Obituaries — Ronald Reagan—Former United States President

I move, That this House note with sadness the death of former United States President Ronald Reagan, and that it extend to Mrs Reagan, to her family, and to the people of the United States its deepest sympathy.

The passing of former President Ronald Reagan has been commemorated in the United States by the first presidential State funeral since the death of President Lyndon Johnson in 1973. Ronald Reagan served 8 years as President of the United States. His greatest gift was his ability to communicate, and he always conveyed a sense of optimism about his country and its people. The friendship he developed with the Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, played a part in easing cold war tensions.

In recent years President Reagan suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. His courageous public declaration that he had Alzheimer’s, and the role of the Ronald and Nancy Reagan research foundation, have done so much to raise public awareness of this devastating neurological disorder.

The Government has written to President Bush to convey New Zealand’s condolences, and I was able to do so in person to the President last week. The Governor-General represented New Zealand at President Reagan’s funeral. Our sympathies are with Mrs Reagan and members of her family, as well as the American people.

The National Party certainly supports that resolution. In retrospect, President Reagan was one of the great Presidents of the United States. He was not at the time always recognised as such by all of the people—indeed, even in this House—but he made a tremendous contribution to the American economy and to the world. He effectively brought the cold war to an end, and for that we all owe him a great debt of gratitude. As the Prime Minister has said, he courageously acknowledged his own serious illness towards the end, and he was by any count a great American.

Ronald Reagan had a commitment to patriotism. He genuinely loved his people and they loved him in return, and that is what endeared him to the people of America. He acquired international standing in a statesmanlike manner, and he was able to break down barriers and build bridges in their place—most notably, the end of the Eastern and Western blocs and the cold war period—and, contrary to historic expectation, he saw a significant de-escalation in nuclear weapons during his time.

He had a certain sincerity and warmth that resonated with his people. At the end of two terms in office, in 1988, no President ever campaigned so hard for his successor, which speaks much of his generosity. He also had a great sense of humour, as one was reminded when he commented to his wife about the shooting of him: “Nancy, I forgot to duck.”

In respect of an act of terrorism in his time, we recall he put planes in the air to get the terrorists back, and his famous comment was “They can run, but they can’t hide.”—to borrow from the famous comment made by Joe Louis. If I could perhaps use a modern variation today, having regard to the recent change of leadership of a certain party in this House: “They can Hide, but they still can’t run.”! The fact is that by the end of Ronald Reagan’s very, very exciting political life and term, in 1988, it was truly, for most Americans, “morning again in America”. We pay our respects to him and his memory.

The ACT party endorses the motion from the Prime Minister. If I may respond to the Rt Hon Winston Peters, I know that in his own special way he is wishing me the best and is congratulating me.

Ronald Reagan was a great man, a great American, and a great President. As a consequence of his administration and his leadership of the United States of America, today we live in a freer and more prosperous world. That legacy of his will go down through the generations. Who could have imagined, when he started his presidency, that a former leader of the Soviet Union would be paying his respects in person, in the way that Mikhail Gorbachev did? Ronald Reagan was a great man, and he is a reminder and an inspiration to us all—his optimism, his always looking to the future, and his belief always in the very best of the people whom he represented. Ronald Reagan, please rest in peace.

Briefly, on behalf of United Future, I also would like to endorse the motion to mark the passing of that great President and great world leader, the late Ronald Reagan. Others have already spoken about the enormous contribution that he made to the ending of the cold war. All of us who were alive at the time will always treasure as a great memory the moment when, for example, the Berlin Wall came down, and all of the celebration that flowed from that. Rodney Hide also mentioned President Reagan’s great sense of optimism, and I think that is one of the memories I will have of him. He was very much a can-do person who saw the problems and the obstacles but also saw possibilities towards solution and reconciliation. We mark the passing of a great President.

Motion agreed to.