commodification of rights, which I fear will be met by a resounding silence.

Jurgen Balzan was a MaltaToday reported from 2011 to 2017.

More from Jurgen Balzan

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Gandhi asked 'where are the Christians: he admired Christ but not the Christians. I say the same thing: I admire Gandhi but not the Indians. So please Jurgen, tell us who is your,guru'? Nothing personal, just a crude way of looking at things out of the box?

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@Mike Farrugia .. If we had to do like you say, most of the world would be seeking asylum in Malta! Asylum seekers jibdew ifaqqaw bhal pop corn.

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Jurgen, (1) OK, bully for us.(2) I don't.(3) Still makes it actual and real though. (4) Come on! This IIP is NOT the be all, and end all of Malta's budget. (5) Going up Jurgen, going up! Seriously, no, no, no. I firmly believe that the scheme replaces a guaranteed increase in taxation (under any name you would care to call it) which would have to be implemented by the Administration. Now where would you like the Administration to get its revenue from? Islanders or outsiders?

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@BETTER FUTURE 1. There is no doubt over who milked who over the centuries. I was referring to Mintoff’s protracted talks with the British which landed him $36.4 million in annual rent, about three times what Malta received before Mintoff started setting deadlines for British withdrawal. 2. I expect leaders, especially social-democrat politicians to stray away from the commodification of rights and right wing stands on migration, business etc. 3. Reality does not make anything right or wrong. I simply denounce classist, ultra-nationalistic and neo-liberal values which are infiltrating political discourse and policy. 4. Back to discourse…Muscat has made it clear that the schem will bank roll social programmes…welfare or at least parts of it will now be dependent on the market or the benevolence of wealthy persons. 5. I guess your blood pressure got to you there. The scheme is only aimed a squaring the fiscal circle which the Labour administration wilfully inherited from the PN.

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Jurgen, can you possibly tell a billionaire to live in Malta for 5 years, and in the meantime, wreck his global business? This 'miskin' mentality that very rich people are lazy people, gardening in the morning, skiing in the evening and boozing all night is coming straight from the 'Muzew' sermons? I happen to know one Malaysian billionaire:he owns hotels, banks, real estate and Shopping Malls all over the world. He lives in his private plane and travels one day Malaysia, another in Thailand, then Singapore, then Australian then Japan and finally the week after he does London and Berlin: week in week out! So do you expect this chap to invest in Malta, gets citizenship, and stay here for 5 years wrecking his business in the meantime to 'bond' with with SimonPn's airport harassments?

Abdi D •

Jurgen, you very conveniently forgot that we already had some sort of citizen scheme, persons who bought a residence in Malta and lived here for a number of years could apply and get a Maltese passport. This scheme was stopped all of a sudden when someone abused this scheme costing the Maltese government a lot of money. I heard neither left nor right winged persons shred this scheme to bits, not even the then PL opposition. You might say that these people had to live here for a number of years, but pray tell me how can the government tell if these people lived here or just had property here, which they use as a holiday home?

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asylum seekers who risk their lives are treated like shit who told them to came over we don t want them hear please go with them jurgen i am xettiku for eu but this time my vote for pl mep

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If we have the right to sell or give away our passports, why is it so difficult to issue Maltese passports to asylum seekers and let them travel where they like in the EU?

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Jurgen, (1) you really got off to a completely false start. I wonder who milked whom. The British or the Maltese. May I remind you of just one instance of "milking", WWII! (2) What do you expect leaders to do (any country leaders)? Twaddle their thumbs and hope for manna to fall from heaven. You must be one of those naive Maltese that swallowed that bait hook, line and sinker. Before you fly off on a tangent, let me explain that I am not automatically anti EU. That means that I am a realist! (3) You talk about "affluence"! Jurgen, welcome to the real world. Do you have the same sitting rights to a window table at an elegant restaurant as your garden variety millionaire? So get real. No, we are not all born equal; alternatively, during our lives we do not metamorphose into equal beings till death then recomposes us into equal "whatever". (4) Again you exaggerate in order to help your position. Muscat never said that we are fully or even materially marginally dependent on this scheme. He said it would be a boon to the economy to help support an expansion of it, and which would yield the desired financial and economic results. (5) Finally before my blood pressure monitor explodes (lol). Re commodification, why should Malta not seek advantages from membership to counter balance EU membership disadvantages?

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YES it does rule OK! so Live with it like everyone on minimum wage or minimum pension! Take a look from that angle if you can !

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We first milked the British Empire: int f'sessik? Ghax konna nisirqulhom il-gushion? X'kull wiehed jibghat il-mulej!

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Yurgen when you meddle with nature it normally bites back, but when you meddle with bounders it ends up in feeding frenzy. Don t have to call upon recent historical facts but try to move the imaginary line and all hell breaks loose.. and this is anywhere in the world. So please if we want to lower our defensive line for the rich (IIP excuse) and lower the defensive line for the poor(refugee excuse) it is always because we gain something.. some call it heaven some call it cash. What is all this fuss about! Quote from Jesus Christ Superstar... there will be poor always but struggling.