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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 14 AUGUST 2016 26 Letters Simon Barnes is chirping. The London Times's nature columnist expresses his glee that the 'turrr-turrring' of the turtle dove is to return, the deep, vibrating purring song from which the bird's name is derived, and which heralds its arrival in spring. "It's the sound of the great honey-still-for-tea sound of the English summer", Barnes writes at news that Malta's hunting onslaught is under threat from Brussels. Two years since Malta's entry into the European Union, following endless petitions and parlia- mentary motions by MEPs, Brussels is about to do what no Maltese legislature was ever ready to damage its electoral chances for. Malta's exclusive permission to hunt turtle dove and quail in spring, right during their susceptible migration from Africa into Europe for breeding, is to cease. Today the Commission is saying the Maltese will have to turn to hunting of the two species in autumn rather than in the spring season, which starts in March during their return from Africa to their breeding grounds in Europe. Malta is the only EU member state where spring hunting is allowed, since it implements a derogation under article 9 of the Birds Directive allowing hunting on only two species and in line with certain rules. In order to allow this, however, Malta has to justify its position every year with the Commission. Observers who watched the National- ist government negotiate Malta's entry into the EU seemed to know that the derogation would have been short-lived unless the government could convince Brussels that the derogation was justi- fied. Now it looks like the hunters have shot themselves in the foot. Last month, the European Commission started legal procedures against the Maltese govern- ment over the spring hunting of two species of quails and turtle doves, which are not covered by the derogation. The government has stated it will challenge the legal action, although ob- servers believe it is a show of force that is destined to fail when the European Court of Justice delivers its verdict. The legal showdown promises to be expen- sive – in between the infringement fines and the legal expenses to challenge the Commission in the Court of Justice, it is taxpayers' money that will have to be forked out for the traditional pastime of hunters and trappers. Joanna Drake, the Commission's head of delegation in Malta, explains that the Maltese claim of absence of opportuni- ties to hunt quails and turtle doves in autumn had not been supported by data for hunting levels. Since the derogation can only be granted on condition that no other satisfactory solution exists, which remains a fundamental requirement, Malta was told it would not be able to exercise its right to derogate from the Birds Directive. Eurocracy versus hunting: game on Send your letters to: The Editor, MaltaToday, MediaToday Ltd. Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 | Fax: (356) 21 385075 E-mail: newsroom@mediatoday.com.mt. Letters to the Editor should be concise. No pen names are accepted. 13 August 2006 "Gozitans need to play a 'bigger role' in decision- making" – Time to revive the Gozo Party? What is meant by the statement expressed by the Prime Minister of Malta is a mystery to me. The Gozo Ministry was established for this very purpose – Gozitans needed a voice at cabinet level. There you go, we have given Gozitans what they deserved – a Minister for Gozo! During its not very long history we have had three Ministers for Gozo – the first, Anton Tabone, the second, Govanna Debono and the third, Anton Refalo. I have to admit that all three of them had and still have Gozo at heart. They worked and still work hard for the benefit of Gozo and the Gozitans. Anton Tabone pioneered the Ministry for Gozo at a time when "money was no problem". He managed to clean up Gozo and fix all the main roads and introduce new projects, like the multi- purpose Sports Hall, the Gozo University Centre (now Campus) and the Qbajjar promenade, among others. He was the one for whom Gozo came first and he dedicated his efforts to see that Gozo had a voice at cabinet level. It was a time when Gozo was the envy of Malta when it comes to good roads and public cleanli- ness. The result? He lost his seat in Parliament because he did not dedicate enough time to see to his constituents' requests. Ergo no vote! The second, Govanna Debono, learned the lesson well and she dedicated her time and efforts to see to her constituents' requests and the result was that votes were coming in one election after the other. As to the third, the present minister, Anton Refalo, he is try- ing to strike a balance. What the result will be we will know in less than two years' time. What I know is that Gozo has been treated as an appendix – and a sick one for what it matters – of Malta for too long now. They see us as a problem, a liability, when in actual fact Gozo is a very important asset that can generate wealth if it is given the attention that it deserves. Ministers for Gozo are no more than beggars, trying to plead with their fellow ministers in government to grant something to Gozo. The parties always promise, especially when an election is due, but do they deliver? And why do they not? The answer is simple, Gozo is not on their mind when they devise strategies and policies for the Maltese islands. Gozo does not have a voice! How can we give ourselves a voice? The main problem with the present system is that the Minister for Gozo is appointed from among the elected Gozitan candidates of the party that has won the election. Therefore, he or she has no option but to plead for some of the crumbs