Perspectives on the MMP referendum
?My thoughts are clouded by past history,? says Tawa Historic Society chairperson Bruce Murray. The government has announced it will hold a referendum on MMP asking if people want to continue with the status quo. Following the outcome they may hold a second referendum to find out which system people would prefer. Mr Murray says Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) representation is a major improvement on the previous system of First Past the Post (FPP). ?The system put far too much power in the hands of one political party. ?MMP prevents the likes of Robert Muldoon and Roger Douglas ramming through legislation that is untested,? Mr Murray says. FFP was a ?winner takes all? voting system, and a ?doctrine of cabinet solidarity? bound governments to a certain course of action dictated by the party in power, he says. ?Such a system suited people that like ?strong government? and ?getting things done?, but had few checks on power,? he says. In New Zealand, government power is relatively unchecked in contract to Australia, the UK and the US, where upper houses are also voted for. These ?checks on power? were removed from NZ in 1950 when FFP made the government ?extremely powerful?. MMP has allowed a government to form with ?much more representation than before?. ?With FFP we had two parties; National was farmers and lawyers, and Labour represented the middle class, unionists, and partially teachers,? says Mr Murray. The system drew a political line in the sand for New Zealanders and ?was a rout? in the rural electorates. ?One year was particularly bad, when the Social Credit party got 20 percent of the vote and got no seats in parliament ? people have realised that we now have far better representation. ?In parliament you have women, gays, the Maori party, young people, Rastafarians ... that would never happen under FFP,? says Mr Murray. Grays Farm in the largest in Porirua, and part owner Allan Gray says he would ?be sorry to see MMP go?. ?In the early 1990s and late 1980s politics in this county went wild; we had a temporary dictatorship of three years ... it really started with Muldoon in the 1970s,? Mr Gray says. The previous system of FFP is ?extremely undesirable? and MMP put an end to ?one-party? politics. Mr Gray says MMP should be enhanced. ?A problem is when one person gets elected and they take several members to parliament. ?It?s not right that a man with only one seat has so much influence,? Mr Gray says. The threshold of five percent should be lowered and there should be more controls on allowing list members into office, says Mr Gray. He also suggests terms be extended to four years, to allow governments to better establish themselves. ?With MMP there has been far more consultation with the public and a broader representation of views in government,? he says. Ohariu MP Peter Dunne says after 15 years of MMP its important there is a public review of the system. ?We don?t want to go backward to FFP, if I had a preference it would be preferential voting. ?That way list MPs wouldn?t be able to swan around and you wouldn?t have people there who represented no one but the party,? Mr Dunne says. Opting for Single Transferable Vote (STV) would stop the list system and give better representation in parliament, he says. Hutt City Mayor David Ogden says the referendum is good and would like more referendums to help better steer democracy. ?People need to vote on different issues. ?MMP has been good for giving smaller groups a share of power,? Mr Ogden says. He says the government is fairer now with smaller parties representing more of the country. However, the STV system would be unworkable because it?s ?too complicated? and Mr Ogden says it has forced fewer voter numbers at local government level. ?People get it and look at the seven options then stick it on the fridge,? he says.
