Open letter to Joseph Muscat

Dear Joseph,

Just a short word about this referendum: You will of course agree that the hunters’ argument about the final cost of holding a referendum should not be part of this debate.  

Years back we were taught about democracy, we were told democracy had no price.

With that line of thinking it is clear that the hunters have no real arguments.

This is of course typical for those who believe that the right to express one’s opinion in a referendum is not a privilege but a right.

I guess it stems from the fact that the hunters think they have a right to walk around with a gun and blast away at anything that flies.

Perhaps the last two referenda are proof of our maturity as a nation.

But what has happened in the last days – reneging on their promise to remain neutral in the referendum debate – is proof that politicians are unwilling to accept the fact that this referendum should be left to the people. 

In the last weeks we have witnessed a campaign that is based on arguments and counter arguments.

Allow me please to state some facts.

First of all it is very important to remember what was stated in the EU accession treaty (trattat). It explicitly made no reference to any derogation but that Malta must adhere to the birds directive.

It also said that bird trapping should end in 2008. Joseph, allow me to tell you that you have broken the law on this one. And you know that. You also know that you did not need to introduce trapping again, you did not even mention it in your manifesto.

You also know that the Maltese government ignored the spirit of the birds directive and opened spring hunting. The government was fined by the European Court, which found it to be in breach of the Birds directive.

After that the government in connivance with the hunters cooked the figures of birds shot to position itself under the radar of the European Commission.

I have chosen my words precisely, I really mean cooked. By cooked I mean invented.

The EC, being such a lethargic institution and monster, has not come round to understand how it is being conned by yet another State.

And let us face it, if it was tricked by Greece and Italy when they made their budgetary presentations, then surely it can be easily tricked by deflated stats submitted by MEPA.

So it was left up to us the people to decide what to do next.

That decision was enabled, sort of, by the fact that back in 1994 a referendum law was enacted.

Throughout this campaign the hunters have been crying wolf, claiming that this referendum would lead to other referenda. It is of course an argument one uses for people who have a zero tolerance for democratisation.

Let us leave aside what Giovanni Bonello had to say; the argument that this referendum will catalyse other referenda is simply incredible.

The argument that you as Prime Minister can close the season whenever you like is interesting. But surely this is not a correct way of controlling excesses.

In all walks of life, there are rules.

We introduce pedestrianisation and do so because if we did not cars would roam freely. We still erect bollards to stop errant drivers from breaking rules, but car free zones allow people to walk freely, children to play without fear and open spaces to be enjoyed.

The same concept of a moratorium in spring is justified for the simple reason that hunters and past and present excesses have shown us that they shoot at anything that flies.

When in previous years spring was hunting-free our countryside blossomed with nature and life.

I know, dear Joseph, that birds do not really excite you. Neither, it seems, do open spaces with green meadows and pristine countryside. But I learnt from a very young age to appreciate how important open spaces are. More importantly I am also very conscious of how this country has had its valleys and open spaces pillaged.

I recall the year 1996 when hunters celebrated in the streets because together with those who detested VAT registers they saw one government go and another make a grand entrance.

Hunting as practised in Malta is not only detestable, it is also mediaeval and retrograde. Hunters abroad adhere to a very strict ethos: the belief that one should never shoot or kill an animal during the breeding season.

But enough of this talk about wildlife and birds, I know I cannot impress you with this talk.

I also know that illustrating the number of nature reserves that have been created over the last years attest to what we have on offer in this country.

Had it not been for the work of green NGOs we would have not got to where we are.

There is a more important argument.

You talk of Malta being a country which excels over the rest.

Indeed.

When it comes to economic growth, purchasing power, creativeness, business entrepreneurship, quality of life, security, education and health we should be proud of ourselves.

But when it comes to what you may consider as ethereal subjects, we remain stuck in a time warp.

Unwilling to change.

I have some hope.  

On one subject you have shown a progressive streak.

I am talking about gender equality and civil union.

The same applies to divorce.

It is time you stand on the side of reason and change.

Banning spring hunting is the right decision, the least you can do is to remain neutral.

Allow us to take the public through the last 12 days and explain to them what a wonderful chance they have to make the Maltese and Gozitan countryside a beautiful place.

I am sure that if this happens you would be surprised with what Malta and Gozo will look like.

On this one, trust us, not your gut feeling. 

So please use your head, not your heart! And you, like many other Labourites, are free to vote NO!

Salvu Balzan

Naxxar