Referendum, an ideal way to formulate national policies

Provision for referenda is a major democratic step in the 1978 Constitution. It can be used very effectively to find out the opinion of the people on vital national issues. The irony is that ever since its introduction it has not been used for the intended purpose. Instead the very man who introduced it, President J R Jayewardene used the referendum in 1982 to extend the life of the Parliament without holding a general election.

By Gamini Abeywardane 

The idea of using the constitutional option of holding a referendum on a nationally important matter came from none other than President Gotabaya Rajapaksa this week. It was when he said he was ready to hold even a national referendum to change the higher education policy to make it suitable for the country’s modern needs.

The occasion was when he met Vice Chancellors of the national universities along with members of the University Grants Commission to discuss the issues relating to reforms in higher education. One of the major current issues is the non employability of particularly arts graduates passing out of the universities due to lack of vital skills needed in the job market.

The issue is a long standing one probably coming down from late sixties, but none of the ruling politicians ever made a genuine effort to sort out the problem. They all have been talking about the abstract idea of higher education reforms and appointing committees to make recommendations while practically doing nothing to sort it out.

With change of medium of instruction and expansion of university education following political and social changes that began in 1956 a new problem arose when the country started producing arts graduates beyond its requirements.

Most of them were qualified in subjects that had practically no relevance for available jobs while they lacked the minimum skills in vital subjects like the English language and information technology. The net result was although the private sector had opportunities they were not ready to employ these graduates.

We cannot afford to go on producing large numbers of non-employable graduates at public expenses. Obviously the system needs major reforms if we are to progress as a country. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fortunately seems to have correctly understood the issue and also identified the possible solutions without much loss of time.

He had suggested teaching these undergraduates information technology and a foreign language to make them suitable for the employment market. Probably a subject like management also can be included in addition to a main art subject that a student can select.

This is probably the most simple and practical way of resolving the issue although there is likely to be opposition from the traditional academic types.We as a country will not be able to progress unless we introduce some revolutionary changes in our system of education.

As suggested by the President referenda can be used as a way of finding out the opinion of the people on such issues so that whatever the policy changes introduced can be permanent and long lasting, unaffected by political changes.

Provision for referenda is a major democratic step in the 1978 Constitution. It can be used very effectively to find out the opinion of the people on vital national issues. The irony is that ever since its introduction it has not been used for the intended purpose. Instead the very man who introduced it, President J R Jayewardene used the referendum in 1982 to extend the life of the Parliament without holding a general election.

Nearly four decades later it is a salutary development that a leader has thought of using it for nationally important issues. It’s a useful method developed in the Scandinavian countries in order to find the people’s opinion on important matters.

Going one step further, it can be much beneficial if the mode of conducting a referendum can be made easier and less costly with modern technology. Since a referendum is a non-binding one it could be conducted even through the internet. That way the concept of referenda can be used effectively to develop permanent policies on all our national issues.

Often the ideas promoted by political groups are not necessarily the opinion of the people, but eventually they are implemented by fooling the politically active sections of the people causing damage to the country in the long run while the majority of the people observe in silence. So-called revolutionary changes in our university system in the sixties are a classic example and that is where the root of the today’s problem is.