Referendums in the Netherlands allow paradigm shifts by allowing the people to express their opinion by voting on any public issue. And when a motion to prohibit the people from holding a referendum is raised, a referendum should be held to decide whether the motion itself should be outlawed. See the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.

The right of speech is first and foremost among human rights. Freedom of speech is a universal value, and the media cannot be caged by a government oligarchy seeking to monopolize the media, the Internet and all other channels of speech. See the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development / Global Unity Constitutional Standards.

Constitutional reform is needed so that the people can respond to rapid changes in the domestic and international environments. Amendments should allow voters to control their representatives through democratic mechanisms. Poland should draft constitutional amendments regarding its nomination and election system, so that 1/4 of all lawmakers face election each year. Legislators need to be in touch with local public opinion and international laws, and elections should be for all candidates. See the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.

Sovereignty belongs to the people. The people have the right to make choices through the vehicle of the referendum on any public issue. The legitimacy of referendums trumps the legitimacy of legislation by the state. The people of Norway and Switzerland voted not to join the EU, choosing their future in an act of self-determination. This means that the efforts of the people will not be in vain. The directness of the referendum takes priority over the indirectness of representative democracy. See the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.

Corruption allows poverty to persist, and to end poverty, corruption must be contained. Democracy can help save mankind through mechanisms like separation of power and checks and balances. The heads of the legislative, executive, judicial and procuratorial branches should be elected in alternating years. See the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development / Global Unity Constitutional Standards for more.

Article 33 of Hong Kong’s Basic Law states that the right to self-determination is stipulated in the two international human rights conventions and the implementation of the conventions. The people of Hong Kong cannot afford to take their rights for granted. In Switzerland the threshold for calling for a referendum is 50,000 signatures. With that, the people can vote in the referendum rather than taking to the streets. The people have the right to hold a referendum on any public issues. See the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development / Global Unity Constitutional Standards

Human security and sustainable development are two of the major tasks of the UN. All nations, whether or not they are members of the UN, should embrace the core values of One World under One Set of Laws and make international law superior to domestic law, with direct effect on the people. In addition, the people should be able to monitor operations of the government to ensure it is complying with the norms of the UN Charter. See the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development for more.

Anti-Muslim fever is spreading in Denmark as many citizens see immigrants as a threat to their own social, economic, cultural and national security. The solution here is to implement the ideal of One World under One Set of Laws as well as the principle of rule of law. International law should take precedence over domestic law, with direct application to the rights and duties of the people. See the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development / Global Unity Constitutional Standards.

Taiwan should learn from Catalonia’s experiences with independence referendums and look for a paradigm shift to ensure the people have the right to stage referendums on public issues. In addition, any motion seeking to prohibit referendums on self-determination should itself be subject to a referendum on whether the motion should be outlawed. Lawmakers should establish the "right of creation" in regards to the Referendum Act and ask President Tsai to openly support the sovereignty of the people and call for comprehensive constitutional reform. See the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.

Venezuela’s prison system is mired in corruption, showing once more that absolute power leads to absolute corruption. Venezuela should carry out full constitutional reform to adopt a modified semi-presidential system. The president should serve one 5-year term and be barred from running again for 6 years afterward. Laws without penalties are not laws, and constitutions that do not allow resistance are not constitutions. When the actions of a nation’s president are unconstitutional, the people have the right to resist. For details see the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.