Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/199842
21 Feature maltatoday, SUNDAY, 27 OCTOBER 2013 ghts and wrongs expediency of keeping the hunting lobby sweet by letting them shoot in spring? A shot Pallid Harrier. Hundreds of Pallid Harriers are shot during spring and autumn Right or wrong? In all of these instances hunters' assumed rights impinge on the widely recognised and accepted rights of others: the right to access public areas of the countryside in safety whatever the time of year, the right to feel secure in you own property, the right to share in the collective enjoyment of Malta's wildlife. True rights should be enjoyed by everyone equally, not exclusively by one group of people to the detriment of others. This is why spring hunting is an issue that affects all Maltese people and why all Maltese people should have a say in its future. Successive Maltese governments (of whatever political party) have remained deaf to arguments about the impact of spring hunting on wild bird populations. They have paid little heed to concerns about safe and fair access to the countryside, or to the collateral damage caused by illegal hunting of protected species. In fact, they seem only to have ears for the hunters' demands. A public referendum on spring hunting has emerged as the only way to make politicians listen to the will of the majority on the issue of spring hunting. In a modern democratic society issues that concern and affect all Maltese people PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID TIPLING Why a referendum and why now? should not be decided based only on the special interests of a minority group wielding disproportionate political influence. The guiding The hunting lobby has held the political parties to ransom principle of democracy is that the varied interests of all members of the population should be given equal weight. If that means signing a petition so that the government has to hold a referendum, then that is what we should all be doing if democracy and equal rights are truly ideals to which we aspire. Signing the petition A referendum on spring hunting will only be possible if enough people not only want it to happen, but sign the petition to say so. Before the petition can be presented to the government, 35,000 people (10% of voters) have to sign it, giving their name address and ID card number. All of these people must be Maltese citizens eligible to vote in a general election. All information provided on the petition forms is subject to the data protection act and will be kept confidential and not shared with any third parties or used in any way other than for the petition itself. The campaign for a referendum on spring hunting has been quietly gathering pace over the last two months, with around 15,000 people already signing the petition so far. But now we need your help to collect the rest. The petition form that comes with this article can be filled in by up to 12 people – and you can make as many copies of the blank form as you need to collect more signatures, so you can get your friends, family members and colleagues at work to sign before returning the form to the address provided. If you want to help make sure that spring hunting is put to a public vote, please share this petition as widely as you can and encourage others to do the same. Blank petition forms can be obtained from BirdLife Malta or from any of the Coalition partners. If you would like to help with the collection of signatures at public events, please contact BirdLife Malta, office@ birdlifemalta.org, or the Coalition for the Abolition of Spring Hunting, cashmalta2013@gmail.com