People before party, says candidate

Press, 16 November 1981, Page 6

People before party, says candidate

Party controlled politics and the struggle for power obscured the real issues of government, said the Social Credit candidate for the Rangiora electorate (Mr W. F. Morgan), at a public meeting in Amberley. Mr Morgan told a small gathering how Social Credit’s policies would utilise the skills and initiative within New Zealand without incurring massive foreign debt. Past elections had involved "manipulating the votes to get control,” he said. Issues of economic reform and Parliamentary responsibility were overlooked in the quest for power, said Mr Morgan. National and Labour members of Parliament were tied to a party line, which at times meant their Parliamentary vote was not being exercised for the good of their electorates. Social Credit, asked no such allegiance of its members, said Mr Morgan. “The Social Credit mem-

ber of Parliament is expected to represent his electorate first,” he said. A member of Parliament earned around $29,000 a year, so the public had a right to expect him to work for his money, but acting in the best interests of his electorate, not his party, he said. Parliamentary secrecy also clouded responsible government, said Mr Morgan. The National Party’s think big policy was investing the people of New Zealand’s money in a project which could double the country’s debt for little return. If Social Credit found itself in a position where its and the Opposition’s total vote outweighed the Government’s, then it would use the power responsibly, to get “plain, commonsense government,” for New Zealand, said Mr Morgan. “If we get the balance of, responsibility we want, then it’s a very real chance that we will get the tax reform we want,” he added.