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In a Press statement issued today Alternattiva Demokratika - The Green Party described the Bill to amend the Housing (Decontrol) Ordinance presently before parliament as an act of immense political cynicism and hypocrisy.

Green Party Chairperson Dr Harry Vassallo said that the Bill had been brought before parliament with lightening speed to strengthen the 1979 amendments to the Housing (Decontrol) Ordinance in view of a judgment of the court of appeal finally invalidating this extraordinary and unconstitutional law.

“It is immensely ironic that today’s Nationalist Government is renewing and extending the Mintoffian laws of the 1970s in a desperate, stealthy, attempt to scrape the bottom of the barrel in electoral terms” Dr Vassallo said.

“The Bill before Parliament is in effect an attempt to expropriate without compensation an undetermined number of properties subject to perpetual emphyteusis” Dr Vassallo said. ” The government knows that this violation of the constitution and of the rights of Maltese citizens under the EU charter will be challenged and defeated but only after the next election” Dr Vassallo added ” The government is treating all the persons involved with extreme cynicism: those who imagine that they will benefit from this illegal change in the law are being deceived and those who are being driven into unnecessary judicial proceedings are being treated as expendables in the path to electoral success.” Dr Vassallo said. “The government is prepared to ignore the suffering and the damages which will certainly be caused to all parties involved as long as it can hope to make electoral gains on the strength of yet another deception” Dr Vassallo said.

“The bill replaces the infamous 21st of June 1979 with the 31st December 2007 exploding all the last remaining credentials of the Nationalist Party as a bulwark of the most basic property rights. It is hard to believe that such a Bill, once approved by parliament, can be presented to the President for his assent in view of his vociferous condemnation of the 1979 amendments. The Nationalist government is in the process of embarrassing the presidency by presenting a bill for approval which is beyond the powers of parliament on the face of it and in direct contradiction of the principles and values so clearly declared by the President throughout his public life” Dr Vassallo said.

“On the hunting issue the government’s pathetic deception has been exposed earning it the contempt of both the hunting lobby and of its opponents. In this case a similar, equally cynical, electorally motivated deception is being practiced and will further expose the Nationalist government to further well deserved criticism.” Dr Vassallo said.

“Those who hold their homes on sub-emphyteusis but did not qualify for the immunity from eviction on expiration of the lease in terms of the 1979 amendments have now been given the false hope that they can defeat the rights of the owners of their groundrents regardless of the law and the judgements of the highest courts in the country” Dr Vassallo said. “They are being cruelly deceived. Whether or not the Nationalist Party returns to government after the next election, this exploit of legal gymnastics will certainly be exposed to be a cruel joke on them since it will not be able to sustain the onslaught of Maltese Constitutional and EU law.” Dr Vassallo said

“The present situation is a classic of Maltese politics with the Nationalist Party acting in direct and blatant contradiction of all its most sacred principles safe in the knowledge that it will find no opposition from the Labour Party because it is acting worse than any opposition extremist would dream of acting in 2007″ Dr Vassallo said. “The PN is relying on the fact that it controls the media to such an extent that it can hide the truth for as long as it requires earning the gratitude of those who stand to suffer most from the consequences of this latest illegality” Dr Vassallo said

“Alternattiva Demokratika will be making public the names of all MPs voting in favour of this amendment and will continue to campaign to keep those voting in its favour personally responsible for the damages caused by an act which is known to be illegal and in excess of the legal authority of any Member of Parliament.” Dr Vassallo said.

“At this time it is a very small minority which is being cheated of its property rights guaranteed by the constitution and confirmed by the constitutional court” Dr Vassallo said. “However the fact that such a Bill can be brought before parliament exposes all those who own their homes or any other property to the whims and electoral expedience of any government. Nobody can guess when it will be his or her turn to suffer at the hands of a desperate regime in a country where the rule of law is humiliated in this way” Dr Vassallo said. “The uncertainty of planning laws has now been compounded by permanent uncertainty in matters relating to the title to property” Dr Vassallo said.

“The irresponsibility of those defending this Bill can be matched to that of our governments in the 1970s and 1980s who did not stop to ponder the consequential losses caused to the economy by arbitrariness and defeats of the rule of law reducing foreign investment to an absolute minimum.” Dr Vassallo said. “Malta can no longer afford such extensive and diffuse damage to its economic potential on the eve of every election when party interests are placed before national interests” Dr Vassallo said.