Indian Newslink 15th Sept 2016 Digital Edition

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SEPTEMBER 15, 2016 12 VIEWLINK / ELECTIONLINK The English Fortnightly (Since November 1999) Issue 354 | September 15, 2016 Let us foster the power of ‘Local Democracy’ Elections have always excited people, although some surveys showed apathy among the younger members of the society. This is likely to reverse this year, given the fact a morethan-usual number of people of Indian origin have entered the field. The Indian community, which is likely to account for about 80,000 votes throughout the country, has thus far been somewhat indifferent towards politics, largely supporting one of the major parties. In a number of constituencies which account for a large number of Indian population, especially Mt Albert, Mt Roskill and Manukau East in Auckland, the winning candidates have drawn their strength from the community. Important, not critical But this should not be interpreted to mean that the community holds the key to electoral results; far from it; while the Indian vote is important, it is not critical, save for a local board or two. Elections 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. In the history of New Zealand polity, never has there been an election in which so many candidates of Indian origin had sought to run for the public office as it is in the ensuing Local Government election. With a record number of candidates of Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan and Fijian origin, this would be the largest contingent representing people as Councillors and Local Board Members in their respective Wards and of course the District Health Board. Abiding interest The reason for such an unheard of interest in politics is not far to seek. With the increasing number of people from these countries migrating to New Zealand in recent years, it is natural that there would be a rise in the number of people with political ambitions. Besides, unlike Australia, everyone with a permanent residency status has the right to vote. An increasing number of people across the Auckland Region believe that the South Asian communities have grown over the years and hence deserve adequate representation in local affairs. These factors have brought about increasing interest of these migrant communities in national and local politics. The inclusion of three members of Indian origin in New Zealand’s Parliament following the General Election in September 2014 has provided a fillip to the hitherto submerged desire among many to run for the public office. Veritable platform More than twelve years ago, we created Electionlink pages to allow candidates, their supporters and political parties to have their say without reservation (within the legitimate limits of propriety and decency of course); more important for ordinary people like us to voice our concerns so that they could be heard in the right places, leading to the right action. There are many who believe that City Fathers and Mothers, elected as Councillors and Local Board Members (not to forget the Mayor) are far more important in the immediate context of life in the neighbourhood than lawmakers in the Federal context. While the Central Government is all too pervasive, its local counterpart is more specific to our daily lives. From a futuristic point of view, the new interest being shown by the Indian community in local politics augurs well with the integration of smaller Councils, the need to foster Sister-City relations with important cities in India and a host of other emerging opportunities. Diaspora influence The New Zealand Government is keen to involve Indian businesses in its negotiations with its Indian counterpart. The knowledge and expertise of the Diaspora in public affairs and administration will be of immense help in the process. There is a growing feeling that the Government in Wellington, especially the current Local Government Minister allows Local Councils little autonomy, except to issue alcohol licenses, collecting rubbish and designing lamp-posts. There is therefore an urgent need to revive what we call, ‘Local Democracy,’ with a decentralised establishment, with Power to the People. We believe that the solution to better administration rests on ‘double devolution,’ pushing more resources and responsibility for running things from Central to Local Government and from town halls to an amorphous web of charities and voluntary associations. This is a veritable chance that should not be lost. Aucklanders must make a clear and decisive choice and hold those elected to account. They must be forced to perform. We do not need moneybags but ordinary people looking after ordinary people. This is time for action. We must exercise our franchise and ensure that only those who deserve to be in public office are elected. Indian Newslink is published by Indian Newslink Limited from its offices located at Level 1, Number 166, Harris Road, East Tamaki, Auckland 2013 and printed at Horton Media Limited, Auckland. All material appearing here and on our web editions are the copyright of Indian Newslink and reproduction in full or part in any medium is prohibited. Indian Newslink and its management and staff do not accept any responsibility for the claims made in advertisements. Managing Director & Publisher: Jacob Mannothra Editor & General Manager: Venkat Raman Production Manager: Mahes Perera Phone: (09) 5336377 Email: info@indiannewslink.co.nz Websites: www.indiannewslink.co.nz; www.inliba.com; www.inlisa.com Efficient Rail system will track our progress Phil Goff I released my Transport Policy on September 7, 2016. It aims to bring forward rail and busways and pursue alternative funding options to pay for infrastructure. My policy will also see the conversion of the Council vehicle fleet to electric, including the mayoral car, to reduce carbon emissions and pollution. Worsening congestion Auckland’s worsening congestion is costing the city billions of dollars so tackling the problem has to be a priority for the incoming Council. Public transport projects will be the priority, and will free up the roads for those who do not have alternative options. With bus lanes due to hit capacity, such as on Queen and Symonds Street, we need to look at rail as an alternative mode of transport. I want Auckland Council to prioritise the development of light rail and sign off of a business case for an isthmus light rail system so that it can be included into the Council’s 2018 Long Term Plan. With our tourist numbers growing and the airport area increasing as a place of employment, I want to see progress made on rail from the city to the airport, be it heavy or light, based on the business case. Expanding Motorways The current works expanding the Northern-Western motorway should have had a busway capacity built in. That now needs to become a priority, as well as extending the busway north from Albany. The transport policy provides a multipronged approach to solving and future proofing Auckland’s worsening transport problems including improving park and ride facilities in the outer parts of the network and electrifying trains to Pukekohe as a priority to eliminate transfer at Papakura. The AMETI (Auckland Manukau Eastern Transport Initiative) project from Panmure to Pakuranga needs to be progressed as early as possible. Cycle networks Completing cycle networks around Auckland to add an alternative for people to move around the city and kids to bike to school. None of the infrastructure is going to come cheap but Auckland needs it. Aucklanders have said they are prepared to pay their share – through alternative funding tools such as a regional fuel tax or some form of road charging. They prefer these methods to the massive rates hikes and strategic asset sales that would otherwise be required. Treasury also advised the government earlier this year that rate rises and asset sales are not the way to fund infrastructure. Housing Infrastructure Fund We need the government to consider expanding the Housing Infrastructure Fund to cater for transport projects. If we want capital at the lowest possible interest rate, we also need to consider bond schemes. My priority will be to work with central government on this. I will also consider public/private partnerships or BOTs (Build-Operate-Transfer) schemes to get the infrastructure going earlier than we otherwise might have been able to. Higher financing cost will be offset by the saving made by delivering these big projects faster. Electric Cars As part of my overall drive to increase efficiency and sustainability, the mayoral car, and progressively the Council fleet, will be converted to electric over time. No one wants Auckland grinding to a halt. Central government needs to work with Auckland to provide its fair share and then give us the tools to pay ours. And that is what I will be pushing for as mayor. Phil Goff is a candidate for Auckland Mayorality.
