ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, Dec 3, CMC – Chairman of the Constitution Reform Advisory Committee (CRAC), Dr. Francis Alexis, says the national referendum held here late last month showcased Grenada’s democracy and that there are lessons to be learnt.
“All Grenadians must be proud that the Grenadian Referendum showcased the maturing of democracy in Grenada,” said Alexis..
Grenadians voted overwhelmingly to reject all seven bills in the referendum that would have allowed for a reform of the 1974 constitution that country received when it gained political independence from Britain.
Among the legislation defeated was one that would have allowed for Grenada to leave the London-based Privy Council and join the Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as its final court.
In addition, Grenadians voted against giving term limits to the prime minister and changing the name of the island to Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique.
In a statement, Alexis, a former attorney general and constitutional expert, noted that Grenadians have been talking constitution reform since 1985 with reports submitted in 1985, 2006 and 2013. “From January 2014 discussions on the subject intensified. There have been suggestions for teaching of constitutional law in secondary schools and beyond; and civics in primary schools,” Alexis said, noting that copies of the Constitution at the Government Printery were sold out.
He said passionate discussions among people, respectfully disagreeing, multiplied ahead of the referendum which he described as “an election in which the people decide whether to approve a proposal to alter the Constitution to promote a certain idea; this does not decide who forms the Government.
“A parliamentary election, by contrast, is an election in which the people decide which of competing candidates should be the parliamentary representative of the people; this decides who forms the Government.”
He said given that difference, a political party might be inclined not to deploy its mobilising machinery and its election-day mechanisms for a referendum, not as much as for an election.
“But a proposal does not reach a referendum except through Cabinet and the Houses of Parliament. Also, in the culture of democracies, during campaigns, parties motivate people to get ready to vote; and get voters out on election day, even providing transportation.
“In an election, a party openly urges people how to vote; directly campaigning for its candidates. In the referendum, parties were openly saying that people should vote their conscience; whatever might have been intimated indirectly.”
Alexis said that his committee was not a voter-mobilising mechanism.
“It had neither the machinery nor resources nor experience to get voters out to vote. CRAC could provide public education on the Constitution, impart information on the proposals for Constitution Reform, and encourage people to vote.
“Further, different members of CRAC, coming from different bodies including political parties, had varying ideas both on the content and the process. Indeed, CRAC had to ensure that the process was transparent and credible, and to create an atmosphere of consensus. So, CRAC members could not directly take sides.”
Alexis said that this was the first time, then, that Grenadian voters were so much left to fend for themselves as to voting.
“Not surprisingly, therefore, of the some 71, 240 Grenadians registered to vote, only some 32 per cent of them, about 23,000 persons, voted.
“With that low turn-out, the question arises whether there may be a re-visiting of any of the Bills put to the referendum. Only one of the seven Bills may be re-visited without its core principles being structurally overhauled.
“That is the one which attracted the biggest single bloc of voters, the Caribbean Court of Justice (‘CCJ’) Bill; its voters totalled 22, 248; 12, 611 against, 9,637. The CCJ Bill got the second largest number of yes votes, 9, 637 (name change got 9, 685).
“ The CCJ Bill got the second smallest number of no votes, 12, 611 (name change got 12, 454). The only two-thirds vote on the CCJ Bill in any constituency was a yes vote, in the St. George North West home of the Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell, with 778 yes votes and 370 no votes.”
Alexis said regarding the CCJ Bill, the referendum vote is unfinished business.
“This is not so of any of the other six Bills; they need serious surgery before they may again face the people. To this extent, the only survivor from the referendum is the CCJ Bill.”
In his statement, Alexis praised the Keith Mitchell administration for staying “the course with admirable political will, despite various challenges, including an application for an injunction to stop the referendum”.