that fall under the table and toe the line and bow his or her head – the prime allegiance is not to Gozo but to the party. The alternative would be for Gozitans to have their own party, strong enough to make a difference, and to have their minister appointed from among the elected members of their party. Some may raise an eyebrow, others may find this to be ridicu- lous and do their best to discard it – but these do not know my fellow Gozitans the way that I do! Both parties are very much aware that the Gozo vote is of critical importance for a party to win the general election. I have already been approached by a number of well-meaning and serious minded islanders to do something in this direction: To give a voice to Gozo and to put it in our Prime Minis- ter's words – to play a bigger role in decision-making! If you are interested in this project send an email to: thego- zoparty@gmail.com Dr Joe Azzopardi is Senior Lecturer at the Department of Management, University of Malta The kindness and honesty of strangers I am an Irishman who retired to Malta five years ago after many years in international education abroad. I presently live in Marsas- kala. A friend of mine recently ac- cused me of being the eternal pessimist. In so many ways, he may be right. As a retired profes- sional, I don't find there is much to be optimistic about when I look around the world today. I often ponder what a mess we have left to the next generation. However, in recent months the people of Malta have restored in me a real sense of optimism. This new-found faith is the result of two incidents which occurred in the last three months. The first took place at the mar- ket in Marsaxlokk. My niece was visiting from Boston, USA and as part of our Malta tour, I took her to the Sunday market. She loved the colour, diversity of stalls and amazing variety of food/goods on display. She also commented upon the unique spirit of the sellers. She paused at a stall to buy some Malta honey. Unknowingly, she accidentally dropped her credit card. Hundreds of people were bustling through those stalls that morning. We had walked onward for about 15 minutes before she became aware of her loss. She initially panicked and feared the worst. I tried to calm her down and reassure her that Malta was very different from other countries where the likelihood of recovering such items would be nil. We returned to all the stalls visited until eventually we got back to the honey sales stall. There, a smiling Maltese lady held up her credit card and told her she had dropped it. My niece was overwhelmed when the lady said, "Hey, don't worry, this is Malta. If the card was worth one cent or a million euro, we would return it to you." Two days later my niece left Malta after seeing many beautiful places, but I know her strong- est memory will be the honesty of the Marsaxlokk sales lady. I am sure she has told relatives and friends back in the States about that amazing experience in Malta which renewed her faith in humanity. Holidays are not just about sightseeing. In this cynical world, the people of Malta have done something far more important. They have renewed my niece's faith in the natural good- ness of people. The second incident occurred on August 9th when I helped a friend collect his daughter and school friends at Malta Airport. They were visiting from the UK. We collected them and their suitcases at the airport and returned them to his home in Kalkara. When we reached his street, we noticed that the road had been blocked off by a building crane, thus cutting off access. This meant we had to park our cars some distance from the house and carry the suitcases in the early afternoon heat. In the process, my wallet, containing all my credit cards, ID card, driving licence etc had disappeared. An hour later, I realized the wal- let was gone. I immediately rang my bank to cancel the cards. I am not a great supporter of banks, but the HSBC lady who answered my call was amazing. She calmly can- celled my cards within a matter of minutes and reassured me about replacements. However, it was her humanity which impressed me most. She took the time to say how sorry she was, hoped the wallet would turn up and reassured me that I had done everything I could. Then, I went to the airport to ask if they had found anything. The airport staff once again were courteous and helpful and advised me to speak to airport police. When I reached the station, a young police officer named Chris was very helpful and drafted the police re- port which his colleagues duly fol- lowed up the following morning. After a sleepless night, my mo- bile rang at 7am the following day. To my relief, a kind cheerful young woman from Kalkara informed me that her mother had found my wallet open in the street. I was so relieved and went to meet her that afternoon. Whilst the money had been taken, all my cards were still inside. The kind and honest lady, Mrs Margaret Grech of 103 Rinel- la Street, Kalkara, had noticed the wallet lying open in the street and rescued it. Her daughter returned the wallet to me at Kalkara church and I'm sure witnessed the relief upon my face. These good people are such an example to the com- munity and Malta at large for their wonderful honesty. These two incidents demon- strate for me the truly special na- ture of Maltese people. Their hon- esty is something heart warming and truly unique for which Malta should be genuinely proud. Also the kindness of others in times of adversity, like the HSBC lady, the airport staff and police officers are equally important when you are dealing with a stressful situation. To all these wonderful people, I can only say a sincere thank you, you make the world a better place! Eamonn Hogan Marsascala