'Grant citizenship to hard-working stateless persons, not shady millionaires' - Partit Demokratiku

On the occasion of International Human Rights Day, Partit Demokratiku, has criticised the IIP program while highlighting the plight of certain sectors of Maltese society whose human rights, it says, are not being protected.

Whilst acknowledging what it called “the much needed significant progress” made in Civil Rights in Malta, the PD highlighted an issue raised by Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela, who recently announced that children born in Malta to Eritrean parents will not be sent to Eritrea due to lack of documents in Eritrea.

“Are these children stateless?” asked the party. “If that is the case, then they should be given the citizenship of the country in which they were born, Malta.”

In a thinly-veiled jab at the IIP program, the PD pointed to the many Malians now awaiting deportation after Malta refused to renew their humanitarian status, some of whom have been in Malta for years, formed part of the workforce and who had “become fully integrated into our society," asking whether they are less desirable candidates for citizenship than “some millionaire whose wealth is of dubious origin and has never lived here.”

The PD called for the citizenship question to be revisited. “A person can live here for years, work legally, pay taxes, rent, national insurance contributions, satisfying all acceptable criteria, and yet, may only be granted citizenship at the relevant Minister's discretion. Yet others, without any interest in our country and only to gain a financial advantage, just need to pay a certain amount of money up front in order to be granted a Maltese passport.

This system is unjust and elitist where those with money are treated differently from those without. It must be revised so that all are treated equally. Only then will the fundamental human rights of all living here be safeguarded.”