SEPTEMBER 15, 2016 ELECTIONLINK 13 Poor service nauseates Middlemore patients Dr Ashraf Choudhary Recently I met a local doctor who made a sly comment saying that the Middlemore hospital is often referred to as “Muddlemore Hospital” by its health staff. This is because the hospital is over-crowded, has long patient waiting lists, doctors and nurses are overworked, and for many patients, parking is a nightmare and expensive. This reflects the state of affairs of health facilities in South Auckland, which generally represents a low socio-economic base in whole of Auckland. Diabetes and cardio-vascular diseases are rampant due to obesity, lack of education and poverty in the region. Asian health ignored There is a slow recognition of Asian health issues within Counties Manukau District Health Board (CMDHB) area. Latest demographics suggest Indian community as the largest Asian grouping, with concentrations in Papatoetoe, Manukau, Manurewa, and further south. Chinese are concentrated in Howick and Botany suburbs. There is little or no recognition of the true extent of some of the health issues and emerging diseases among Asian people in New Zealand. Language, cultural differences and lack of knowledge of NZ healthcare system are often quoted as barriers to receiving appropriate health care. Cultural differences and stigma associated with health issues, confidentiality and cost are also mentioned as barriers to receiving good health care. Priority essential There is a need to give high priority to Asian people’s health requirements. That requires improved competence of health professionals to deal with these emerging health issues particularly among our new residents. One of the remedies for such health needs is to have people of Asian ethnicity at the governance level of our DHBs and at senior executive positions in our health systems. This is the reason we have chosen high calibre and competent individuals to join our Labour candidates team for the forthcoming election of Board members of CMDHB. We have a range of expertise among our candidates ranging from medical, legal, research capabilities, policy making and community representation. Collective response Furthermore, I encourage voters to support Labour candidates as a team so that we can collectively respond to these emerging health issues. That can only happen if we have a majority at the decision-making of the health board. The so-called individual “independent candidates” cannot make any impact on their own at decision-making by the whole Auckland’s future depends on voting numbers Rob Harris We live in an amazing city: diverse, beautiful and growing fast. Auckland is a great place to live, do business and raise a family. I am a 29-year-old property and construction lawyer and I am standing for the council because I love this city. My dream is that Auckland becomes a truly global city that embraces different cultures and attracts top businesses and workers. I want a city where the average family can afford to buy a home and most people can get to work or school without driving. To achieve this, we need a council that enables growth and development through good policy and smart investments. But oftentimes, the council is too expensive, bureaucratic and lacks common sense decision making. Aucklanders agree, giving the council a lowly 15% satisfaction rating in a recent council survey. Addressing issues Auckland’s next cohort of leaders must act with urgency and long term vision on the key issues of housing and transport if the city is to reach its potential. The Unitary Plan is a good start. It allows for 422,000 more homes to be built in Auckland over the next 30 years. Auckland Future supported it right from the get go. But to give life to the plan we need to streamline the processes around council approvals and build the infrastructure that will support those new homes. To address our traffic woes, Auckland Future will focus on improving the convenience, speed and safety of alternative transport modes. While there are some short term solutions like adding more buses and exclusive bus lanes, we must continue building more public transport infrastructure, adopt technology advances and increase the density of housing near transport routes so more people can easily access those networks. Promising projects Promising new projects is easy; paying for them is the challenge. Auckland Future is focussed on fiscal responsibility by capping rates rises at 2% on average, cutting wasteful spending, reducing staff costs, and looking for opportunities to partner with business so we can make the smart, commercial investments that Auckland needs. For the last six months, I have been working hard in Albert - Eden - Roskill to give voters a board of seven elected and four appointed members. Voting for the CMDHB is by Single Transferable Vote (STV) system. Please Rank Labour candidates, of your choice, by giving each candidate a different number between 1 and 7, Number 1 being the highest rank. Traditionally, the voting percentage among Asian voters is low. Therefore, please ensure prompt and early voting. Every vote counts! Dr Ashraf Choudhary is a Labour candidate in the forthcoming election to the Counties Manukau District Health Board. clear choice between the present and a better future. That future is in your hands. Over to you. Rob Harris is an ‘Auckland Future’ candidate for Albert Eden Roskill in the ensuing local elections.
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