The parliamentary election of New Zealand occurred on Oct. 17, 2020. Before the end of the day, the result was released: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern led the Labor Party to an unprecedented victory by claiming 64 out of the 120 seats of the legislature. On the other hand, the opposition National Party suffered one of the most devastating defeats from 56 seats reduced to 35. Other big winners were the Greens from eight to 10 seats and ACT from one to 10. Completing the cast is the Maori Party with one seat. NZ First, one of the minor parties that supported Labor to govern, failed to get any seat.
We don’t hear of vote-buying, vote-rigging or violence in NZ elections. In the Matangi Primary School where I have cast my vote, I joined the orderly line and completed the task in less than an hour. The rest of the day was just another typical lazy weekend. There were three Filipino-Kiwis who ran in an electorate, namely, Romy Udanga (Labor), Monina Hernandez (Labor) and Wella Bernardo (Tea Party). Not even Ardern’s popularity could help Udanga and Hernandez in the National-stronghold electorates they ran. Bernardo could barely obtain 100 votes in Manurewa.
Paulo Garcia, who served as the first member of Parliament of Filipino descent, did not run in an electorate, having been promoted to the rank of 25 in National’s list from his previous number 50. He was tasked in helping other candidates gain the support of Filipino voters. Not even being the highest ranked list non-electorate candidate could keep Garcia in the 53rd Parliament, after the catastrophic loss on Oct. 17. Still there is hope for Garcia should any of his elected party mates resign, retire or die.
I had a chat with him, and he expressed dismay on how voters have abandoned their values and faith. Garcia is one of the most vocal critics of the legislation on euthanasia and opposed the abortion law that was passed earlier this year. The result of the referendums on euthanasia and recreational cannabis has yet to be announced. I posted my stand against these two proposed laws on Facebook and was surprised to receive comments from fellow Filipinos who favor legalization. It seems like the liberal policies of the left-of-center parties like Labor and Green have influenced them. The diversity in the composition of the NZ Parliament is something to marvel, though. Majority of the MPs are of European descent, other ethnicities are now represented including those from the Pacific islands, Asia and Africa. Sadly, there will be no Filipino for the time being, as the community is evenly divided between Labor and National, with a few opting for the smaller parties.