lection Act inequi David mitchell a second opinion THE RULES may have changed, but the game remains the same. We’re all going to be learning about ‘the new political playing field under ‘British Columbia’s . revised Election Act. .. For instance, the voting _age has been reduced from 19 to 18 years of age. ‘ Candidates and parties will .now have to disclose who - gives them money, and how much. For the first time in ur provirice, there are limits oii campaign spending. And there are also controversial “new restrictions on advertis- ing by “third parties,” and “restrictions on the way public “.. “opinicn surveys can be - es _Feported. Come i & see ¢ i large 7 waicction| of cua | brand name frames Some of these reforms are Jong overdue: some may go too far, and even influence the results of the important electoral contest we've just begun. But remember one important fact: the new law was written and approved by a’select group with a strong vested interest: politicians, You wouldn't really expect representatives of political parties to pass a new law that might prevent them from continuing to have their way ~—— would you? I believe there’s a serious conflict whenever politicians con- ceive and approve legislation that directly affects them. Better to have an indepen- dent body review the laws affecting the basic corner- stones of our democracy. Here’s why: we've now got one set of regulations for vuters in the provincial elec- tion, while political parties are free to set their own stan- dards, For example, to cast a bal- lot on May 28, you must be a Canadian citizen. But in order to vote in a nomination contest for the NDP or Liberal parties, it is not nec- essary to be a citizen of our counitry. That's right: the rules of our democracy do not apply in the sometimes bitterly con- tested nomination battles n extra RDA MMAR ON PES MA Nar oPcI NDT MO NI within our two major politi- cal parties, That's why we've been hearing about so-called ethnic warfare in some subur- ban ridings, where bus-loads of delegates arrive at nantina- tion meetings with explicit instructions to vote for a spe- cifie candidate. In many cases, these dele- gales are new immigranis to our province and country. Unfortunately, their first act of citizenship is to be direct- ed by a party boss to support a particular candidate — even though they are not legally eligible to vote for the person in the general election. Isn't this just about the worst possible introduction to the democratic rights that accompany Canadian citizen- ‘ship? The villains in this abuse of process are not the new- comers to our province: rather, they are the organizers of political machines who will go to almost any length to get people out to meetings” to win the prize of a coveted party nomination. It’s all a matter of numbers... During the run-up to the current provincial election, this issue nas been. particu- lar problem for the provincial Liberal party, which has seen numerous well-publicized appeals of candidate nomina- tions — a Sure sign of pres- 25% _ GUESS” E YE WE AR Fee iis lightweight lenses with CLEAR anti- reflective, scratch resistant, water repellent coatings. ‘ SINGLE VISION | 1 TOS pairs reg. $1 75 Colors for your ayes “Whether you want to enhance. or change the color of your eyes. Wesley dessen's DuraSoft2 color contact lenses offer you exciting colors to choose frorn. . Sule Price Sipeie* - ty sure tactics and manipulation. When are the Grits in par- ticular going to stop preying on new immigrants to our country by fomenting dissen- sion within the ethnic com- munities which are such a vital and dynamic part of our growing province? And why did the NDP government bring in a new Election Act without ensuring that Canadian citizenship should be a precondition to member- ship ia a registered political party? When I put this ques- tion to the former Attorney General Colin Gabelmann, he responded by saying that the government didn’t want to : legislate interna! party affairs. But shouldn't the rules applying to all of us as voters in the general election also apply to contests within polit- ical parties? This is one area where the new Election Act doesn’t go nearly far enough. David Mitchell is the for- mer Independent MLA for West Vancouver-Garibaldi. Now's thetimetohelp us help others Every dollar you donate goes toward the care and support of those less fortunate than you. 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