Opinions to express
I would like to reiterate that, once again in this land of Sicily, one is not free to express one's opinion, without in the least wanting to offend institutions and/or other associations, and that one does not risk being accused of being singled out as "critical" of the work of Councilor Luca Sammartino regarding the Draft of Hunting Calendar 2023/24. With our "communication request for a meeting", we have not intended in the slightest to take away our trust in Councilor Luca Sammartino. We are, however, only regretted that others have spoken for us insinuating, on our behalf, to be detractors of the Councilor's work. In our press release, signed by ten Hunting Associations present in Sicily, we only wanted to reiterate that our observations on the Draft, formulated verbally and subsequently in writing, as requested by the Assessor, were not, as it appears, accepted.
Right to express yourself
And in fact, in order to compare the Draft Calendar delivered to us at the Wildlife Hunting Committee with the one sent to Ispra, I verbally requested the Offices in charge to have a copy but, alas, in defiance of any principle of collaboration and transparency, the request is left without any response. The truth is that, if our criticisms had been a speculative attempt, we would have waited for a hypothetical negative opinion from Ispra before making them against the councilor's work. In addition to this topic, we took the liberty of reminding the Councilor what concerns we have for the many existing problems. Maybe we were wrong to externalize them? We believe, however, that we have every right to be able to speak out by expressing the existing critical issues.
The Sicilian hunting world
We are well aware that the sum of €70.000,00 had already been allocated for the census of the wild rabbit which will be used for the third time, using a Project provided free of charge by my Association. Our concern, however, goes further because it looks at many other wild species. Finally, I would like to remind you that the Italian Hunting Federation has always been available for collaboration with the Offices, with the various Assessors that follow one another and has never backed down, perhaps spending its own funds for the common good. Today, coincidentally, we have become, together with the other Associations with which we share a unitary project, only critics and we receive denials and no answers. In conclusion, I would like to express my personal regret about this story as it all serves only to try to split a Sicilian hunting world, already quite indented, which is taking its first steps towards a common discourse. What, moreover, was desired by the Sicilian Hunters. If finally today ten Associations, but surely tomorrow there will be still others, sit down around a table to discuss together the Hunting problem, which unites everyone, and to try to be more incisive in formulating the requests for many things that belong to us but what ever we had bothers? Let the dialogue between the hunting associations be welcome. Attention, however, to the detractors (The President of FIDC Sicily Giuseppe La Russa).