the Declaration of Sophia where he stated that "the Party should assume unapologetically its paramountcy over the Government which is merely one of its executive arms." The Declaration also called for a transition to a socialist state, and a nationalisation of its economy. The declaration would also lead to the founding of the Guyana National Service, a paramilitary organisation under the control of the party. 1978 referendum The PNC government's five-year term was due to end in 1978, forcing a new election. On 1 April 1978, Burnham announced a referendum to allow the constitution to be changed by a 2/3 majority in parliament (which the PNC had) rather than a referendum. The opposition presented a united front against the referendum. During the campaign, the PNC terminated the contract of critical newspaper "the Catholic Standard" with a state-owned printing company, hampering their ability to distribute critical material. Advertisements for opposition parties were banned in state media, and violence was used to break up opposition meetings and gatherings. Public employees were forced to sign blank proxy forms allowing others to vote on their behalf. It was also noted that there were more individuals on the electoral role than the United Nations estimate of the number of eligible voters by around 65,000 people (>10% of the electoral roll). The opposition groups would eventually urge the Guyanese population to boycott the referendum. During this time, prominent Guyanese poet Martin Carter was beaten by individuals affiliated with the PNC while protesting the government's refusal to hold elections. Burnham won the 1978 referendum. Anecdotal evidence from hundreds of Indo-Guyanese (and Afro-Guyanese who were PPP supporters) claims that PNC enforcers aggressively (and often violently) denied PPP supporters of the opportunity to vote. Official figures showed the referendum passing with an implausible 97.9 percent of the vote. There were accusations that PNC supporters voted multiple times. One week after the referendum, On 17 July 1978, the government used its new powers to change the constitution to postpone the scheduled election. These powers would also be used to introduce the new constitution introduced in 1980. Involvement in Jonestown On 18 November 1978, a total of 909 people of the Peoples Temple died in a mass suicide in Jonestown. Burnham had previously allowed the group, led by Jim Jones, to move to Guyana from San Francisco, and had a good relationship with the group. The incident drew international attention to