Switzerland to hold vote on covid-19 lockdowns

Should the Swiss government be allowed to impose lockdowns and other rights-curtailing measures in order to slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2? According to the campaign group, Friends of the Constitution (FC), they shouldn’t. The article attached below is the text of the petition written by the campaigner which was submitted to Switzerland’s Federal Chancellory last January 12, 2021.

According to the petition initiated by the Friends of the Constitution, there are 10 reasons why there is a need for a clear and rapid referendum:

1. The COVID-19 law is redundant and the Federal Council could very well do without it.
2. Medicines and vaccines could be approved under a fast-track procedure. This would open the door to compulsory genetic vaccinations, the long-term effects of which are unknown.
3. The Covid-19 law provides for subsidies for the media. The main beneficiaries would be those who sow fear, for example by systematically disseminating the number of cases without mentioning the exponential number of tests.
4. The “second wave” is a flawed projection.
5. There is no epidemic requiring an extension of the emergency powers.
6. The Federal Council allocates unnecessary extraordinary powers to itself.
7. Without parliamentary inquiry and public debate, urgent measures should not be elevated to the status of law.
8. Actions taken in an “extraordinary situation” must remain extraordinary.
9. Crisis management against the advice of the people does not work in Switzerland.
10. The Federal Council unnecessarily tries to increase its power at the expense of the people.

As of January 12, 2021, the campaign the petition received some 97,000 signatories, higher than the 50,000 required. Swiss citizens will have the capacity to repeal or re-enact the COVID-19 passed last September 25, 2020. The popular vote will take place on June 13, 2021.^[1]https://www.bk.admin.ch/bk/fr/home/documentation/communiques.msg-id-82564.html

The original text of the campaign is in French and may be translated using DeepL Translate.

Editor’s Note: The points raised in this campaign is exactly what we have been referring to since April 2020. It is a pity that referendums in most countries (particularly in the Philippines) take years to implement.

Nevertheless, the Swiss experience should serve as a lesson. At the top of all government policies is the well being of its people. Did government leaders stop to ask their people about their experiences during the lockdowns?

We can say with certainty that in the Philippines, public consultation on coronavirus policies is non-existent. We have been treated like sheep, ignored and unable to question the bases of COVID-19 policies being implemented. As of today, March 30, 2021, several provinces have been placed on lockdowns, despite our national government knowing full well that our economy is far from recovery. People in the marginalized sectors of society, the poor, the ill, and the elderly, will again bear the brunt of this decision. If the Philippine government only asked its people, then they would have known that people are suffering, and would rather risk their lives to provide for their families and perform activities that make their lives meaningful.^[2]See these articles https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-vulnerable-filipinos-fight-for-survival-during-lockdown/a-53258915 and … Continue reading.

We would like to express our solidarity with the Swiss referendum because positive results in that referendum would have strategic impact on all the other lockdowns around the world. We hope the Swiss people vote overwhelmingly to repeal the COVID Act of 2020 and end all the repressive coronavirus measures in their country.