Churches: Caye Caulker Vote Isn’t Breach of 2022 Referendum Pact

Church leaders say Caye Caulker’s cannabis referendum does not breach their 2022 pact with Government; they deem it a local poll, adding a breach would arise only if Cabinet uses a “yes” to legalize nationally.

Senator Pastor Louis Wade, who leads the churches’ participation in the “No” campaign, emphasized that the 2022 understanding with the Government of Belize—requiring a national referendum before any legalization—remains intact. He said the Caye Caulker ballot is not Cabinet-driven and does not have unified ministerial backing; therefore, it does not violate the agreement. “Absolutely not, because there are ministers that have stated very clearly that they are not for it and that the Referendum Act needs to be amended so that this does not take place again. Now, if there is a yes and the government moves forward, then that would be a breach and we would have to deal with that,” Wade said.

Wade explained that the churches assumed a formal role after Elections and Boundaries limited recognized participation to organizations represented by the four Senate social-partner seats. He noted the churches would have preferred a purely community-organized “No” effort, but formal recognition required their involvement: “We would have preferred an organic no from the community, but Elections and Boundaries did not recognize the no until they came through the church.”

Operationally, churches are fielding scrutineers and a wider volunteer committee for election-day oversight, reflecting a structured but local exercise rather than a national policy move. Wade added that the churches have asked Elections and Boundaries for the petition signatures that triggered the poll, citing island residents who claim their names appeared without consent.

Contextually, the 2022 joint understanding between church leaders and GoB affirmed no legalization without first holding a national referendum. Wade’s position is that only Cabinet action to legalize based solely on a Caye Caulker result would breach that pact; absent such action, the island vote functions as a local sound-out of opinion rather than a change in national law.