Angry birds and disillusioned democrats

A few seconds after the FKNK leaders’ veiled smiles gave away the spring hunting referendum result to the press on Sunday morning, many Facebook friends expressed their surprise and disgust at the hunting lobby’s victory.

I’m no stranger to the feeling.

Over the years I have frequently wrestled the temptation to pack up my bags and emigrate. Today I no longer fall in the trap of telling the world ‘I hate my country’ or screaming the incurable ‘X’pajjiz taz-zobb’. Much as I love to hate this country I can still do my bit whilst living here.

At the expense of sounding dogmatic, I sincerely cannot fathom why the country chose the indiscriminate murder of migrating birds over the possibility of enjoying the countryside freely for a few more days a year.  I cannot comprehend why the majority voted for and not against a political class held captive by trigger-happy bullies. But that’s democracy for you, and resting on the false premise that there is no substitute for the current form of democracy we have no other choice but to accept the result.

Unlike previous referendums, this is a difficult one to dissect for while a majority, albeit being a slight one, voted for spring hunting, the so called hobby is a enjoyed by just a few thousand citizens. The YES camp won despite the opposition of the independent media and despite some 125,000 voters contradicted the two big party leaders.  

In a feeble attempt to find a silver lining in this latest debacle for the environmental lobby, one can take heart from the fact that despite a classist NO campaign (for if I was a die-hard Labourite I would have found it very difficult to identify with the NO camp) and Labour’s hidden hand behind the YES camp, half the electorate that showed up stood up for the protection of birds, decency and environmental justice.

One would hope that the green lobby does not heed Muscat’s ‘warning’ to drop its guard and strike a lop-sided balance with the hunting lobby, now backed by the majority of the electorate.

On the other hand, the victorious campaign, planned and designed by the gurus from Hamrun’s Golden Mile, was built on deceit, but once again the two big parties, especially Labour, emerged victorious.

But beyond the bitterness and ramifications which will surely besiege the NO camp, the independent media and civil society in the coming days, (for any mistake of any size can be blamed for the meagre difference in votes) the miraculous YES victory would not have been possible without the two big parties.

And the fight is far from over. The demands of the green lobby have neither been neutralised nor buried. The EU derogation on spring hunting is not automatic, meaning that the current administration or any future government can decide against allowing hunting in spring but they’ll only do so if they’re compelled or convinced that it’s the right thing to do.

Whoever voted NO and is still in shock (although some TV and other mundane activities will heal the wounds of most in a few hours) can still be a catalyst for change. Democracy is and should not be practiced for 12 hours every five years. Despite the hunters’ slim majority, the result confirms the two big parties’ absolute control on the country and if anything the people cursing the country of birth or venting their frustration at the abstruse result could channel their anger and disillusion into backing or creating an alternative.

If you are disappointed and angered by the PLPN’s phobia of potentially vote-losing causes and by Muscat and Busuttil’s failure to stand up for what is right but for what keeps or propels them to power, then do something to reshape the democracy you live in.

The birds will feel the brunt of the result more than anyone else but I fear that this battle is not only about the environment but about the democracy we cherish and crave for, which is becoming an obstacle to the modern capitalism Muscat and our political class champion.

We can all throw a million tantrums on Facebook and Twitter but as long as we sustain the two-party plutocracy nothing will ever change.