To the editor:

I was puzzled by the pending referendum news. What was so bad, that a major change was necessary? Voting on issues, and for preferred candidates, for over 50 years, I always felt that it was important to be involved.

As I study the details of this referendum I cannot help but conclude that this proposal is a takeover attempt by special interests, which found an ingenious direct path to power.

The complicated, almost incomprehensible three alternatives proposed, which no one I spoke to understands, are touted as a fairer system. The flyer we all received in the mail, which attempts to explain this, was no help.

Is the goal a byzantine system of dozens of new political parties, most just represented by one or two members, who will be ready to sell their vote for a favour, producing a perpetual minority, multi-party do-nothing government?

Saying that the Irish or New Zealanders use this system is supposed to make it right? Who says they are smarter than anyone else? And how about the Italians for example, mired in endless minority, short-term governments, accomplishing nothing but a major mess. Their example is the reality of this referendum proposal.

I expect VancouverÏ㽶ÊÓƵֱ²¥™s population to be swayed by lobbyists and vote for this change. Conveniently a simple majority is enough to adopt the new system. I fear that even if everyone in Kelowna wants to keep the current format, the change will go through and issues important the Interior will be ignored in the future.

So be ready for the representative of the new China part lobbying for the instruction of Chinese in public schools, and the vegan party representative pushing to ban hamburgers. I fear that once this complex system of vote buying and trading is in place, special interests will take control of the government in B.C. and that system is here to stay, to the detriment of the people in the province.

Sincerely,

John Cross

Kelowna