Resignations from party predicted

Press, 14 November 1977, Page 2

Resignations from party predicted

Mr G. P. A. Downie, defeated at a selection meeting as candidate for the Pakuranga seat at next year’s General Election, has predicted a “large number of resignations” from the Pakuranga branch of the National Party in protest against his

The 72 delegates who threw out his bid for reselection on Thursday evening were "emphatically unrepresentative of the whole,” he said.

“I do not regard the rejection by the committee as a rejection by the electorate.”

He said he would not stand | against his victor, Mr P. V. Hunt, as an Independent, “but I don’t intend to throw away six years as a Parlia-I mentarian.” Since his defeat he had had many telephone calls from party supporters, “very! deeply disturbed” about whatl had happened. "There will be a heavy!

backlash against this,” he said. Mr Downie attacked anonymous persons who had made “general statements” against him, claiming to be party spokesmen. He called on them to come out in the open and make specific charges.

i “There have been a number of efforts to destroy me | going back to 1972,” he said. He said "the one person ; who succeeded could only do !so by not being very helpful 'as far as my image was concerned.”

Asked if he was referring to Mr Hunt, who was electorate chairman from 1973 to 1975, Mr Downie said he was. He said those who rejected him because he had not become a Cabinet Minister did not understand politics. "It is very seldom that a member becomes a Minister within two terms—political maturity does not occur overnight,” Mr Downie said.