Environment volunteers deserve support, not smears - Repubblika

Volunteers of the Malta Ranger Unit and BirdLife Malta deserve support, not smears, Repubblika said on Tuesday as it slammed former parliamentary secretary Alicia Bugeja Said for her reaction to abuse of the NGOs by her own supporters during Labour victory celebrations. 

Times of Malta reported on Monday that supporters of the parliamentary secretary, who was responsible for animal welfare, celebrated on a trailer featuring a banner promoting her while sporting a rubbish bin ridiculing BirdLife Malta and the Malta Rangers Unit.  

The former minister for animal rights told Times of Malta she was not familiar with the vehicle but added that carcades were “a moment where everyone is free to express their thoughts”.

Bugeja Said said she had “no issue with BirdLife or the rangers” and was "all in favour of NGOs who use legitimate points to condemn violations of animal welfare". She also voiced her support for hunters carrying out legitimate activities.

She claimed she had “seen instances of rangers invading private property”, without providing further details, while emphasising “the need to respect each other”.

Repubblika said the issue was not merely that supporters of a political party chose to mock environmental organisations that dedicate their time and energy to protecting wildlife and enforcing environmental laws. What was particularly concerning was that the former parliamentary secretary responsible for animal rights chose to justify this conduct and then sought to place on the same moral plane those who break laws protecting animals and the environment and those who volunteer to defend them.

"No Parliamentary Secretary for Animal Rights can reasonably be expected to remain neutral between those who shoot protected animals and those who work to protect them. No public official should be neutral between law-breakers and those who assist in enforcing the law," the NGO said.

"It is particularly irresponsible for a former minister to repeat unsubstantiated allegations against environmental volunteers without providing any evidence to support them. Public officials have a duty to uphold the facts and protect those who act in the public interest, not to undermine them."

Repubblika said the Malta Ranger Unit and BirdLife Malta provide an important public service, often at considerable personal risk. The least they were entitled to expect was that politicians who had failed to ensure effective enforcement of environmental laws did not exacerbate the hostility directed against them.