It is amazing that every time I write about hunting, some hunter vainly tries to contradict my statements.

I would be glad to engage in a debate if the letters were being intelligently written. Unfortunately they never are.

My letter on the benefits of referendums, ‘Power to the people’, was answered by Pierre Zammit (The Sunday Times of Malta, December 8) under the heading ‘Giving power to the fools’. This was an unfortunate choice of words since the correspondent was calling all the Maltese fools. The Swiss who use referendums to solve difficult issues, are clever people. So are the Maltese.

Then Zammit wrote about the tests hunters had to undergo. Yes, of course I knew that there was a sort of a test, but this is no test at all. It is a joke.

Furthermore, I never said that shots wake me up since I am an early riser. However, they wake up tourists at 5am and frighten little children. The noise of the shots also damages our hearing and exceeds by far the decibels allowed by the EU.

I am not against hunting generally, but I do not think that this vice should be practised in Malta, as our island is too small for this activity and wherever it is carried out, it’s bound to disturb people, both locals and tourists.

I could not understand the line about Barabbas. What has this biblical character in common with hunting or referendums? I definitely will be voting against hunting in spring and, hopefully, so will the majority of the population. I sincerely hope the authorities will allow the referendum to be held and that they will act in a democratic way, according to the people’s wishes.

It is about time both main parties stop buying votes against favours. For the first time, they should have a joint programme on this issue, as otherwise I will continue to think that I am living in a third world country and not in one of the most economically successful islands in Europe.