National leadership aspirants to visit

Press, 4 October 1984, Page 2

National leadership aspirants to visit

By

KARREN BEANLAND

The three top contenders for the National Party leadership will visit Christchurch during the next three months to present their credentials to party officials. The three are the former Minister of Labour, Mr Jim Bolger, the former Minister of Transport, Mr George Gain, and the party’s deputy leader, Mr Jim McLay. They have been picked as the most likely candidates for the leadership if Sir Robert Muldoon is not in the running. When the National caucus last discussed the leadership in July, just after the snap election, Sir Robert said he was unlikely to be a candidate when thp issue would be raised again at the

caucus meeting in February next year. The National Party’s Can-terbury-Westland division has invited the three potential candidates to speak at meetings during the next three months.

Mr Bolger will be the first to address the division on Monday evening at the National Party headquarters in Lichfield Street. Mr Gair is expected to attend a similar meeting in November, and Mr McLay will speak in December. The meetings will be open to the full Canterbury-West-land divisional committee, which normally meets only three times a year. Twelve delegates from each of the 16 electorates from Timaru to Tasman may attend, and big turn-outs are expected. The meetings will not be

open to the news media. The National party’s secretary for Canterbury, Mr Graham Johnstone, said the meetings would not be open to the public because of lack of time and because it was the party organisation that had shown most interest in the leadership question. Although Sir Robert has some vocal supporters in Christchurch, there is a strong feeling in the division that he should be replaced as the party leader. Mr Gair is seen as the favourite choice for the new leader among the party at large, but it is not clear yet whether he has the support of the caucus.

Some party members are adopting a “wait and see” attitude until Sir Robert makes his intentions clear.