In an ideal world, everyone’s rights would be respected – Falzon

FKNK petition

In an ideal world, everyone’s rights would be respected, Parliamentary Secretary for Planning and the Simplification of Administration, Michael Falzon, told The Malta Independent on Sunday.

He was referring to proposals regarding changes to the Referenda Act to include a clause which would defend the interests of minorities.

The Parliamentary Secretary said that the petition is currently in front of Parliament and the process of evaluating the recommendations needs to run its course. “I believe that the rights of everyone need to be looked at and that nobody will get hurt,” Dr Falzon said.

“Over 104,000 signatures were presented, which represent a significant percentage of the population. As such, I had an obligation to move the proposal forward,” he explained.

Dr Falzon believes that in an ideal world; “which is something we should strive for, the rights of everyone will be respected.” He was reacting to questions posed by this paper regarding the possibility that changes to the act could infringe on the rights of other minority groups.

“There is nothing to stop any group from presenting a motion to Parliament. In fact, this proposal was backed by a number of different groups,” he said. “What’s important is that Parliament takes its course and that we follow the law,” he added.

Proposals cause confusion

The proposals submitted to Parliament by the FKNK, regarding possible changes to the Referenda Act, have caused a great deal of confusion over the past week.

The question of what constitutes a minority, as highlighted by this media house, is at the forefront of the discussion. Dean of the Faculty of Law, Kevin Aquilina, said; “The wording of the proposed amendment to the Referenda Act, put forward by the FKNK, to protect the rights of minorities, tends to be vague and general. This might cause problems with regards to the implementation of this proposal in concrete situations. If the expression ‘minority’ is left undefined, it will be problematic to determine who constitutes a minority.”

Lawyer Ramona Frendo agreed with the argument. “If the petition had spoken only of minority rights, then perhaps, conceptually, one would concede a philosophical and political discussion as to whether minority rights should be the subject of an abrogative referendum. However, the petition goes far beyond this and speaks of ‘interests and privileges’. Now, I dare anyone to find a hobby, a pastime, or indeed a disgusting habit, which would not, somehow, fall within the concept of ‘interests’ or ‘privileges,’” she said.

The question as to whether or not people were properly informed when signing the petition is also one clouded in mystery. On the one hand, FKNK Secretary General told our sister newspaper, The Malta Independent, that during the press conference announcing their decision to begin the petition, it would not solely be about Spring hunting, but would focus on protecting minority rights. On the other hand, the march towards Parliament to hand over the petitions saw members holding a large banner which said; “After hunters, you could be next”. Sources had told this paper, as mentioned in previous articles, that hunting was never mentioned when asked to sign the petition.

BirdLife Malta believes that hunters are not part of a minority, as they have nothing to do with religion, sexual orientation or race.

The FKNK, on the other hand, described a minority as a group of people that is of a number below 50 per cent plus one of the population.

An intimidating thought

A rather intimidating thought was presented by Dr Ramona Frendo. Should the FKNK petition be upheld, the net result would be that nobody would be able to call for an abrogative referendum about a law which impinges upon minority rights, privileges or interests. The Lawyer indicated that this would not however stop Parliament from legislating, regardless of whether it infringes on the rights, privileges or interests of minorities.

FKNK comment on PN stance

The Federation of Hunters, Trappers and Conservationists (FKNK) yesterday said that nobody in Parliament can ignore such a substantial number of signatories to a petition.

In a recent statement, the FKNK noted its dissatisfaction at the Opposition, which has not yet supported the proposed changes to the Referenda Act. The FKNK said that various PN representatives have made it clear that they intend to support the abrogative referendum proposed by the anti-hunting lobby.

The FKNK posed a question to Opposition Deputy Leader Beppe Fenech Adami: “Do you believe it right to ignore the wishes of over 100,000 people?”