Citizenship has ‘constitutional implications’, consensus is required – Busuttil

In a speech marked by shouts from both sides of the House, with side comments passing between the two leaders, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil reiterated his call for consensus to be reached on the citizenship scheme.

The House is this evening debating the financial estimates of the Office of the Prime Minister.

During his intervention, Busuttil described the local and international reaction to the government's scheme to sell passports as "phenomenally negative".

"The phenomenal negative reaction was not limited to our shores. International headlines described the citizenship scheme as scandalous. Our country was ridiculed," he said.

"The government must now address the damage our country's reputation has suffered... even at EU level. This scheme should be stopped and reviewed."

The Opposition leader argued that even though a country was sovereign over citizenship issues, yet the damage to the country's reputation had been too much.

Busuttil insisted that despite the Opposition "objected in principle" to the scheme, yet it wanted to reach a consensus or compromise.

"Such an issue desires consensus from both sides. Citizenship has constitutional implications, even though it is regulated by law. But the concept is still constitutional and this alone requires consensus," Busuttil said.

Welcome the government's U-turn on the secrecy clause, the PN leader said this still required amendments to the law.

"A simple amendment to the legal notice is not enough. This requires a change in the law or else it would create a conflict in the legal provision," he said.

He insisted that the Nationalist Opposition was extending its "hand of cooperation", hoping that consensus would be reached on the scheme.

Busuttil said the Opposition was also read to seek on consensus on public holidays, welcoming President George Abela's proposal to have Independence Day and Republic Day as Malta's twin national days.

"Another case we wish to reach consensus on is the party financing law. But at the same time, how can government expect our cooperation when it carries out obscenities such as passing land to the Labour Party?" Busuttil said.

He noted that it had been very easy for the Prime Minister to cede the case against the political party. "Joseph Muscat vs Joseph Muscat. It wasn't so difficult for you to cede the case, wasn't it?" Busuttil told Muscat.

He also set much in store in criticizing the leadership of the civil service, following the appointment of Mario Cutajar as principal permanent secretary and head of civil services. Busuttil said that while he had nothing against Cutajar having been a Labour activist, yet the appointment contrasted with previous administrations' decisions to keep the civil service devoid of political allegiances.

"The civil service was traditionally headed by neutral persons. And eight months later we see the result of this decision: persons who are preferred over others, just because they are close to the leadership. Even Labourites are suffering from this," he said.

Busuttil went on to express solidarity with civil workers who were being discriminated against.

Turning to the economy, the Opposition leader said that the European Commission's reaction to government's draft budgetary plan had been in synch to the Opposition's reaction.

According to the Commission, there was a risk that the draft budgetary plan would not fulfill the recommendations of the excessive deficit procedure. It also noted that the plan presented did not specify in detail the measures that underpin the measures for 2014, thus not complying with obligations of EU law.

"This is serious because the Commission's report is different from what government told this House. And it confirms our assertion of a dishonest budget: how much will the measures cost and who will pay for them?"