In 1998, Prime Minister Lawrence on behalf of the Nationalist party signed an agreement on the eve of an election with the hunting Federation, which amongst other assurances states the Nationalist Party assured its full cooperation in finding suitable solutions to the points raised, the St Hubert Hunters argued.

Unfortunately the said agreement dates back to 1998 when Dr Lawrence Gonzi, then the party secretary, was not free to dictate how an election should be run, the hunters added. Dr Gonzi as Deputy Leader prior to the EU referendum also endorsed the written letters by Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami and all the PN publications concerning guarantees sent to all hunters and trappers, the St Hubert Hunters said.

The hunting group said that at the time of these agreements the Nationalist Party was content with having 10,000 guns and 4000 trappers on its side. Also it was not concerned about keeping “country weekends free and peaceful, open spaces in which children can play, adults can unwind and dogs roam” neither was it concerned with “keeping birds safe within European law”, the said. On the contrary it lowered the age for people to obtain a gun license and until quite recently it “stuck out it neck” for hunters.

The eve of the 2013 elections now see a different Nationalist Party led by the same Dr Lawrence Gonzi that seems to be preying on another sector of society for votes, the hunters added. Having weighed its options it ignored the hunters concerns addressed by the PL which were also presented to the PN and which it could have rectified if that meant votes, and turned green to try and win green votes, the St Hubert Hunters announced.

“Apart from having to still prove its green credentials, since beautiful words and opening parks on the eve of an election is not that convincing after 25 years in government, the Nationalist party seems out to lure another sector of society,” the hunters addressed.