Dear Knananite,

 

Knanaya Constitution is a body of law that governs our community. Think of it as a rule book that lets community and its members know what they can and cannot do. The rule book can grow to meet new demands or it can be shrunk to do away with laws that the community finds harmful. The framers of the Knanaya Constitution knew that as the community grew, future generations would need to change the constitution to solve the problems of their day. No work of man is perfect. It is inevitable that, in the course of time, the imperfections of a written Knanaya Constitution will become apparent. Moreover, the passage of time will bring changes in community which a Constitution must accommodate if it is to remain suitable for the community and its members. Making amendments is an important way of unifying the thoughts and actions and concentrating the wisdom and strength of the whole community and mobilizing all members' enthusiasm. It is imperative, therefore, that a practicable means of amending the Constitution be decided. Great care must be taken to provide a mode of amendment when experience or change of circumstances shall have manifested that any part of it is obsolete to the good of the community.

 

Whatever be the constitutional amendments, it requires a new authority from the whole Knanaya people or population around the globe and not the association alone. A greater competence of governance is certainly requisite to maintain our community in a course of action accommodated to the times and changes through which we are ever passing.

 

Let all major decisions and amendments be made only with the direct consent of the people (Both male and female) in a referendum (a vote by the whole community on a specific question or questions put to it by the association). Let the decision to submit an amendment/question to the people be first taken by the Association.

 

Popular Amendment

 

I endorse popular amendment where power is derived from the people of the community; it is adopted by the people of the community; it functions at the behest of and for the benefit of the people of the community. Given all this, if the people of the community, as a whole, somehow demand a change to the Constitution, should not the people be allowed to make such a change?

 

It makes sense - if the people demand a change, it should be made. The change may not be the will of the association, nor of the committee. The real issue is not in the conceptual. It is a reality that if the people do not support and cooperate with the Knanaya Constitution and Knanaya Association in its present form, it cannot survive. The real issue is in the practical.

 

Yes, we need to develop process for referendum in our community on all important decisions like constitutional amendments, election of Bishops e.t.c.  Since our community is small we can effectively conduct referendum on important issues in all our churches around the globe under the supervision of the respective vicars. Suffice it to say, for now, that the notion of referendum makes perfect sense in the current Knanaya community framework; because it functions at the behest of and for the benefit of the people of the community.