The whole truth, nothing but the truth - this statement is synonymous with, and echoes throughout the law courts. Only the truth and proven facts are the tools which lead to innocence, fairness and justice. The material facts have to be proven without a shadow of a doubt.
This ominous shadow of doubt still hangs mysteriously over Malta's delicate pre-accession negotiations vis-à-vis the hunting and trapping issue.
Who is to blame for the shambles of the saga that has unfolded? Certainly the Maltese hunting and trapping fraternity have taken the full brunt from the well-orchestrated and heavily financed negative propaganda. Propaganda brought to us from local and foreign fronts, including foreign anti-hunting fronts which rallied and deployed in Malta some years back to help organise this vicious propaganda machine.
Is there any shadow of doubt relating to the anti- hunting information being fed daily via national and international media?
"Surely not all Maltese hunters break the law?" an aspiring PN MEP hopeful, and friend, once confided in me. Indeed Europe is reeling and definitely appalled by Malta's hunting reputation. A reputation deliberately inflated tenfold by the daily negative media bombardment, ad nauseam.
The latest, chart-topping propaganda is brought to us in the form of a movie, a movie the late Alfred Hitchcock would have felt jealous of. This movie, erroneously titled Birds, Bins and Bullets, features gruesome and atrocious scenes. The word "bullets" is extremely misleading and simply put there to exacerbate the impact of the title. (Bullets are never used when hunting game, especially in Malta). If one had to do similar footage of chicken plucking and culling, in a chicken farm, one would achieve the same result as is intended in this Birds, Bins and Bullets movie, soon to hit a cinema near you (no pun intended).
So what is the truth behind this continuous onslaught? Malta has been portrayed as the only country in the civilised world where illegal hunting exists; the Maltese hunter has been reduced to nothing more than a common criminal. The Maltese hunter and trapper are the reason and main culprits for global bird depletion, countryside destruction, air pollution, tourist scaring, soil and water poisoning and even more atrocious acts!
What truth emerged from the "millions" of blasted birds that the anti-hunting lobby incessantly blared into the media?
Nowadays this phrase is hardly used, indeed it has fallen drastically to the "hundreds" figure... perhaps due to the economic downturn? The shadow of doubt regarding the "millions" figure certainly obscured the truth.
People here on cheap holidays, for the second season running, have ventured into Malta to champion the "cause". The German-based Committee Against Bird Slaughter last year struggled to bring to the public evidence of the blasted "millions". They only managed to "uncover" a few dozen illegalities and recorded a few hundred illegal gunshots! (Half of these shots have been attributed to the monotonous pre-recorded gun-shots set to go off to ward the pesky sparrow away from fruit trees!).
What truth lies behind the mistaken ideology that finches (common song birds) do not nest in Malta mainly because of local bird trapping (capture)?
Five years of banned spring finch capture has yielded no local baby finches! (1994, 1995, 1996, 2008 and 2009)
What are the facts relating to the "sudden" surge of mating and nesting local collared doves? (please note, not to be mistaken with the migrant turtle dove). A fact that has been with us, mainly towards the northern part of Malta, for over 10 years, therefore conveniently photographed and publicised only now!
What truth and motives lie behind the very people who campaigned for Malta's hunting and trapping pre-accession negotiations, from which emerged undeniable written guarantees, for all to see?
One such person, who enjoyed a very high position and was actively involved, supposedly to safeguard our traditional pastime, has recently declared his anti-hunting position! Another influential gentleman, who was also deeply involved to secure a "good deal" for the thousands of Maltese hunters and trappers, is a well-known anti-hunting campaigner!
The whole truth, and nothing but the truth, please.