MP's Junket Shows Lack of Conscience-Kiwi Party

The public anger over the retiring M P's trips to Europe shows a lack of conscience and accountability says Larry Baldock, leader of the recently launched Kiwi Party. Mr Baldock said the weak explanations by the Speaker of the House Margaret Wilson and the two leaders of Labour and National amounted to a lot of weak justification and a lack of accountability.

"There's an important issue here and that's about expenditure of public money - taxpayer money," he said. In some years the speaker's trip can be a useful exercise in developing relationships with other nations that can have a flow on effect for New Zealand. Sending retiring MP's in an election year is as much an insult to the host nations as it is to the taxpayers of our own country. Explanations by the Speaker, Clark and Key and others of consideration of it being election year presumably with possible public reaction, smacked of political expediency and a disregard for taxpayer money.

"All of the M P's and the leaders of parties should reflect, they are not leaders of the country, but merely public servants funded from the public purse. There is very important matters of principle at stake here," he said.

ENDS

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