Referendum? You decide

Our National Constitution, unlike countries such as Jamaica and Venezuela, makes no provision for any legally-binding referendum, a point which the organisers admit. The Keith Noel Committee expressed its hopes for the referendum in a paid press advertisement, saying: “When hundreds of thousands of voters demand action, their leaders must respond because it shows that the electorate is ready to use their voting power to demand results.”

How useful will this referendum be?

On one hand there is a view that with a growing murder rate which affects everyone, ordinary people must do something and do not have the option to sit silently. While the Government by definition has a monopoly on legal coercive power, ordinary citizens cannot form vigilante squads but can only demand the Government compel proper action from the Police.

Just as for the petition, some citizens believe there is value to having the public register its views in a quantifiable way through this referendum. While the politicians of all political colours have failed us by their petty squabbling, surely a referendum is a good way to build consensus on the national issue of crime. Let your voices be heard in a measurable way, say some. On the other hand, there is the view that a referendum won’t achieve anything. On the main issue of crime, it’s a practically foregone conclusion that everyone is dissatisfied with the crime level. The only differences of opinion may be whether people think the Government is or is not doing enough to fight crime.

It might be seen as almost trite to hold a referendum on crime. A referendum is usually taken to help a government to make a choice of a course of action, such as the Jamaican government held over the issue of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). In the present case, there is hardly any “choice” to be made, since few would say they support crime.

In addition there may arise concerns about the integrity of the referendum process. The Keith Noel Committee is administering the vote while at the same time clearly taking a side on the issues. Its public advertisements seem to ask leading questions such as saying in one paragraph: “Poverty is Hell...Would you agree that your quality of life has worsened?”

Another issue is that the Keith Noel Committee seems to be broadening from a pressure group on crime to now take on the issues of economics (“poverty”) and politics (“leadership”). Few single-issue pressure groups in Trinidad and Tobago are unable to withstand the temptation to broaden into quasi-political groups.

This broadening allows such groups to tackle additional issues which it considers relevant to its original cause, but it also risks losing members if it is seen to be becoming “political.” In England in the 1980s and 1990s the “green” lobby had little electoral success, yet its single-issue pressure groups were able to hugely influence the policies of the main political parties. The Keith Noel Committee must be forthright in telling the public what its plans are in this regard.

Meanwhile, with the referendum accepting votes by post, phone, Internet or polling station, people will have to decide if to participate or not, and see what the outcome is.