The inevitable has happened, main opposition National Party has found its new leader, the challenger to now dethroned Simon Bridges and Member of Parliament from Bay of Plenty Todd Muller, is the new party leader. The 51-year-old Todd was born in Te Puna and he attended University of Waikato to complete his degree in politics and history.
Muller began his career or rather political career joining former Prime Minister Jim Bolger as his staffer. He has worked for many local Kiwi companies like Zespri and Fonterra and got elected as councillor of Waikato University. Muller got elected to Parliament from Bay of Plenty in 2014 replacing Tony Ryall securing a landslide 61% votes and then got re-elected in 2017 from the same electorate. As a party MP, he has been vocal on several very important local and world issues like Zero Carbon Bill and Climate Change. His work on Zero Carbon bill earned him respect from across the House crossing political boundaries. Even his current bid for next National Party leader was backed by his former boss and former Prime Minister Jim Bolger.
This is the beauty of democracy and of New Zealand politics that a mere poll survey outcome can result in change of guards at the main opposition party of country, so swiftly. Though we can only blame Simon Bridges for his untimely exit from his very important role, so close to the elections. He proved to be a reluctant reformer and his laxity of being a pro-active leader cost him his job. There were several lost opportunities in his tenure of little over two years and throughout this period he consistently failed to bring the confidence of voters back to his party. His own colleagues did not have faith in his leadership whether he would be able to pull it through the upcoming elections against his formidable rival and incumbent Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. The rest of the job was completed by the poll survey results which paved the way for Todd Muller to take it from there.
Muller has a socially conservative position on issues such as abortion, euthanasia and drug liberalisation and has called for greater action on Climate Change. He has already signalled a change in his style as an opposition leader and the probable future Prime Minister of New Zealand by saying that he is not interested in doing ‘opposition just for the sake of opposition’ as that people are already sick and tired of this kind of politics. This is big statement from the man, immediately after taking charge of the main opposition party and is in stark contrast of his predecessor’s combative approach against government on issues of public importance.
The change happened at National Party is no guarantee of Party’s fortune to turn around, but Labour is aware that despite of Jacinda’s all-time high, historic popularity, it will not be a cake walk for them now. The business community of New Zealand has traditionally been National supporter because of its pro-industries policies and what can be better time for National Party to make a comeback when the business confidence is at its lowest in history, post Covid. Todd Muller oozes the confidence to turn the tide in his favour and Jacinda will need to vouch for him.
Apart from political drama, things appear reasonably in control at Covid front in New Zealand with a few days in a row going without reporting any new cases or any deaths. That has prompted government to relax the rules around community gatherings to up to 100, with still taking care of sanitisation and distancing. The time has come now, as I mentioned in my previous write up, that we learn to live with these situations. Taking all due precautions and following the regulations is good for ourselves and for others too. This is going to be the new normal now.
-Yugal Parashar