Nationalist MP Philip Mifsud had confirmed with the party's general secretary that the PN had not changed its stand on spring hunting before writing an article criticising his own party's MEP candidate Edward Demicoli.
Mr Mifsud yesterday wrote in The Times criticising Mr Demicoli's categorical stand against spring hunting, accusing him of "compromising" the party to "gain some personal political mileage".
It transpired that PN general secretary Paul Borg Olivier was aware of the bad vibe Mr Demicoli's declaration created among Nationalist hunters.
Mr Mifsud was elected for the first time to Parliament in the last election from the seventh district, a hotbed for hunters and trappers.
"I am not contesting whether Mr Demicoli is right or wrong on the issue but as a party we promised hunters and trappers that we will defend their right to spring hunting and we have to keep it. The article was my personal reaction but it also reflected that of my constituents," Mr Mifsud said when contacted yesterday.
He said constituents were annoyed by Mr Demicoli's declaration that he will work to stop spring hunting.
While acknowledging that the MEP candidate spoke in his personal capacity, Mr Mifsud insisted the comments gave the perception that the party had changed its stand on the matter.
"Just under a year ago we passed through an electoral campaign during which I was constantly telling constituents that the PN would defend its promise to keep spring hunting to the very end and with the best means possible. What I told constituents was with the party's blessing," he said.
"Before writing the article I verified with Paul Borg Olivier whether the party had changed its position on the matter and he told me no," he added.
Contacted yesterday, Dr Borg Olivier confirmed the version of facts as given by Mr Mifsud.
Dr Borg Olivier said the PN's position on hunting and trapping is "the same as that negotiated and agreed by the government with the EU and is part of the Accession Treaty".
The interpretation of this position is now subject to a case before the European Court of Justice, Dr Borg Olivier added.
He said the PN would not be pressuring the government to open the spring hunting season this year because there were no new developments that warranted a change in the position adopted last year.
The government had said it viewed the opening of the spring hunting season as harmful to Malta's interests in the case before the ECJ.
When asked for his reaction to the criticism levelled at him, Mr Demicoli was very cautious in his reply.
"I believe everybody is entitled to his opinion so I will not dwell on the article. What is important is that people have a right to know who they are voting for and how they are going to be represented. I have made my personal opinion against spring hunting and on several other issues clear. Now it will be up to the people to decide come June," he said.
The MEP candidate was at the centre of controversy last week when the hunters' federation, FKNK, directed its members not to vote for him in the European Parliament election after he publicly denounced spring hunting during the launch of his electoral campaign.
"If the hunters' association believes it is going to shut me up, it had better change strategy because it will not work. I will continue to push for spring hunting to be stopped," Mr Demicoli had said, reacting to the directive.
ksansone@timesofmalta.com