Clive Bibby: Lolly scrambles are for children

I will be voting in my 20th election in October and I consider this to be the most important one in which l have been privileged to take part.

I say that because our country New Zealand has never before faced such a threat to its existence as a sovereign nation built on sacrifice and endeavour rarely seen in a world that too often demands unquestioned obedience from its citizens.

We have become a country that cherishes those hard won freedoms and instilled values yet we are in danger of allowing ideologues, who care little for our heritage or the price we have paid for the position we occupy in our commonwealth of nations, to destroy it all.

Some will say that these comments are typical hyperbole used by someone who needs to exaggerate a situation in order to prove a point.

I totally reject that notion as an attempt to counter the evidence I present to back my assessment.

I make no apology for stating the obvious.

It can’t be an exaggeration if it is the truth and so let’s look at the reliability of my observations.

One might think that being involved in two World Wars and a major depression , that resulted in loss of life on a scale few other nations experienced, would be threats we should not be expected to recover from.

But we did and it is a reflection of our individual character and relatively unique pathway to nationhood that ensured we are what we have become - the jewel in the crown that leads the world In multi cultural relationships where every person has access to equal opportunities irrespective of ethnic origin, gender, political and religious beliefs or status on the social ladder.

We have worked hard to get to this position and as a result have become the envy of the world but it could all be taken away in a nanosecond if we are not vigilant in the way we protect and conduct our democratic electoral process.

That in a nutshell is the threat we should all be concerned about and it is real.

This is not a time when we can afford to be unconcerned about which coalition of parties wins government in a few months from now.

Traditionally we have tended to resemble children reacting to politicians who are touting for our votes with the aid of policies that unfortunately resemble nothing more than a lolly scramble. Too often history shows we regret paying not enough attention to our choices of candidates - particularly those masquerading as the saviour of our moral code.

Surely we as a nation of fair minded people are capable of rising to the occasion once again but this time it will not be a foreign threat we are called to resist - it is one from within although far less tangible than anything we see in stark reality like a foreign invader. It is called apathy!

Unfortunately, it is one thing to identify the threat as apathy - quite another to design a method for overcoming the danger before it overwhelms us by default.

My solution, for what it is worth, is to cast a vote based on promises made that are costed and demonstrably able to be kept. We need to pay attention to detail and weigh each one against what we know to be true. We have suffered two much from the betrayals of the past. It is our turn to set the agenda.

All politicians should be on notice that they must show they can deliver on the programmes presented to the electorate.

If the figures don’t add up, the ideas don’t make sense or the plans for development don’t resonate with those who will suffer the consequences if they fail to work, then the rewards for honesty will go to someone else.

Division is not an option. We should vote only for those who promise unity.

Simple really.

Clive Bibby is a commentator, consultant, farmer and community leader, who lives in Tolaga Bay.