Hon Jim Anderton

Member of Parliament for Wigram
Progressive Leader

20 August 2009
Media Statement

Act irresponsible in walking out too quickly

Making threats to get your way in government as Act leader Rodney Hide is doing is the wrong way to go about getting cooperation in government, Progressive Wigram MP Jim Anderton says.

He has led two smaller coalition partners in government. He says Rodney Hide is threatening to flounce out of government if he doesn’t get his way.

“It’s counter-productive as a means to get the policy you want, and it is a bad way to govern. When two parties cannot handle their differences without one walking out, it says either there is bad faith at the heart of government, or one party is not up to the challenges of government.

“It is inevitable when there is more than one party in government that there will be some issues on which the parties feel passionate and have different views. If one party stomped out every time it couldn’t get what it wanted, then cooperation and coalition could never happen.

“Mr Hide thinks Act will win some support over the Maori seats issue, but it will lose more credibility than it gains. The public will see Mr Hide as irresponsible - and that is a larger problem for Mr Hide than the policy at stake.

“Larger parties will never be seen to be allowing the tail to wag the dog. All Act can do by walking out is make itself irrelevant. For small parties, there are a lot of bitter pills to swallow. If your ideas are popular, the larger party will adopt them as their own anyway, but at least you get your policy adopted.

“The way to get what you want is by constructive argument and dealing with the objections of your partner, not by making threats. If they couldn’t agree and believe the issue is so important, Act should have reached an agreement that another minister would take over the relevant bill, allowing Act to vote against it.

“Making every important issue a make or break one means that eventually the relationship will break or at leats be less effective.

“I would be pleased to see someone else than Mr Hide as Minister for Local Government, however. He clearly doesn’t like local bodies or the constructive role they play in the development of their communities and that is hardly a good qualification for being their minister.”

ENDS

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