Malta will not be better off by abolishing spring hunting, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said yesterday, insisting the country should continue to retain this concession with heavy enforcement.
“I am in favour of legal hunting and against illegal hunting. Hunting should continue to be practised under heavy enforcement,” he said, adding he disagreed with those hunters who had complained about enforcement in the spring hunting season which just closed.
Law-abiders have nothing to fear
“Those who are law-abiding and who have nothing to hide have nothing to fear. Only those who do not stick to rules are bothered by enforcement,” he said during an interview on One Radio yesterday.
Speaking in Għajnsielem last night, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said the spring hunting debate should not be politicised once the issue would be settled through a referendum (see page 6).
Declaring the PN was in favour of a limited and controlled season, he argued that the moment 40,000 signatures were collected to force an abrogative referendum, the issue was no longer in the hands of politicians.
Dr Muscat’s statement in favour of continuating the practice comes days after he would not rule out the possibility of changing the law to block a referendum on spring hunting, as proposed by the hunters’ federation (FKNK).
Sources told Times of Malta the government informally told FKNK members it would go along with the petition to block the referendum if they get thousands of signatures. Dr Muscat insisted with Times of Malta last week that spring hunting must continue, irrespective of whether a referendum is held.
In his interview yesterday, Dr Muscat pointed out that hunting for different types of birds and animals was allowed in other countries. In the UK, for example, it is legal to hunt geese or foxes.
“Foreigners who come to Malta to protest against hunting should also protest against hunting in their own countries,” he said, in a clear reference to British television personality Chris Packham who was in Malta to raise awareness about hunting illegalities.
When asked about the citizenship sale programme, Dr Muscat said he was satisfied with the progress so far, despite not having statistics and figures to share.
Reacting to criticism by the Nationalist Party concerning the way the government announced a two cent reduction in the price of petrol last week, Dr Muscat said he preferred being called “a two-cent government” than one which took a €500-a-week increase – referring to the raise given to the Cabinet during the previous administration.
“Whether we should have called a press conference is a question of style. I clearly remember Lawrence Gonzi’s press conference on the White Rocks project that never materialised. At least what we announce is factual,” he said.
Dr Muscat accused the Opposition of being disconnected from the people.
“These are bread and butter issues for people. They are crucial. This is about their everyday life... the Opposition has no message and the only thing it is stressing is being negative. The Opposition stands for nothing,” he said.
Asked about the health sector, Dr Muscat said efforts were under way to have a health centre for those living in Safi, Żurrieq, Kirkop and the surrounding localities.