No system is 100 per cent fair

Dear Editor: The referendum on changing our B.C. electoral system is approaching. Those promoting proportional representation are claiming it is “fair.” No system is 100 per cent fair. Right now, in B.C. we have a government where the party that won the most seats and the most votes is in opposition. The NDP formed the government with the help of the Green Party. This gives a small minority party a huge amount of power. Is this fair?

Under almost all systems of proportional representation, one party has to find other parties to form a coalition which can make for some strange alliances and can leave a country without a governing party for a period of time such has happened in Germany recently.

In all cases, it gives small minority parties considerable power that they don’t deserve based on the number of votes they got in an election.

In the options given in the referendum by the BC NDP (and Greens), two of the three systems of proportional representation have never been tried anywhere in the world. Any of these options will result in a number of new parties contesting in the next election.

In New Zealand, traditionally with three main parties, PR resulted in 12 parties to vote for of which six got seats in government. Right now it is a major challenge to get voters to understand the policies of even three or four parties ... but 12 for a population of four million.

Furthermore, any PR system means much bigger electoral districts for candidates to cover. How can those who are directly selected by the people hope to be responsive to their voters?

The other candidates are chosen by the political parties. This means that they will be much more beholden to their parties than to the voters. As such, it is a dilution of truly representative government.

Under the current system of first past the post a candidate runs on a party platform which is clearly articulated. After the election, the winning party can implement their platform. If the voters find that party has failed them in their promises, they can vote them out of power.

Under PR with the inevitable coalition of a group of parties, voters will find that what they believed would happen under the leading party could be compromised by the need to appease the minority parties in the government.

PR is much more difficult to understand and follow in any of the options B.C. voters are offered and will be after an election using the PR model. Keep to our current model which is simpler and in general has served us well. Disaffected voters can work within the current parties to effect the changes they desire. Allison Budd West Kelowna