The Government has now announced the referendum on the new constitution scheduled for May will be postponed to a later date.
We applaud the government for making what was probably a disappointing decision, however it was clear from recent dialogue and debate that the public simply isn’t well enough informed yet on the subject to make a reasoned decision.
Equally, it is also clear the government wasn’t ready to proceed either. Here we were a month before the scheduled referendum and there was no date set, no question formulated and no law passed to allow for the referendum.
Now we learn that five non-governmental organisations banded together to request a delay in the referendum so a structured civic education campaign could be commenced on the constitution matter.
The NGOs pointed out in a statement issued to the media on Wednesday that the government’s education campaign on this issue was being conducted simultaneously with its efforts to solicit the views of the electorate.
The NGOs think this approach is untenable, and so do we.
The government cannot simply hold a series of public meetings in which it informs people about its proposals, answers questions or responds to comments, and then considers this a full public consultation.
People need the time to digest what they’ve heard, to discuss the issues with others, to weigh alternate views, and to do their own investigations into the matter.
People also need to hear views on the subject from other groups in a structured way, whether it be public meetings, position papers, or both.
The recent series of Constitutional Review Secretariat meetings have stirred some serious debate and sparked probably unprecedented interest on the subjects of the constitution and bill of rights. This is wonderful.
But when basic questions like whether the UK demands a bill of rights be enshrined in a new constitution still linger, the public cannot possibly make an informed decision.
And then there’s the element of time.
According to UK Justice Secretary Jack Straw, England is about to commence a process to draw up its first written constitution. He believes the process could take between 10 and 20 years.
Although we certainly hope it does not take that long for Cayman to modernise its constitution, we see no reason to rush the process now.
Leader of Government Business Kurt Tibbetts said earlier this year the constitution modernisation process would take as long as it takes. We assume by that he meant it would take as long as the people need to make an informed decision.
We hope the government refrains from setting a referendum date until the educational process is complete to the public’s satisfaction.
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