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‘‘Getting rid of politicians is easily done. It’s even more simple than marching in the street... For the rec

Kevin Norquay kevin.norquay@stuff.co.nz

Monday marks 30 years since the secondbest thing I ever did: saying ‘‘I do’’. My best ‘‘decision’’ came 17 months earlier, when I slid my fingers under a table to clutch a hand, feeling a wave of relief when it clutched back.

From one tiny terrified move, a long happy life grew.

And so it is in politics. A small thing – casting a vote – will help mould a country, yet there are many who fail to exercise that option.

About two or three of every 10 eligible Kiwis don’t vote. In 1981, 91.4 per cent of us went to the ballot box, slipping to a low of 74.2 per cent in 2011.

Statistics NZ studies of the low turnout determined it was due to the young, poor and uneducated. That raised concerns that voter disengagement had the potential to erode the legitimacy of the political system.

Based on recent events, you could argue that is well under way as a mish-mash of various disaffected groups protest, build gallows, flaunt their civil disobedience and refuse to wear masks (but not to drive on the left).

Some are more inclined to believe internet information ahead of that supplied by our elected leader, the prime minister. It might be a small number, yet it would be interesting to know how big the anti-vax/conspiracy theorists overlap with non-voters is.

One of the arguments for not voting is it won’t make any difference. That is 180 degrees wrong. What doesn’t make any difference is not voting at all. Inaction achieves nothing.

In October, Justice Minister Kris Faafoi announced an independent review of electoral law, with one aim being ‘‘targeted electoral changes to

support the delivery of, and participation in the 2023 General Election’’.

If it works, it could lead to a government elected by a broader range of people, with more unified and well-directed policies, leading to increased community investment in the political system.

Over the 30 years since ‘‘I do’’ day, the Government has had a massive inescapable influence on our family life, vacuuming hundreds of dollars out of paychecks for roads, schools and universities, a health service, and now Super.

Voters have the power to influence where their money is spent.

When I was young and poor, the taxes vacuum on the paypacket aspect was a great irritant. I don’t have a car, why should I pay for roads? I don’t get sick, why should I pay for hospitals? I might not have even voted, once or twice.

The technical term for 20-year-old me is ‘‘self interested dumb arse’’, I believe. Three decades later, the health system spent thousands helping bail him out of a sticky spot, pouring in chemicals and radiation and providing medical specialists. Paying tax proved an excellent investment.

After a government-funded good outcome, we can now both enjoy our wedding anniversaries, our education system-taught daughters, our pensioner parents, and our friends and family, some of whom were also saved by state-funded medical care.

Democracy is the lifeblood of New Zealand.

If you want a blood transfusion, more oxygen or improved thinking facilities, voting is the way to get it, or at least improve it.

Government is the beating heart, the breathing lungs, the thinking brain of the country. If you want a blood transfusion, more oxygen or improved thinking facilities, voting is the way to get it, or at least improve it.

Getting rid of politicians is easily done. It’s even more simple than marching in the street, after spending hours painting up a banner. For the recent Wellington protest, the MPs didn’t come out of the Beehive. Voting them out would work.

Former Labour prime ministers Geoffrey Palmer and Mike Moore in 2017 voiced support for compulsory voting. Jim Bolger, a former National prime minister, said voting should be a ‘‘requirement of citizenship’’.

Compulsion is not part of the terms and references for the independent review, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern saying ‘‘you want voters to be inclined to vote because they’re engaged’’.

Engaged … on that nuptial-like note, it’s time to dart off and celebrate. Cheers.

Focus

en-nz

2021-12-05T08:00:00.0000000Z

2021-12-05T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/281994675776771

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