Electionlink launch witnesses surging energy and hope
Venkat Raman
Auckland, July 15, 2023
Amongst all the promises that the National Party has made over the past year, the most laudable is its assurance to bring back sanity and equity in governance, restoring the Nation’s soul.
New Zealand’s political fate oscillates between the left and right like the pendulum every nine years but there are times when the loss of gravity takes the swing to the right sooner.
Some political observers believe that the General Election 2023 may prove that change in oscillation, chimed by several factors.
That would also explain the state of New Zealand today: a Nation that is divided- not really between the haves and the have-nots but between those who believe that all peoples are equal and those who say that some people should be treated differently.
The National Party has undergone rejuvenation during its period of hibernation and this time the process seems to have quickened; today voters are increasingly giving credence to the belief that its waiting is over and that the Election 2023 will be the instrument of change.
The Vagaries of the MMP System
When the Mixed Member Proportion (MMP) system was copied from the German exercise in 1996, the Lawmakers of the time perhaps envisaged that no Party can ever form an absolute majority since that would contravene the principles of democracy and its ideals.
And so it was for 24 years until New Zealanders decided, on October 17, 2020, to reward Jacinda Ardern and her Labour Party with 65 seats in Parliament, giving her an absolute mandate to govern. That reward was more for her adept management of Covid-19 and navigating the country out of the pandemic woods with minimum casualty and less for her other impossible promises.
But that glamour did not last long. New Zealand politicos are not used to the global popularity that she achieved as a charismatic cheerleader for progressive values and moderation. Still, her popularity waned and the public perception of their leader was one of disappointment. Many policies and programmes such as Co-Governance, the TVNZ-RNZ Merger, social and economic imbalance, rising crime and growing dissent were all issues that led to the worst standoff at the precincts of Parliament in Wellington for almost a month.
When Ms Arden announced on January 19, 2023 that she had decided to quit her job as the Prime Minister and bid goodbye to politics in April, she could not bring the same effect of shock and disbelief that John Key brought by his decision to quit on December 12, 2016. The succession of Bill English could not redeem the Party, for National appeared to have run out of steam.
Rejuvenation of National
Since then, the National Party has been in a state of imbalance but with the arrival of Christopher Luxon at the helm on November 30, 2021, the Party seems to have reinvented itself.
For the first time in six years, things are looking up for the Party. If the recent polls are any indication, the tide seems to be turning.
The credit for the turnaround undoubtedly belongs to Mr Luxon, who has reinvigorated the Party which was losing its morale with internal squabbles and leaks. He was seen as the last hope for everyone connected with National, from the current and former leaders to casual supporters across the country.
Mr Luxon quickly proved to be the Leader in waiting; the Messiah to deliver National from its brink of collapse to the path of progress. Like a determined General, he brought discipline among the rank and file of his immediate colleagues and restored in them the sense of pride and belonging that seemed to have been lost.
Yet, the challenges that Mr Luxon faces are formidable. New Zealanders are grappling with the rising cost of living, with the attendant increase in lending rates and the decrease in the appetite for investments. Compounding these is the reported decline in business confidence, orchestrating the belief that the mood of the nation is for a change in the government.
From all accounts, the General Election due to be held on October 14, 2023 will be a watershed for democracy and from all the developments that have occurred over the past two years, it is clear that the country is at crossroads of extremism and moderatism.
By extremism, we mean political ideologies that cater to the leftist philosophy of control and tax burden and the rightist approach of total freedom and reforms that may neglect the poor and the needy. We advocate a balanced, centrist government that will represent, most, if not all New Zealanders and support their aspirations in life.
The emerging scenario
In such a sense, public discussions should not be discourses that advocate a vote for Labour or National; they should be holistic because indications are that neither Party will get the mandate to govern on its own. Labour will need the support of the Greens and National will look for the helping hand of the ACT Party.
There is a third dimension to the complexity of our polity. It is also possible that the strength of a third Party- perhaps New Zealand First (for National) and Maori (possibly for Labour) would be needed in the formation of the next government.
A government run by the National Party with ACT as a partner will be pulled to the right, whereas a Labour government with the Greens will be drawn to the left.
Right, Left and Centre
Right-leaning governments are known for their anti-federalist outlook; they prefer smaller government, less regulation, most services to be provided by the private sector in a free market, and a literal interpretation of the Constitution. They also believe that governments should tax less, spend less and cut spending to balance the budget. According to them, higher income earners should have incentives to invest (credits) and charity should be people’s responsibility.
Left-wing governments are federalists and they prefer more regulation and services like free universal health care to be provided by the government to all citizens. They believe that governments should provide more services to the less fortunate (like health care) and increase taxes if necessary. High-income earners should pay a larger percentage of their income as taxes.
Experience here and elsewhere has proved that when an election can make a difference, turnout rises. On that score, Election 2023 could create history; for, the electorate in general and the South Indian community in particular, is increasingly becoming aware that a few hundred votes could change the fortune of a candidate or the Party in question.
Some say that people badly want the government out, they will go to the polls in greater numbers. But for the moment, many are apathetic, if not content.
Elections, in fact, are just one part of the network of institutions (like honest courts) that need to be in place for democracy to work properly.
Without those institutions, voting sometimes seems, at least in the short term, to make things worse.
