Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1541179
IN life there are certain beliefs that form the core of your being. Beliefs that constitute your moral compass. For me, my core belief is that we need to work hard so that there is a fair chance for all. About 13 years ago at the Democratic Party's National Convention, Michelle Obama said "When you've worked hard, and done well, and walked through that doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you… you reach back, and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed." This quote sums up my political beliefs. All of us as individuals have a duty to work hard to make a success of our life, but in doing so we cannot exclude those who are yet to succeed— we need to be there to help those others across. Recent budgets have sought to create the best foundation for our economy to grow, so that the resulting wealth could flow to as many peo- ple as possible. They gave central importance to people joining the workforce, and then for them to improve their working conditions and move upwards. They recognised the importance of the main transitions in life—getting your first job, starting a family and purchasing a first proper- ty—and helped people during them. Labour has done a lot for families. Recent ad- ministrations have not just greatly strengthened the children's allowance. The birth bonus was introduced, and improved time and again. Free childcare was complemented with the tapering of benefits and the introduction of the in-work benefit to low-income parents. Parental leave was introduced, and maternity and paternity leave strengthened. I am pleased to note that Budget 2026 introduces more leave for parents going through hard times, such as those with children that need neo-natal care, while spreading cov- erage to groups such as self-employed women. Moreover, I look forward to the announced na- tional discussion about how to improve work-life balance in our country. The introduction of special parent tax rates is another important step to help families reach their aspiration. Like we are doing on the med- ical front with IVF, we must do the same on the economic front to ensure that all those who want to have children are able to. We know that thousands of Maltese women in the past were unjustly precluded from con- tributing to the economy because society made them quit work when they had children. I cannot but approve of schemes introduced to give these women an opportunity to become pensioners. In the same way, the reform of the way child rearing credits work makes it more certain that caregivers' choices are not penalised by the social security system. The extension of pension cred- iting schemes to cover those who care for their older disabled children is also a step in the right direction. Helping families and those in need is the cor- nerstone of this year's budget. I cannot but mention some of the measures that I value the most. The extension of the refund for therapy costs to cover those aged between 16 and 23 and the increase of the refund will help hundreds of parents of disabled children. The initiatives in favour of mental health, such as Blossom in Gozo and the Family Community School Link programme, have the potential to be life-chang- ers for many children. The credits given to vol- untary associations in the field of disability and animal welfare to make good for their outlays on utilities is another major measure. It might not cost much, but the good that will come out of it is immeasurable. The same applies to the reform of the Family Court, an institution that touches thousands of lives and which we must streamline and strengthen. As president of Special Olympics, I am very pleased with the one-million-euro allocation to help us organise an international swimming competition for people with intellectual disabil- ities. I also welcome the setting up of the Young Shapers Forum that will complement the Youth Advisory Forum and give youths the chance to influence the discussion at the MCESD. Like- wise, as a mother of a young girl, I agree strong- ly with the budget measure obliging the state to provide menstrual products to girls in secondary schools and thus helping to fight stigma. Simi- larly, I look forward to the consultation on social media use among children and teens. Finally, it is important for government to pro- vide affordable housing to youths and to improve other housing assistance. Yet, for me, the few thousands of euros that will be spent to provide alternative accommodation for victims of do- mestic violence is equally, if not more, important. A strong country cannot afford to leave its most vulnerable behind. By working together, we can give a fair chance to all. 6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 9 NOVEMBER 2025 OPINION Lydia Abela Building a future that gives a fair chance to all Lawyer I am pleased to note that Budget 2026 introduces more leave for parents going through hard times, such as those with children that need neo-natal care, while spreading coverage to groups such as self- employed women FKNK'S Lino Farrugia argued in MaltaToday that the proposed amendment to the Constitution proposed by the Opposition de- fined the environment in broad terms. He argued that including "air, water, land, ecosystems, bio- diversity and natural resources, as well as social and cultural condi- tions," would allow "any person in Malta, regardless of personal inter- est, to take legal action" with poten- tially draconian consequences. THE definition of 'environment' as envisaged in proposal is in fact consistent with international hu- man rights and environmental law precedents. Recognising the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment inevitably touches on interconnected elements—air, wa- ter, land, biodiversity, ecosystems and human wellbeing. In view of this, allowing persons to seek re- dress when environmental rights are breached is a recognised fea- ture of access to justice in many jurisdictions. Far from being "dic- tatorship-like", such provisions strengthen democracy by giving voice to those affected. FARRUGIA repeatedly frames the bill as a "gift from the PN to extremist groups and individuals … who could use it much more easily and cheaply instead of a ref- erendum," and warns of "fanatical groups" with personal agendas at- tacking hunters. THE characterisation of citizens demanding environmental rights as "extremist" or "fanatical" is typical. This tactic is a narrative continu- ously used by the hunting lobby and government ministers to hit out at environmental NGOs. ADVOCACY for stronger protec- tions of biodiversity, ecosystems and migratory species is not ex- tremism. In fact, the democratic mechanism of a referendum exists precisely to ensure direct citizen participation. To claim the bill sub- verts the referendum process with- out providing evidence of oppor- tunistic misuse is incorrect. RECOGNISING an environmental right does not equate to banning or undermining lawful, regulat- ed hunting. It simply ensures that all land-use, wildlife management and human activities are consistent with protecting the environment and species, including migratory species. Hunters who operate in full compliance with the law and best practice should have nothing to fear from a constitutional right to a clean environment. MALTA is party to the EU Birds Directive and related policies; en- suring that environmental rights and sustainable hunting regimes coexist is entirely consistent with EU law and modern conservation practice. FARRUGIA raises a democracy concern: "Isn't it shameful … that parliament should amend the Con- stitution on the basis of a private member's bill?" IN many democratic legislatures, private members' bills are precisely the mechanism by which constitu- tional or legislative change is initiat- ed by MPs. The mechanism is dem- ocratic, provided proper procedure (committees, public consultation, parliamentary debate) is followed. What matters is the substance of the amendment, the consultation process, and the safeguards. In fact, given the wide and long-term im- plications of environmental degra- dation on Malta's economy, biodi- versity, public health and tourism, a constitutional recognition of en- vironmental rights is timely, and could provide clarity to future gov- ernance decisions. THE bill as proposed offers Malta an opportunity to align with mod- ern environmental governance, ensure that our natural heritage is protected for future generations, and provide citizens with mean- ingful mechanisms to hold deci- sion-makers to account. I invite Lino Farrugia and his organ- isation to engage constructively in shaping how environmental rights and regulated hunting can coexist. Running away from the idea of en- vironmental rights serves no one— including the hunting community. I am not too surprised that Farrugia has reneged on changing the image of his organisation, but I am sur- prised with FKNK President Lucas Micallef. JUST as the hunting lobby has long leveraged political pressure to se- cure its interests, it now seems to be on the receiving end of similar tac- tics from those in power. Micallef has struggled to justify his organisa- tion's silence on the proposed plan- ning reforms that would devastate the very landscapes hunters depend on. The reason is obvious—FKNK dared not bite the hand that feeds it. Mark Sultana Time for the hunting lobby to engage constructively CEO of Birdlife Malta