Reopen discussion on defections

[New Democracy]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - September 06 1997
Steve Withers of New Zealand wrote about Alamein Kopu:
    "But in Parliamant, it meant she was lazy and irresponsible and prone to
wrap herself in her Maori heritage and tell everyone to get lost."

Don: This may be a correct statement - Steve knows Alamein much better than I.

     If it is true that Alamein is lazy then I contend that she did not
become lazy overnight. She was lazy before becoming a Member of Parliament.


     The fault here lies with the Alliance Party. They merely wanted a warn
body from a political correct ethnic group. The Alliance was lazy in doing
their homework. Her history of unemployment and welfare shows that she is a
person that cannot function at a normal level. She most likely regards
being a member the same as being on welfare. Welfare people are allowed to
be lazy.

     The lazy Alliance got a lazy member - a perfect match.

     The Alliance should leave her alone at this point and chalk this up to
experience and regard it as a bit of Alliance history.

     And if the Alliance cannot learn from history then they are doomed to
relive this again.

Don
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>** Reply to note from donald at mich.com (New Democracy) Tue, 26 Aug 1997
>09:31:01 -0400
>
>Hi
>
>In New Zealand, an Alliance MP, Alamein Kopu, quit both her party
>(Mana Motuhake - "Mah-na Moe-two-hock-ay") and became an
>independent. This was particularly interesting as she was elected
>as a list MP.
>
>The Alliance now has 12 MPs instead of 13. They have argued that
>their share of the vote entitles them to 13 MPs and that
>they should be allowed to slect the next available person from their
>list.
>
>They have also argued that Alamein Kopu should be forced to leave
>Parliamant as her presence was no longer legitimate.
>
>The real, underlying cause of the break was that Alamein had
>decided she didn't really like Parliamant very much and she
>had been AWOL for over 3 weeks, ignoring all her assigned
>responsibilities and requests to pull her weight.
>
>She had been elected after being unemployed for 20 years. She
>had a long track record of not following any sort of direction
>and doing what she pleased, when she pleased. She was slected as a
>candidate because in the context she came from, these traits made her
>a valuable activist.
>
>But in Parliamant, it meant she was lazy and irresponsible and prone to
>wrap herself in her Maori heritage and tell everyone to get lost.
>
>The other main issue was that her leader, Sandra Lee, had severely
>criticised NZ First Maori MP Tukuorangi Morgan for spending
>public money on his personal wardrobe and over seas travel - without
>authorisation. Alamein took the view that he was just another
>Maori being picked on by the white folks.....right or wrong
>(he was wrong).
>
>The net result is NZ now has an independent list MP. The Alliance
>didn't get their extra MP - and had their funding reduced accordingly.
>
>Alamein is still lazy.
>
>Steve
>
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


  * - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - *
  |                       N E W   D E M O C R A C Y                       |
  |                      http://www.mich.com/~donald                      |
  * - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - *