New petition will be launched says Kiwi Party leader

The Kiwi Party
Press Release
5 Sept, 2009
 

Embargoed till 10.45am Saturday September 5th.

Kiwi Party leader and organiser of the Anti-smacking referendum announced today that he had contacted the Clerk of the House of Representatives concerning approval to lodge an application as a proposer of a new Citizens Initiated Referendum.

Speaking at the Kiwi Party’s annual conference in Christchurch Mr Baldock said
“I believe the Prime Minister’s refusal to act upon the 87.4% ‘No’ vote in the recent referendum has raised the question amongst many as to whether our democracy has sufficient checks and balances in place to protect from the abuse of executive power.

The No Vote in the Anti-smacking Referendum got 1,470,755 votes
That’s 35% more votes than National got at the last election
That’s 78% more than Labour got at the last election
That’s 27 years worth of voting for Sue Bradford’s Greens based on their 2008 election results

“The final form of the question will obviously be the subject of public submissions as part of the process the Clerk is required to follow under the CIR Act 1993,” said Mr Baldock, but the wording of the question would focus on the issue of whether Citizens initiated referenda seeking the repeal or amendment of any law passed by parliament should be binding.
“The Kiwi Party’s policies spell out what amendments we believe should be made to the CIR Act 1993.   Kiwi Party Referenda policy

“Because it can take up to three months before the Clerk gives the final approval of the question and petition form, I want to begin the process as soon as possible. If the Prime Minister has a change of heart about his refusal to listen to the voice of the people expressed in the anti-smacking referendum over the next three months I would of course reconsider the plans to pursue the signature collection.

“If John Key continues to act without regard for the citizens he was given the privilege to govern, then he can be sure of this one thing. I will do all in my power to ensure that he will have to deal with another referendum and this time it will be almost impossible to avoid it being held at the 2011 elections.

“The abuse of executive power that has been occurring over the past 10 years must be corrected and the circumstances that have led to the appalling situation in the past two weeks must never happen again in a free and democratic New Zealand.

“I want to make one thing clear at the outset. The Kiwi Party is not seeking a complete constitutional change from representative democracy to direct democracy. We simply want the to provoke the nation to a discussion over whether there are sufficient checks within our system to protect from executive and parliamentary abuse of power and to give that discussion a constructive outlet through a referendum question.

“New Zealand is the only nation as far as I am aware, that does not have a written constitution and no second chamber for legislation to pass through before becoming law.  With an MMP electoral system we also now find ourselves with party leaders holding additional power over list MPs concerned about their rankings on the party list at the next election, coupled with the over extended power of a large cabinet within a minority government party caucus.

“If we do not seriously address these constitutional issues now our children and grandchildren may be governed in a way our forebears never imagined possible when they resisted oppression on foreign battlefields to protect our liberty,” he said.
Ends

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