Letter to NZine: 2002 election

Margaret – 19/07/02

Am I alone in feeling that the coverage of the 2002 election focuses almost
solely on the Party Leaders, the Party Vote and the polls?

Everything I have seen on TV or heard on radio presents Helen Clark, Bill
English, Jeanette Fitzsimons, Rod Donald, Winston Peters, Richard Prebble,
Jim Anderton, Laila Harre, and Peter Dunne, with an occasional reference to
the leaders of more minor parties.

In our electorate we have a hard working MP in Jerry Brownlee whose representatives have contacted many of us by phone about our concerns at this election. Any expression of concern has received a written response.

To find out who was standing for the other parties as candidates in this electorate I searched a suburban newspaper and found them named in one unobtrusive paragraph in an article on the election.

Where are the biography sheets in the letter-box, the door-knocking, and the street corner meetings? We have had pamphlets from ACT and from the Christian Heritage Party, again featuring leaders and without the name of
the local candidate.

I get the feeling that the party vote is regarded by the parties as more important than the vote for the candidate, yet it is the MP working in the
electorate who is able to channel voters’ concerns to Parliament.

Journalists say that the undecided voters will have a marked influence on
the result. It would be helpful if the parties thought it was worth keeping us informed.

Margaret Ilam voter