The Hunters' Federation (FKNK) said this evening that the prime minister's declaration during the Big Debate yesterday that he was ready to hold a referendum on hunting showed that if re-elected, the PN intended to abolish hunting.  

The Federation, in a joint statement with St Hubert Hunters' Association, said the prime minister's 'statement' yesterday dropped Dr Gonzi's mask and removed every right which any minority had to safeguard its rights.

The two bodies insisted that referenda could not be used to deny rights to minorities.

Earlier today, St Hubert Hunters wrote to PN deputy leader Simon Busuttil to protest about Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi’s declaration.

“By not objecting to the possibility of such a referendum, Dr Gonzi is contradicting the signed guarantees given to hunters by the PN previous leader Dr. Fenech Adami, yours as the head of MIC the EU Information Centre and that of other PN exponents. His words also render the repeated statement, namely that the PN stuck its neck out for hunters when defending the spring hunting issue at the European Courts, as being totally capricious void and senseless.”

In their letter, signed by president Mark Mifsud Bonnici, the hunters remind Dr Busuttil of his statement with regards to derogation and the PN’s political mandate to apply derogations as a commitment endorsed by a referendum.

“Considering we see no reason to communicate with Dr Gonzi since he has made his intentions clear, on behalf of our members and other hunters and in view of the coming elections we ask you as deputy leader of the PN to answer the following questions:

1) Is the PN intent on retracting the last remaining shreds of its promises made to hunters?

2) Is Dr. Gonzi’s declaration the PN’s official position?

3) Is the PN adopting the same policy of referendum in respect to the rights of all other minority groups?

4) Can the PN explain what need could arise to deny Maltese hunters the right to exercise derogation after a clear and irrefutable court judgment that endorses the principle and which right the PN so boastingly and vociferously defended?”