Letter: A call for political reform
Dear Editor, In an interview gathering exercise for a BBC podcast on seabed mining (SBM) over a week ago, I mentioned that we have disproportionate representation i.e. my one vote is worth about 10 Raro votes. You can see why government makes sure to buddy buddy with the pa enua.
And when a SBM consultation begins with an MP saying, your sister islands have agreed, so it’s just up to you to say yes, you know this is a clever peer pressure tactic.
So, I agree that we need political reform, but because family land bunches us together, and loyalty outweighs honesty, so that Uncle or Aunty gets the vote even if you know they’re not the best candidate. And because the lack of sittings suggests parliamentarians are part time workers only, I propose a more drastic seed of reform thought:
1. Bring back to Raro, and strengthen, local body governance (mayors and councillors). Then politicians can worry about policy making, national and international affairs. Mum’s road in Tikioki has been overlooked by both parties for so so many years that you most definitely will be jarred severely if you happen to overlook the pits, ponds and peaks when driving. This tells me we need a body paying closer attention to home.
2. Work out just how many qualified, hardworking people with integrity, we honestly require to be politicians. Some will remember when one PM sacked almost everyone, leaving about four to run government. The country continued to run, as long as the private sector ticked along.
Perhaps we just need a dozen good individuals. Next elections any resident wishing to be one of these 12 presents their resume, aspirations etc to the whole nation. We all get to vote for our preferred PM and our top 11 candidates. No party or pa enua politics. They represent us all, taking on various required roles, and our local Mayor liaise on our behalf.
As for the constituency fund, can we please see a detailed report on the spending of it each year? The last time I recall being told what was happening to that money, was when Papa Mapu Taia used some to upgrade church lighting and fans about 13 years ago.
Reform may sound just too much out of our comfort zone, but NZ transitioned to a whole new system that better suited their needs. We can find a better fit for us.
June Hosking
Mangaia