Indian Newslink Sept 1 2017 Digital Edition

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The English Fortnightly (Since November 1999)
ISSUE 376 | SEPTEMBER 1, 2017
In plain English, ardent efforts matter
If you are not a biased political observer,
not a turncoat who swore by
a Party until yesterday and became
an ardent supporter of an erstwhile
arch-rival today, not a person who wears
I-know-everything attitude and finally,
not a hypocrite who unabashedly brings
implied racism in supporting a candidate,
you will like Jacinda Ardern.
The same could be said of Bill
English, Winson Peters, James Shaw,
David Seymour and all others including
Roshan Nauhria.
Labour’s new Leader cannot be discarded
as ‘an inexperienced, inane and
ignorant person,’ for everyone has the
right, in a democracy, to opportunity – of
leading a nation and a Party, steering the
destiny of people.
The rise of Ms Ardern has been
meteoric.
We did meet her as a part of her
day-long meetings with journalists in
Auckland last fortnight. There is never
such a thing as an ‘exclusive interview’
with a Leader during the election season.
You can at best get a glimpse of the person’s
trait or his or her lighter moment.
Leaders do not announce policies and
programmes in private conversations.
They go live on national television or
radio. To that extent individual meetings
are no more than exchange of pleasantries
and repeat of platitudes.
Good attributes
One of the finest attributes of Ms
Ardern that has surfaced over the past
four weeks is her focus on the election
campaign. To that end, she is spending
energy in articulating policies, shifting
priorities and meeting people, rather than
dissipating it on criticising her political
adversaries. There is a certain charm
in her leadership qualities that does not
come by experience- but by nature and
social disposition.
Although political leaders repeat their
party briefs at every interview, there was
an innate passion in Ms Ardern towards
New Zealand and New Zealanders – the
passion that she shares with her political
counterparts and rivals. The goal is the
same but the approach is different.
Priority Issues
Contrary to what is written and spoken,
her priorities are well defined and
orchestrated in order of their importance.
And Immigration is not one of them.
Children’s welfare, including alleviating
child poverty, providing them good
education and ensuring their good health
come first and it would be no surprise if
she takes a Ministry for Children as one
of her portfolios if she becomes the next
Prime Minister.
Enhancing economic growth, lifting
productivity, improving health and
education are also among the issues that
occupy her mind and time.
Indeed, Bill English would do the
same if he returns as the Prime Minister;
so would Winston Peters, if he has an
opportunity to lead the country.
Challenge to Democracy
The biggest challenge to democracy
comes neither from above nor below but
from within, from the voters themselves.
Greek Philosopher Plato’s great worry
about democracy, that citizens would live
from day-to-day, indulging the pleasure
of the moment, has proved prescient.
Democratic governments got into the
habit of running big structural deficits
as a matter of course, borrowing to
give voters what they wanted in the
short term, while neglecting long-term
investment.
Whether we admit or not, the New
Zealand economy on such a precipice.
Voters alone can sustain Democracy
As Politicians appeal to the
people of this country to give
their ‘Party Vote,’ it means two
distinct things- that they want
you to vote for their Party if not for their
candidate – and more importantly, they
want you to vote.
American novelist Louis L’ Amour was
right when he said, “To make democracy
work, we must be a nation of participants,
not simply observers. One who does not
vote has no right to complain.”
New Zealand under threat
For more than 100 years, New Zealand
politics was robust, with people exercising
great vigilance over people who govern
them and those who oversee such governance.
People were supreme and hence
political philosophies that were central to
political parties did not matter. Everyone
had to comply with minimum standards
of honesty, integrity and transparency.
Developments of the past few years
would seem to cast a doubt on New
Zealand and its ability to sustain such
democratic ideals. True, we are still high
on the ‘Clean List’ of countries perceived
as the ‘least corrupt.’ However, that is just
perception.
It is true that democracies are on
average richer than non-democracies, are
less likely to go to war and have a better
record of fighting corruption.
More fundamentally, democracy lets
people speak their minds and shape their
own and their children’s futures. That so
many people in so many different parts
of the world are prepared to risk so much
for this idea is testimony to its enduring
appeal.
Tough times ahead
As an Economist Essay mentioned,
democracy is going through a difficult
time.
“Where autocrats have been driven
out of office, their opponents have mostly
failed to create viable democratic regimes.
Even in established democracies, flaws
in the system have become worryingly
visible and disillusion with politics is
rife. Yet just a few years ago democracy
looked as though it would dominate the
world.”
In the second half of the 20th century,
democracies had taken root in the most
difficult circumstances possible – in
Germany, which had been traumatised by
Nazism, in India, which had the world’s
largest population of poor people, and,
in the 1990s, in South Africa, which had
been disfigured by apartheid.
People elect representatives who pull
the levers of national power for a fixed
period. But this arrangement is now under
assault from both above and below.
The survival of a democracy depends
not on its leadership, but on its people and
the way in which those people demonstrate
their power in choosing the people
and their Party to govern them.
Voting therefore is a must; it is the only
weapon that we have to strike at erring
politicians.
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Nothing lasts forever,
especially in politics
“It is time to call it a day,” says United Future Leader
Peter Dunne
The current political environment
is extremely volatile and
unpredictable.
However, I have concluded,
based on recent polling, and other
soundings I have been taking over the
last few weeks, that, the volatility and
uncertainty notwithstanding, there is
now a mood amongst Ohariu voters
for a change of MP, which is unlikely
to alter.
Change imminent
This shift in voter sentiment is quite
at variance with polling and other data
I have seen throughout the year, upon
which I had based my earlier decision
to seek re-election for a 12th term as
MP for Ohariu.
