Hunting, for Joseph Muscat, will be what divorce was for Lawrence Gonzi.
Whatever the outcome of the 11 April referendum on spring hunting, Joseph Muscat will be remembered in history as the prime minister under whose tenure spring hunting was either abolished forever or ingrained in our lives for good.
Just as much as former Nationalist Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi will be associated with the introduction of divorce four years ago, Joseph Muscat will be linked with the result of the hunting referendum.
If the pro-hunting lobby loses the vote, the prime minister will have to face the wrath of the hunters who will have to give up the practice that Dr Muscat, in the pre-election campaign, promised they would keep. It is not enough that he is voting yes and is doing his utmost to campaign in favour of a “yes” vote. The hunters will not forgive him if they lose. We all know that the hunting community forms a large segment of the voting population, and this could start eating away at the comfortable lead Labour won at the last election. It is a known fact that hunters vote with their shotguns.
If the anti-hunting lobby loses the vote, the prime minister will have to face the anger of the environmentalists who will see their years-long effort to eradicate the practice go up in smoke. Joseph Muscat will be blamed for taking a stand in favour of hunting; he will be branded as someone who is in favour of the indiscriminate killing of innocent birds on their way to breed. He will not be forgiven each time hunting abuse takes place, and even when, during the hunting season, early morning shots shatter the peaceful silence of the countryside.
If the pro-hunting lobby wins, Joseph Muscat will not be given any credit for it by the hunters, who see what they call as sport as a right they should enjoy. If, as is being said, a victory for hunters will lead to more abuse and incidents, Joseph Muscat will be held responsible for the fracas by those who campaigned against.
If the anti-hunting lobby wins, Joseph Muscat will be on the losing side, given his stand in favour. A loss, in whatever form, is always a loss, and it is always a bigger defeat if the person who loses is the one who is leading the country.
The hunting referendum is a lose-lose situation for the Prime Minister.