Should we stick with MMP?
The young Wellington public lawyer has a passion for constitutional issues and he’s taken up the cause to both educate and influence voters on our existing electoral system and the options. He’s taken three months off work to be the public face of Vote for Change, a group campaigning against MMP.
Williams studied at Victoria University and the Bucerius Law School in Belgium. He has had a long interest in politics, from the time he was at school and was a youth MP. He became involved with Vote for Change because he was concerned that MMP had reduced the accountability of politicians, tribalised politics and reduced healthy political debate within parties.
“A good electoral system should make it easy to vote bad MPs out and hold governments to account,” Williams says. “MMP has led to parties holding power over MPs, rather than Kiwi voters being able to easily keep politicians accountable.”
He’s also concerned that the two voting systems favoured most by New Zealanders appears to be MMP and First Past the Post, two options he says that are the complete opposite of each other. He believes more debate is required and supports SM (Supplementary Member) as a sensible middle ground alternative.
“No system is perfect but Supplementary Member gives the best of both worlds. It reduces the number of list MPs and allows small parties to be represented in Parliament but reduces the likelihood of them holding the large parties to ransom after each election.”
Williams is critical of the government’s handling of the referendum process and the lack of any debate or a public education programme.
“Politicians have set the whole thing up to favour the status quo so that they can change the system for their own benefit.”
On Saturday voters will be asked whether they want to keep the current MMP system or vote for change. If Kiwis vote for change a second referendum, a run-off between MMP and an alternative voting system, will be held in 2014. No matter what the vote is on Saturday a review of MMP will be held next year, reporting back to Parliament with any recommended changes.
“That means the politicians can choose what changes to make after the review and change the system for their own benefit,” Williams says.
He says a vote for change on Saturday will mean politicians will not be able to control the voting system and give time for a proper debate on which system is best for New Zealand.
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