While I am naturally extremely
disappointed after 33 years of service
at this apparent change of feeling, I
recognise and understand it, and respect
absolutely the electorate’s prerogative
to feel that way.
I have therefore decided that it
is time for me to stand aside, so the
people of Ohariu can elect a new
electorate MP.
Consequently, after much consideration
and discussion with those closest to
me, I am announcing today that I will
not be putting forward my nomination
for election to the next Parliament.
Temporary privilege
I do so with considerable reluctance,
but I have always understood that
Sree Nampally
Home ownership has become
an impossible dream for
almost everyone.
Owning a home in New
Zealand is an aspiration for many, and
it will get even harder over the next
decade. The much-quoted figure about
the age of first-home buyers now being
nearly 40 is not true. In fact, even 50-60
years olds including British migrants
who, like their Indian and Chinese
counterparts, love to buy their own
homes but cannot afford.
An Indian example
A young lady spoke to me about
her main concerns and she is only one
of many dispirited young people. A
38-year-old from India, she moved to
New Zealand with her husband who
is highly educated with an advanced
tertiary degree. Their combined salary is
around the national average.
She said, “I would love nothing more
than to own a house, but it is in a fantasy
world. I am paying about $600 a week
in rent. Even if I manage to save $500 a
month, or $6000 a year, it would take 10
years to save $60,000; but by then, even
this amount many not be sufficient to
place as deposit for raising a home loan.
holding public office is a temporary
privilege granted by the people, and can
never be taken for granted.
I have thoroughly enjoyed serving
the Ohariu electorate in its various
forms since 1984. I thank my constituents,
my supporters, my Party, and all
those staff members who have worked
so loyally and professionally alongside
me over the years, but above all, I pay
huge thanks to my wife Jennifer, my
sons, James and Alastair, raised in the
heat of politics, and my entire family
for their loyal support, patience and
encouragement for so long.
I am especially proud to have worked
alongside successive National- and
Labour-led Governments in the collaborative
environment of MMP, and to
have had the privilege of serving as first
an Under-Secretary and then a Minister
under seven different Prime Ministers
for just on fifteen years.
Successful initiatives
I am very proud of the many
changes I have been able to make in my
portfolios over the years to make New
Zealand a better place in which to live
and raise a family.
Over the last three years alone, I have
been very pleased to lead the work to
modernise New Zealand’s drug policy
towards a stronger health focus; and
to make fluoridation of drinking water
more widespread.
I was delighted to establish Fire and
Emergency New Zealand which unified
our urban and rural fire services in the
biggest reform of our fire services in
70 years.
I was also very pleased to have been
able to bring back 10-year passports.
With NZPP in the House,
you could get a home
She said, “I try not to think about
it too much, because it is depressing.
At the moment I am paying off my
landlord’s deposit and he is making
profit on top of that.”
It is frustrating, but most people are in
the same boat.
This sort of situation is a total loselose
for our economy. We need to retain
our appeal despite comparably high
prices; the salaries need to be higher and
interest rates a bit lower. The current
government is just struggling with these
issues.
NZPP Plan of Action
The New Zealand People’s Party
(NZPP) is here with an organised plan
of action.
Through its First Home buyers
scheme, NZPP will help young and old
people alike on to the property ladder.
For Auckland:
Average house price $800,000
Deposit money needed: 20% -
$160,000
Loan to be provided - $100,000
(Interest-free for five years)
For the rest of the country, the deposit
amount would be $60,000.
I am in a similar situation. My husband
and I are hard-working taxpayers.
It is terrible that the Government has
not been able to do anything for people
like us.
Increasing supply
Bringing house prices down, on the
other hand, is much easier: we just have
SEPTEMBER 1, 2017
The D5 group of the world’s most
digitally advanced nations meets in
New Zealand early next year.
Having overseen New Zealand
help form the D5 group in 2014, I will
be very sorry not to be chairing that
meeting.
Lastly, I have enjoyed being part of
the continuing drive to make the taonga
of the National Library and the National
Archives more widely available to all
New Zealanders.
Ohariu has been a very large part of
my life. I have lived continuously in the
area for more than forty years. Jennifer
and I raised our family in Ohariu.
It is our home. Working for the
community and its people over the
last 33 years has, at all times, been an
absolute delight. I will miss hugely
that direct engagement with so many
aspects of the life of our community,
and I will never forget the huge honour
Ohariu gave me by electing me, first as
a young 30-year-old, and then for the
next ten elections after that.
But good things cannot last forever.
Now it is time for me to put all that
behind me, take the election hoardings
down, say goodbye to Parliament
without bitterness or regret, and get on
with life.
Finally, my thanks and best wishes
for the future go to Brett Hudson MP,
National’s List MP based in Ohariu,
for the support he has shown me
throughout this year.
Peter Dunne is Interior Minister of
New Zealand and an elected Member
of Parliament from the Ohariu
Constituency in South Island.
to increase the supply. Commercial
developers must be freed up to supply
the tremendous demand, in places where
it really exists.
I strongly feel that unless something
does not dramatically change, it is
possible that first-time buyers may never
enjoy the sense of security and community
that New Zealanders associate with
home-ownership. Some will move out
of the country. Others will rent for life.
A grim, dark future.
We want to bring in a change and
make our voices heard, and we can only
do this if we have a representing party
of the people in the government.
That is the main purpose of our policy
making.
We have decided to prioritise the real
problems that will decide the future of
our country, not wait till the situation
worsens.
We need to create more changes and
our plans are already in place.
And for this we need your vote – your
Party Vote.
We appeal for your support to get
New Zealand People’s Party its place
in the coming Election to form the next
government.
Vote for NZPP. Vote for Change.
Sree Nampally is a Candidate of
the New Zealand People’s Party
in the ensuing General Election on
September 23, 2017