Motions — Presidential Election, USA—Congratulations

I seek the leave of the House to move a non-controversial motion without debate, congratulating President George Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney on their re-election.

💬 Mr SPEAKER: Is there any objection to that?

It is usual to declare these matters with the whips in advance, as a matter of courtesy to all other parties. Obviously the Government would not object to such a motion being moved.

I move, That the House convey its sincere congratulations and warmest regards to President George Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney on their election win in the United States of America. I hope that they will continue to regard New Zealand in a favourable way as a good ally and a good trading partner—

💬 Mr SPEAKER: There is to be no debate. Leave was sought to move a motion without debate. The member has moved the motion. I now want to put the motion, and other parties can very briefly comment. [Interruption] Well, if the member wishes to make a brief comment I will allow him to make it now.

Also, I send on behalf of this House regards to John Kerry and his running mate, John Edwards. It was a very tough campaign, and I thought that the way those candidates handled the results was a credit to a great country and a great people.

The Government joins, obviously, in congratulating the successful candidate in the United States elections. It was pleasing that in the end there was a clear majority, and so an avoidance of what happened at the last election in the United States. We look forward to cooperating with the re-elected Bush administration.

The New Zealand National Party also wants to join in the motion congratulating President Bush and Vice-President Cheney on their re-election for another 4-year term. The United States is one of the largest democracies in the world, and it is always fascinating to watch how, despite all the perceived difficulties, the transition of authority from one administration to the other takes place—in this case, the continuation of an administration. We hope that New Zealand is able to improve its trading relations with the United States. It is an important country. President Bush has won this election with the largest-ever popular vote in the United States. There was a huge turn-out to the polls. Although Mr Kerry has lost the election, he was certainly instrumental in provoking a lot of thought about the state of the world, and he should be congratulated on that. We would make the comment that perhaps the New Zealand media might have been a little slicker in understanding that the election was a choice for the American people rather than for the rest of the world. I conclude by once again congratulating Mr Bush and all his administration.

Obviously, we all endorse the comments made—or most of the comments made—by previous speakers. We also say that when a growing population turns out in greater numbers than ever before, there are likely to be very high numbers of votes for both the winner and the loser. But I would hope that in future, rather than members of Parliament and party leaders seeking to gain a vicarious benefit from a victory they had nothing to do with whatsoever, maybe it would be better and more courteous if a member who had that in mind would consult others so that we could move just one motion, and then get on with our own business in our democracy.

The Green Party joins with other parties in sending President Bush congratulations on winning the election, but it is also with a sense—and I think in this I am expressing the views of the majority of New Zealand people and of a significant majority of the people of the world—of sadness at the fact that Mr Bush was re-elected, because, unfortunately—

💬 Hon Members: Aw!

💬 Mr SPEAKER: We do have free speech in this Parliament. People are entitled to have their view heard, even if others do not agree with it. I will uphold that. I ask the member to be brief.

💬 Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I thought that the purpose of a motion without debate was such that those who agreed with the person moving it could perhaps make a comment. But if one is in violent disagreement, then how can that be in accord with the non-debatable objective, even though we have been given some leniency at this time?

💬 Mr SPEAKER: I am asking Mr Locke to come to the end of his comments, because he did say at the start that he was going to support the motion.

Yes, the Green Party is supporting the motion, and, as with other debates of this kind, we are allowed to put it in the right context. I think that the House should take note of the polls that have been conducted around the world, in addition to the polls in the United States, where overwhelmingly—[Interruption]

💬 Mr SPEAKER: This is the member’s last sentence. Would he please finish it.

Overwhelmingly, the people of the world have expressed their opposition to George Bush’s re-election. [Interruption] Could I finish? As I was saying, overwhelmingly the people of the world have expressed their opinion against George Bush being re-elected, because they do not want a continuation of the wars of aggression such as the one we have seen in Iraq and the so-called war on terrorism, which is undermining our civil liberties—[Interruption]

💬 Mr SPEAKER: I just want to say one thing. This is a democracy too, and people have the right of free speech. I am going to uphold that. I thought the comments that were made were unnecessary. Of course, Mr Locke has a different point of view from that of other parties. He is entitled to that; that is what democracy is all about. That is what we have just witnessed in the United States, where there was a free choice.

I want to join with other members and on behalf of United Future to express our congratulations to President Bush, Vice-President Cheney, and the Republican Party on what has been a sweeping victory in every aspect of the United States election. I want to make this point, though. At a time when it is often convenient to see the world in a global sense, this election reinforces the value of individual nations. This was a choice made freely, democratically, and quite appropriately by the people of the United States—as it should be—and to draw any wider implications or to be negative about the views of the rest of the world in this respect misses the fundamental point that democracy is the exercise of the franchise by the people of a nation. In this case the people of the United States, by a clear majority, have re-elected President Bush. Our congratulations are with him. Our commiserations go to Senator Kerry and his team, and we express our ongoing support for the fact that the democratic ideal has been upheld.

Motion agreed to.