The number of people who have signed the petition calling for a referendum to ban Spring hunting has risen to over 40,000, Rudolph Ragonesi, a representative of the organising coalition of NGOs, said this evening.
Speaking on TimesTalk on TVM, Dr Ragonesi said the collection of signatures had proceeded faster than expected, due to circumstances such as a number of cases of illegal hunting and the decision by the FKNK to try to 'move the goalposts' by starting a petition for amendments to the Referenda Act.
Joe Perici Calascione, representing the FKNK hunters' federation, said he could not at this stage say how many signatures had been collected by by the federation in support of its petition. He was not surprised that 40,000 signatures had been collected by the coalition after a number of months, saying many people may have been tricked.
During the debate, Dr Ragonesi said the petition would be restricted solely to banning Spring hunting, and not all hunting outright.The aim was to protect birds during breeding.
During the discussion, Charlo Bonnici, representing the PN, said the party was in favour of limited spring hunting.
Parliamentary Secretary Roderick Galdes said the government was applying the derogation on Spring hunting correctly and therefore hunting could be practised. Law enforcement too, had been improved.
Both MPs were unable to say what their position would be if a referendum was called.
In a reaction, Dr Ragonesi said the referendum gave the people the right to decide, not the politicians.
Mr Perici Calascione said he hoped the referendum would not be held. He asked who had given the right to the NGOs to destroy hunting.
Dr Ragonesi said it was the people who were being asked to decide.
Mr Perici Calascione said this was not about Spring hunting but went beyond. Furthermore such a referendum would open the way for action to be taken also against the interests and privileges enjoyed by other minorities.
Dr Ragonesi said a privilege meant something which was even more superior than a right, and hunters had neither a right, nor a privilege.
Mr Perici Calascione insisted there should be tolerance.