Concerns Over Electoral Integrity Bill Highlight Labour Party Divisions - Peters
The Rt Hon Winston Peters MP, Leader of New Zealand First, today said that Dover Samuels and John Tamihere’s concerns
over changes to the Electoral Integrity Amendment Bill have more to do with divisions within the Labour Caucus than they
do with upholding democracy.
“As much as New Zealanders want to prevent undemocratic, unprincipled party hopping from ever happening again they do
not want legislation that puts party leaders in the position of being able to expel members without the backing of two
thirds of the Caucus.
“The motivation behind our amendments is to ensure we have a representative and democratic Parliament with politicians
remaining true to the policies and platforms that saw them elected in the first place.
“Whilst I concur with Mr Samuel’s view that the Electorate must come first a constituency member always has the
opportunity to go back to the people in a by-election for public endorsement which I did in Tauranga in 1993,” said Mr
Peters
Mr Peters said that this issue was too important to New Zealanders throughout the country to be used as a political
football within the Labour Caucus.
“At the last election New Zealanders overwhelmingly sent the message that party hopping would not be tolerated and any
MP who overlooks that is ignoring the public will. When the public vote under MMP they give a proportion of the vote to
parties and that proportionality should be honoured for the duration of the parliamentary term,” said Mr Peters.
ENDS