You Are Not Special

An Open Letter to Members of Parliament

It is a good thing that public scrutiny is now taking place over Parliamentarians' expenditure. This will make most of you far more careful about what you claim and upon what you spend other peoples' money. However, for some, maybe many of you this will take a good deal of "fun" out of being a Member of Parliament.

We remind you, however, that you are nothing more, nor less than a servant. Yes, you do carry a certain respect because of the office you hold of being a representative of the people. But that respect resides not in you but in the office itself. It stems from our respect for the rule of law and for the highest court of the land.

That is not to say that you cannot earn personal respect and honour as a Member of Parliament. You can earn personal respect above and beyond the offices you hold by proving yourself to be a worthy, good, and faithful servant of those offices and of the people.

Let us be clear. Spending our money to make your life comfortable or easier is not acceptable, period. That would necessarily involve putting yourself above your office. It would necessarily involve you ceasing to be a servant and making yourself a lord. We believe that this has gone on far too long. It has to stop.

The Prime Minister has said that he does not want to see the family lives of his ministers and members being destroyed by the rigours and demands of ministerial and parliamentary service. He believes that in the longer term this would be destructive to good government and effective service. Therefore, he wants to see his ministers in decent housing, together with their families in Wellington.

It is a point well made, and taken. However, in the end it is the responsibility of every member to make such determinations for oneself and one's family. It is not the nation's responsibility to care for the families of Members of Parliament. It is the duty of each individual member.

We believe it is reasonable, since your job requires you to spend a great deal of time in Wellington, that your employer--the people--pay for your travel and accommodation in that city. Therefore it is reasonable for each non-Wellington based MP to be given an accommodation allowance based upon the market average rental costs for a two bedroom flat. How they spend that allowance would be up to them. If they determine that they would prefer to have their families relocated to Wellington, the decision is theirs to make. But, no further allowances or payments or compensations or perquisites will be made.

We remind you that the rest of the commercial world operates in this way. You have no grounds to think of yourselves as being exceptional or a special case. You are servants of the people, employees. Nothing more, nothing less.

We are aware that some Ministers believe that their job requires that they entertain guests of the State or other dignitaries. Therefore, they have argued for larger more lavish accommodation. This is self-serving nonsense. Every quality hotel in the city has function and banquet rooms which can be hired, complete with kitchens and professional chefs. Let the dignity of your office be manifested in the care and respect you have for other peoples' money, not in the empty displays and fripperies of lavish opulence. Such is not becoming for those who regard themselves as servants.

Doubtless many of you will complain about your work loads--and argue that you need more comforts than the average bloke if you are to cope. May we remind you that your workloads are a direct result of all the regulations, rules, laws, policies, and other vanities which you and your predecessors have foisted upon our nation in the name of enlightened and progressive government. You and your predecessors have made busy-work for yourselves with your predilection for a vastly expanded apparatus of State. You created the mess. The least you can do is lie in it. You will get no sympathy from us.

Remember, you are servants. If your ambitions and pretensions have resulted in a vastly expanded workload, so that you are enslaved and crushed by duties and responsibilities which you yourselves have created--so be it. If it means that Members of Parliament and Minister of the Crown now have to be as busy as a one-legged butt kicker, c'est la vie.

Maybe, just maybe, you will learn that in matters of government, he who governs least, governs best. In the meantime, stop your whining. Or find another job. It is the least we expect.