Civic Virtue

While I think it is perfectly healthy to a have skepticism about motives of various politicians, since their moves and actions govern our lives, the current atmosphere, by which I mean in the last 25 years, governments and politics has been viewed by New Zealander's with a certain cynicism.

Why is that people may ask, and why do we care? Simple. In Representative Democracies, the people pledge their support to a candidate (or slate of candidates within a party banner under MMP), who then cast their vote in order make decisions for the country. Representative democracy has a distinct advantage over direct democracy (which alot of people argue for), because of expediency, efficiency, and indifference. But for these advantages, people must occasionally see decisions that at the time the majority of the population may not agree with, but the people retain the right to de-elect political party slates if they choose to do so with, and given ample time and a period of reflection to reconsider.

Before the advent of MMP, New Zealand's parliamentary system was accurately described as an 'elected dictatorship' - the Muldoon quote of "having an idea while shaving in the morning, could have it [sic] drying in ink on the statute book by evening" being especially apt. And governments mostly prior to this era had not exercised powers in offense of the majority of the population. However, the Muldoon government and its successors up through until the advent of MMP used their executive's sovereignty to the fullest, pushing through projects such as the Clutha Dam, reforms such as deregulation and asset sales etc.
Because these policies were not identified, or even denied ("A Decent Society 1990" - Jim Bolger), people grew skeptical of politics and developed a certain cynicism towards government, which grew to the level of unhealthiness. Our democracy was at its weakest point during those turbulent years, because the elected representatives acted without consent on hidden agendas. MMP was portrayed as system which would limit the power of government, instutionalising a more conservative path to reform, and was brought in in 1996.

But people who had hoped that political agendas would become more visible were certainly not impressed by the 1996 coalition agreement between National and NZ First, and even more disillusioned when the Shipley government retained power even after the end of the coalition. National still ruled with its hangers on like it was a FPP government, buying its support with policies and perks.
In 1999, the era of rapid reform ended with the election of the Clark Labour government, and while the government may have underpromised and overdelivered, it has largely moved away from hidden economic agendas. But the skepticism of politicians still remains....

What can be done to rebuild and civic virtue in New Zealand?
1. There needs to be a happy medium between under and overpromising, and respectively over and under delivering.
2. Politicians and pressure groups should respect the right of individuals to express their opinion, and do their best to put out information correctly outlining their positions on controversial issues, and get rid of misinformation.
3. There ought to be a citizenship education course in schools teaching values in among others, the public good, personal responsibility, political enfranchisement - an education in society and government.
4. Political parties need to reach out beyond their current narrow confines, and remember why they were formed in the first place, what drove people to Labour or National. And the party faithful need to be a fully informed part of the process in governing their party's actions.
5. Politicians should avoid situations where they could be accused of impropriety if at all possible.

But most of all, enhance the process. All of you who read this blog would have at some stage, whether in your capacity as political activists, employee/employer, or individual, wittingly or unwittingly, will have come across simple apolitical people with problem - for example: bad teeth, combined with low incomes and high dentistry costs.

The activists need to take this issue forward: How can we alleviate this person's position. As a potential advocate, how can we influence the process of policy formation to help this person out.

The best solution for our sagging civic virtue for the apolitical to see their political parties and branches of government in action: perhaps in the earlier case of the person with bad teeth, a political activist proposing ways of fixing an unfair situation, which is then taken to the wider party as an idea, then a policy remit. With pressure and time, the idea becomes policy, and the dentristry work of the low income employee is paid by an extension of the current system of dentistry currently afforded to part-time workers and beneficiaries.
If our people can see that one individual can start a process, and we can achieve good change, then our problem of civic virtue will evapourate.

However, I must add one point. There are certain political parties who regard the public as quote "an obstacle to be overcome every three years", and tempt voters with phoney policies and feigned empathism, whilst hiding their most deeply held political held opinions from the public. The public don't want this dishonesty. Why shouldn't parties be open about what they want to do? The last thing New Zealand needs at the moment is a return to the politics of lies.