Waiting for Winston

Why does the public see Winston Peters as:

❚ Deliberately delaying the formation of a government?

❚ Exceeding his authority?

❚ Holding the country to ransom?

❚ Basking in undeserved attention?

❚ Leaving the country in limbo?

❚ Anything else you can think of? Believe me, I am no great fan of Winston Peters. However, I think that what is happening with NZ First and the process of forming the next government is quite what we should expect following the general election result we have just had in the MMP environment in which we operate.

It’s quite reasonable for the key players to want to wait until the final numbers are in.

Importantly, there is nothing to be alarmed about, and Winston should not get the attention, kudos or blame for the situation we are in. The wheels do not fall off our government while these negotiations are proceeding. The ministers we have in place continue to operate quite legally in their present roles.

The public servants will continue their work largely unchanged for a time being and the business of running the government and country will continue. When the probable changes happen, they will be managed in an orderly fashion.

The negotiations that are now taking place between the various parties, through their negotiating teams, are primarily about the policy, not power. Or they should be.

That’s why we chose MMP, to avoid giving absolute power for two-and-a-half years to the party with the greatest number of MPs.

Now the larger parties must negotiate with smaller ones as potential partners, and the end result will be a reflection of the policies of all groups which are involved – not just those of the largest party.

Whether our next government is led by National or Labour, it will still necessarily be different from the last, and generally it will reflect the policies we voted for. Get used to it!

If you didn’t bother to vote you have nothing to complain about, and if you did vote you have nothing to worry about.

And, by the way, if you voted for a personality rather than a policy, sorry.

It’s the policies you voted for that matter now.

Logan Cotton

Waitara