Muscat's stand on Spring hunting is disappointing

Dear Joseph,

I was very disappointed with your decision to say that you will not ban spring hunting.

I know that you have no special feelings about hunting and needless to say, about wildlife. Indeed, you feel that putting a stop to hunting is not worth it: hunters are too important in this election.

It is a pity that after so many years of indiscriminate wildlife destruction, you continue to stand by those who have a warped and mediocre way of exercising a hobby.

It is the little things that matter, which make me wonder whether it is even worth to visit the polling booth on 9 March (or indeed, ever).

There is little to indicate that you will not win the election on 9 March, but if you think that you can please everybody at the same time, then you are wrong. You have to be strong to gain respect, and you need resolve to govern.

The change that you call for will come about because people are sick and tired of Lawrence Gonzi and his inward form of politics and pig-headed decisions... and more importantly, for allowing a small clique to take over. It is a protest against arrogance and a self-conceited form of governance.

But what happened to the PN, happened to the Labour government years ago. And if you are worried or concerned about corruption and nepotism, then you must realise that it has no political boundaries. Unless you decide to uproot the whole system and shake the soil away from the roots, there is no way you will succeed.

You may superficially succeed or appear to succeed in the beginning but as soon as you settle into the old ways, you will repeat the same mistakes of your predecessors.

I am of course some 11 years older than you, and I think that it is too late for me to change now. I believe you think that just by changing people you can start a fresh page. Indeed, some people need to go and the PN needs to regain some respect and humility... but...

It will take more than that. You will need to introduce new standards, and promote a very clear foundation for effective checks and balances. And where possible, a transparent and accountable structure. You will need good people, who aren't excessively  interested in themselves, their pockets and their ego.

Easier said than done.

But if you fail, you must know that there will be very little respect or understanding for your failures.

Regards,

Saviour Balzan