Referendums are important tools
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Editor,
The People’s Voice, Inc. Media Team did an excellent job reporting on the first half of the Council’s denial of the second petition. I am going to address the second, possibly the most important half.
The Legal Department, namely Ranald McDonald, is remiss once more in advising that the referendum petition is more properly akin to an initiative. The term “initiative” would be appropriate only if the members had proposed some form of legislation or law. An initiative is used in instances where formal laws are made or proposed in the form of Constitutions, constitutional amendments, etc. A referendum petition is merely requesting that council bring this matter to the popular vote of the eligible voters within the Flathead Reservation. A referendum is defined as “the process of referring,” as in referring to Resolution 12-180 for the people to have final approval by a popular vote.
The membership has the authority, by Article IX of the Confederated Tribes Constitution, to vote on the enacted Resolution 12-180 to decide how the tribal settlement is to be paid out to the tribal members. This would require a straight “up and down” or “yes” or “no” vote by the tribal membership, as suggested by Ranald McDonald.
In the approved tribal minutes of July 11, 2013, page 6, Ranald McDonald reported that “the Tribes have spent a substantial amount of staff’s time responding to this petition. It has been a very time-consuming process.” Council requested a report on the cost of staff time spent on the petition. Mr. McDonald, isn’t this your job to oversee and give council your best advice based upon the facts? Time and again you have given erroneous advice to council.
The referendum process outlined in Article IX is the only democratic process the tribal membership has to take issue with decisions made by the council and also allows for due process of the law that has been blatantly denied to its own members. Referendums are important tools to ensure that our tribal monies are spent diligently and wisely.
Geraldine A. Roullier
St. lgnatius
