A nukes referendum will do more harm than good

Published Jan 3, 2016

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Koert Meyer

I could not believe my eyes when I saw this heading: “Catholics want government to call nuclear referendum” (Cape Times, December 30).

Referendums are extremely costly, very emotive, even more divisive, and something that modern democracies only opt for in highly contentious cases.

Most people agree that nuclear is not the right option, especially for our country. The disasters in both Japan and Russia have forced many nations to reconsider whether nuclear against renewable energy is the right way to go.

What about countries with ulterior motives, like Iran?

Only countries with small and mostly homogeneous populations use this avenue to test their people’s will, as in the example of Italy, mentioned in this letter. Italy is a highly developed First World nation, also a member of the G8 group – the richest economies in the Western world. England will hold a referendum in 2017 about whether it should be a member of the EU. Already, warnings are going up that this could cause the break-up of Britain.

Our country’s last referendum was on the eve of our dawning democracy when white compatriots (other race groups were excluded) were asked to express their will about the new era. This caused divisions not only in their ranks, but equally damaging to the country as a whole.

Governments are always quick to go for referendums as it suits them. But the greatest danger of the referendum path is its opening of doors to other, even more dangerous issues like the death penalty, a third term for presidents, land rights, a wealth tax, whether English should be our only language of communication and all the others being subordinate to it, and so on.

Two African countries recently held referendums on the same issue: a third term for their presidents, namely Burundi and Rwanda. Burundi is still embroiled in an ongoing civil war already costing hundreds of lives. But, interestingly, the Rwandan people voted overwhelmingly – with a decisive 98 percent majority – in favour of a third term for their beloved president, Paul Kagame, who saved the country from sinking into the abyss during the Rwandan genocide in 1994.

We should be cautious of our country also opting for such referendums for third terms for presidents. Our president has already made noises in that direction.

As far as the death penalty is concerned, the Catholic Church is vehemently opposed to this despicable form of punishment. However, as is the danger with referendums, we will never know how many of them voted in favour of it.

The problem in our country at present is the fact that too many groups, especially political parties, cannot stomach the fact that a “black” government is ruling us. The DA, being the largest opposition grouping, is often accused of trying to govern the country through the courts, at great cost to taxpayers. In Parliament, almost every suggestion is put to the vote by means of senseless calls for division.

Lastly, how informed is our electorate about such an issue as nuclear power? Clearly, this writer did not think this matter through.

Any referendum will take our country to our abyss sooner than we realise.

l Meyer writes in his personal capacity from Welgelegen

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