Referendum to make up for ‘Muscat’s and Busuttil’s failure to act’

The spring hunting abrogative referendum will allow the people to decide and act on an issue that saw politicians reluctant to address while they pandered to the hunting lobby’s votes.

Taking part in a radio discussion on RTK together with FKNK representative Raymond Cordina, journalist and SHout activist Saviour Balzan pointed out that while Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Opposition leader Simon Busuttil disagree on everything, this time they chose to take a common stand.

“Why? Because they are afraid of the hunters. The people now have the opportunity to do what politicians failed to do,” Balzan said.

Cordina however described the referendum as “an exercise in intolerance” insisting that the matter should not be decided by the citizens.

“This is an exercise in intolerance where a group of people simply want to further their personal ambitions. The three newspapers have spun the matter out of proportion,” he said.

Balzan pointed out that democracy and the application of a referendum were the highest form of tolerance with the will of the people being followed.

He explained that following the ruling of the European Court of Justice, the sentence was given a different interpretation by the hunters who disagreed with those who were in favour stopping hunting.

“The politicians, always scared of the hunting lobby, allowed spring hunting to go on. This decision forced to European Commission to initiate infringement proceedings against Malta, which both administrations ignored.

“Since the country’s successive administrations failed to execute, the citizens are availing themselves of the right to abrogate. Intolerance would be if we lose the referendum and don’t acknowledge it,” Balzan said, adding that, after all, the people could vote in favour of spring hunting.

Balzan said that FKNK’s scaremongering that other activities such as horse racing, fishing and fireworks could be endangered was “an invention”.  

“We are removing an enabling law. By way of example, removing laws regulating fireworks would mean that everyone could fire fireworks at any time of day and night.”

Cordina argued that “war” had been declared against hunters and they would not be allowed to practice their “limited hunting on two species” in peace. “This is a small country and we are overpopulated. We must learn how to live together,” Cordina said.

He added that millions of turtle doves flew over Europe while the bag limit in Malta for autumn season was of less than 10,000.