That the public should be allowed to pardon whistleblowers by referendum

I'd like to thank my opponent for the challenge and welcome them to the site.

We on side affirmative believe in the overall value of self-determination. Self determination is great because when somebody else forces you to do something, people aren't too happy about that loss of autonomy. Giving the people the power over their government is called democracy, and this supports the value of autonomy. The reasons why democracy is so popular today is that since the so-called "Enlightenment" of western civilisation, many cultures have enjoyed the benefits of the utopian public-interest controlled paradise that we all aspire to. Who has not dreamed of a government that supports that which they want to see? And democracy enables that, because it gives people a framework to change their government in a way that works for them.

Certainly that is not to say democracy is a perfect system, but among alternatives, it certainly produces happier outcomes with respect to ensuring self-determination and autonomy for the people. One popular way to enable democracy to function is by the process of referendum, whereby the people at large directly determine some kind of law. This is so the law reflects the will of the people.

It is my contention that the pardoning of whistleblowers by the population at large through a mechanism such as a referendum - or any criminal, for that matter - is an exercise of democracy and important for respecting the autonomous will of the general population.

Further to this, whistleblowers have a particular role in preventing corruption of the state. Through whistleblowing, dangerous secrets that are kept by politicians to undermine the democratic process may be exposed. Without them, the public is working off false or incomplete information, and may therefore make decisions that though democratic, are not actually in their best interest. That's harmful to the political process.

This applies not only to states but also to private actors. A corporation that secretly funds a terrorist group, for example, may be caught out by whistleblowing, which is great because that means fewer people are terrorised.

I look forward to seeing my opponent's case.