Facing Up To Reality

Five Reasons The Election Should Be Delayed

David Farrar
Kiwiblog

With the decision that Auckland remains in Level 2 for a further 12 days, it really is a no brainer to delay the election. But not just because of the impact on campaigning. Here’s my five reasons why the election should be delayed (as 71 other countries have done).

1. We need Parliament in sessions scrutinising the Government

There has never been a more important time for Parliament to be meeting so Ministers can be questioned in the House, and Ministers and officials in select committees.

It is scrutiny of the Government’s performance that leads to improvements and changes. Take for example the revelation by Michael Morrah that two thirds of border and isolation workers had never been tested for Covid-19, let alone weekly as recommended. That totally changed the dynamics around border testing.

But the Government did not release this information voluntarily. Derek Cheng in the Herald reported media had been asking for this information every day for the last two weeks, and the Government had refused to supply it. Morrah managed to cobble the data together from other sources.

OIA requests don’t have to be answered for 20 or really 40 days. But oral questions in the House must be answered within five hours. Written questions within five days and select committees can question officials and Ministers on the spot.

We need Parliament to be sitting to make sure the Government is doing all it can to prevent further outbreaks. It is clear that without scrutiny, they don’t.

2. We need Ministers focusing on Covid-19

The Prime Minister is also the Labour Party Leader. I want her focused on the former role at the moment.
The Minister in charge of isolation facilities is the Labour Campaign Chair. Ditto. The Minister of Health will be on Labour’s campaign committee. We want them all focused on Covid-19, not campaigning in their electorates or nationwide.

3. Auckland is locked down

A third of the population is in a Level 3 lockdown until 26 August. Voting opens for overseas residents seven days after that and for everyone else 10 days.

Election campaigns are about debates, meetings, speeches, policy announcements, door knocking, transport assistance to polls, events, launches etc. The vast majority of that can’t happen in Level 3.

4. It’s crass to hold an election while we have community transmission

The public are worried. Stress levels have hit boiling again for some people. Families have to worry about job security, about can they work and look after their kids, about if their parents will get sick etc etc.

What the public don’t want is politicians in their faces asking them for their vote. They want the politicians focused on Covid-19.

The public are not going to tune in to the latest conservation policy release from the Greens, or consumer affairs policy from National etc. They are focused on Covid-19.

5. The media coverage of an election will be strained

In the main the journalists who cover Covid-19 are also the journalists who cover the election – the press gallery. Not 100%, but in the main.

Normally in an election most of the gallery would be covering the election, and out on the road with MPs covering their speeches and events. But if the election proceeds with voting opening in 18 days, then the coverage will massively be about Covid-19 and not the election.

We do not have a set election date. The original date of 19 September was chosen by the PM, as is her right. And at the time it was a perfectly fine date. But it would be madness to continue with that date with Auckland in Level 3 lockdown for a further 12 days.

If the PM does continue with 19 September, I predict it will be a near record low turnout.