They may be languishing in opinion polls and warding off questions about the popularity of their Leader Phil Goff, but most members of the Labour Party are upbeat about their political future.
Among them is First-time Labour Party candidate for Hamilton East, Sehai Orgad, who believes that her Party would return to the Beehive following the General Election on November 26, 2011.
“Labour is the only credible Party that engages with hard-working New Zealanders who are trying to make ends meet in a faltering economy,” she told me in an email interview from her home in Hamilton.
Sehai was also a student while I was at the Waikato University graduating in Journalism two years ago. A fourth-generation New Zealander and a second-generation holocaust survivor, she has always stood for the betterment of ordinary people, which was why she embraced the Labour Party.
I have also witnessed her energy in promoting student welfare as the President of the Waikato Students Union.
“Hamilton East needs a representative like me who has guts, vision, connected to people and cares about making their lives better.
“This is a diverse electorate with different communities with different needs. People are crying out for strong leadership and someone to whom they can relate, someone who will represent them,” she said.
Tough call
Hamilton East is a National Party stronghold with sitting MP David Bennett securing the electoral victory with a margin of 8820 votes in the November 2008 election, defeating his nearest rival Sue Moroney of Labour Party.
But Sehai believes these are early days, sensing ‘positive waves.’
“We are just getting started, and people are enthusiastic about seeing a new candidate in the region, and are getting excited about being involved in the campaign overall,” she said.
Like others in her Party, her campaign would focus on the Party’s key slogan of ‘Owning our Future,’ attacking National’s proposal for part privatisation of State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) and removing GST on vegetables and fruits.
“There will be no sale of SOE assets under a Labour Government. We are keen to build our assets and the economy to secure a better future.
“Labour has already promised Tax Credit for Research and Development, an issue which is important for people and businesses in Hamilton such as Innovation Park, AgResearch, Gallagher Group and WaikatoLink.
“Our campaign will promote issues of public transport and support a rail link between Hamilton and Auckland currently being researched,” she said.
Sehai said school education is a major issue in Hamilton East.
Parents are concerned about the choices of schools that are available to their children, especially with the expansion and developments of suburbs in the North East of the City, she said.
She said people were concerned about the rising cost of essentials such as food, electricity and school uniforms.
Youth Development
“Youth development is another issue in Hamilton East as our youth crime statistics are not getting any better. With the closure of facilities such as ‘Te Hurihunga,’ we are not seeing a plan that looks at preventing youth crime. “Instead what we are seeing is a punitive short term solution for young people where they have no hope of rehabilitation and development.”
Sehai was critical of National Party’s Budget (2011) announcement about restrictions on student loans to people aged 55 and above.
“They have paid their fair share of taxes all along. They are now told that they would not receive Government support to pursue their lifelong learning opportunities.
“We are seeing a reactive policy which will affect not only the future of New Zealanders who are currently studying but also those who want to be good role models for their grandchildren or perhaps up skill in new areas at a later stage in life,” she said.
Balaji Chandramohan is our Correspondent based in New Delhi. He continues to evince interest on issues developing in New Zealand.
Email: mohanbalaji2003@gmail.com
