OPINION: Rev Dr Stuart Laing-NZ Christian Network.
All political parties have values, and feel they do good for everyone. However, there are both good and not-so-good aspects in all political parties. No political party is immune to ideological bias, prejudice, influence from vested interests, internal conflict, and making policies and promises which are empty, misleading, or divisive.
In this pre-election season, when all political parties are eager to maximise their share of votes, they present themselves as the answer to all our problems, and often denigrate rival political parties as incompetent, untrustworthy, and dangerous. Complex issues are far too often reduced to slogans, accusations, and smear tactics.
So, as voters who are Christian, what might we like to see among our political candidates, MPs, and political parties?
Here are some suggestions…
- More focus on promoting good and beneficial policies
- Less focus on attacking and rubbishing other parties
- Much less spin
- A willingness to put aside partisan, adversarial politics, and more frequently to cooperate and collaborate across the floor, to ensure well-scrutinised, effective laws and a greater number of shared direction
- The basics of good government: justice, law and order, a sound economy
- A common commitment to fairness and compassion, and to the wellbeing of all people in New Zealand, especially those who are less wealthy
- Fair wages and income for all, a just tax system, and affordable housing
- A stronger health system
- A genuine will to honour the Treaty/Te Tiriti and Crown’s promises to Māori
- A respect and kindness towards new migrants
- A shared eagerness to care for God’s creation, the natural world, and to implement policies and laws that help better achieve that
- The ongoing protection of liberties of belief, conscience, and expression
- A deeper respect among MPs for Christian faith and values, along with respect for other faiths and for secularism
- Some members’ bills (which should be dealt with as conscience issues) which propose appropriate checks and balances amending those laws which now allow doctors to euthanise terminally ill adults and to kill unborn babies even in the late stages of gestation
- MPs who are compassionate, honest, and fair-minded, who have good personal values, and – where there are such candidates standing – those who are willing to uphold Christian values with courage, grace, and respect for all.
- This article was first published in New Zealand Christian Network News.
