Is the right to hunt a minority issue that deserves legal recognition and protection?

I do not believe barbaric pastimes involving the destruction of innocent wildlife should be considered a right or legal issue. It does not deserve legal recognition or protection. It is up to NGOs to protect their interests. The State should not safeguard hunters’ primitive whims. Stefan Cutajar,19, Bachelor of Laws (Hons), 2nd year.

Yes, everyone deserves to practise his or her hobby. Even though I don’t agree with hunting in general, it shouldn’t stop others from enjoying what they do. Bernard Pollacco, 21, Mcast Higher National Diploma in Business, Year 2.

It might be a hobby of a substantial minority of the population, but I don’t think it merits legal recognition and protection. In an age where more and more studies are uncovering animals’ increased intelligence and even emotional sensitivity, we have to think twice about protecting hunting. David Grech Urpani, 23, BA English (Hons), 2nd year.

The petition has reached 35,000 signatures, meaning this would be the first time in Malta’s history that a referendum would have been forced on the government. How does this reflect on the level of representation in our political system?

I think it could be an indicator that the populace has had enough of politicians who are afraid to keep up with the times, for fear of offending a powerful yet shortsighted lobby. Parliament is there to promulgate laws and oversee the fair and just governance in light of the common good of society (that includes the environment), and the average voter is starting to realise that this is not necessarily the case at the moment. Stefan Cutajar

Even though the people elected a government to lead the country for five years, it would show that the government does not represent all the people in the political spectrum. Bernard Pollacco

I believed the petition would reach the quota, and that is the biggest (and only relevant) evidence of what the people really make of the matter. The fact that it would only be a first in Maltese politics either means we are a politically apathetic country or that everything is fine and everyone is happy with most issues. I’m not the only person able to discern which of the two is most probably the case. David Grech Urpani

Would you be against or in favour of more frequent referenda?

I think direct democracy in a small country like ours could be a godsend. Larger states like Switzerland have been very successful with this practice, so why shouldn’t we emulate it on hot topics? It would be foolish to assume that 69 MPs get it right all the time, so we should be part of the decision-making process more often. Stefan Cutajar

It depends on the issue. If it is in the interest of the country as a whole, then it should go through a referendum. But the people elected a government to lead for five years, and with the majority it has it should easily pass any new laws without the need of referenda. We don’t need a referendum for every issue that pops up and people don’t agree with. Bernard Pollacco

I’d be as willing as I’d be wary – I want to live in a country where my socio-political fears and expectations are properly addressed, but a system where strength in numbers is given such importance is at times scary in a country like Malta. David Grech Urpani

Interviews conducted by Insite – the Student Media Organisation.