{"id":21666,"date":"2018-11-13T10:58:46","date_gmt":"2018-11-13T14:58:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=21666"},"modified":"2018-11-13T11:02:34","modified_gmt":"2018-11-13T15:02:34","slug":"ccj-can-wait-group-concerned-about-post-referendum-statements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/ccj-can-wait-group-concerned-about-post-referendum-statements\/","title":{"rendered":"CCJ Can Wait Group Concerned About Post-Referendum Statements"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(PRESS RELEASE)<\/p>

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Congratulations to the people of Antigua and Barbuda on hosting our first ever referendum on November 6<\/g>th<\/g><\/sup> 2018!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We also extend our congratulations to everyone who worked\ntirelessly behind the scene.<\/strong><\/p>

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The people have spoken and their voice, or as our Prime Minister\nsays \u201cthe voice of God\u201d must be heard and respected.<\/p>

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As such, we are gravely concerned about discussions in some\nquarters, less than a week after the referendum, to find ways to scheme around\nthe will of the people or to dilute the power of the people as safeguarded in\nour Constitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Would we truly be any better than our former colonial masters if\nour own leaders simply trample the will of the people?<\/p>

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We were also quite alarmed at the vitriol which was allowed to be\naired on state media as we awaited the referendum results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This type of antagonistic and inflammatory rhetoric, simply and\nunnecessarily further divides our people, and does nothing to advance the goal\nof reform.<\/p>

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We take this time to express our disappointment at the low voter turnout\non such an important matter. We were however not entirely surprised as it ties\ninto our raised concerns about the insufficient public education and the\nlimited and apparently hurried timeframe in which this referendum was\nconducted.<\/p>

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The need for sustained public education is evident and we remain\ncommitted to assisting in this regard, and look forward to partnering with our\ngovernment to this end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were dismayed to hear Prime Minster Browne\u2019s statement\nimmediately after the results of the referendum indicating that his\nadministration would no longer be pursuing constitutional reform or another\nreferendum in the near future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This position is in direct contradiction to the voluntary, written\ncommitment which the Prime Minister had given to pursuing wider constitutional\nreform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We urge our Prime Minister to not just give up at the first\nstumbling block, but to instead start now to put in the necessary groundwork:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Sustained Education <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    The three-month election campaign model has proven to be\ninadequate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We call on the governments of the Caribbean and the governments of\nall of the Eastern Caribbean states in particular to invite the region\u2019s most\nsuccessful institution, the University of the West Indies, to assist them in\ndevising an appropriate public education campaign that will win favour with the\npeople in the region as a whole. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If state media is to be a credible part of that campaign then the\nunprofessional and imbalanced programming which featured prominently in the\nreferendum campaign cannot be repeated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n