Hon Jim Anderton
Deputy Prime Minister
News release
27 February 2000
Politicians need to earn respect, Anderton tells JPs
New Zealand's political system has not been well-known for delivering good value on words like 'truth', 'honesty',
'integrity' and 'respect', deputy Prime Minister Jim Anderton has told a conference of Justices of the Peace in
Christchurch.
But if that helped to persuade politicians that respect had to be earned, then it might not be a bad thing, he said.
"People must deserve respect, not just claim it by virtue of public office. Respect is never owned and it can be taken
away immediately. So, if politicians do not earn respect, they have no right to expect it as though it automatically
goes with public office."
Jim Anderton said basic values like integrity, honesty and acting in good faith stand at the heart of the coalition
government.
"We have committed ourselves to acting in good faith to restore public confidence in the integrity of the electoral
system and of Parliament.
"On the bedrock of honest government, we also hope to rebuild the confidence our people once had in our economy. People
invest their lives and their money where they see stability and hope.
"Enormous damage has been done to public confidence over the last twenty years, especially in rural New Zealand. Our
country was changed dramatically, often by people who never really told us what was going on, and in response to forces
we never really understood. Repairing that sense of stability and hope may take some time," Jim Anderton said.
ENDS