EDITOR:
My heart goes out to the victims of the horrific mosque attacks in Christchurch, and to the people of New Zealand. Bravo to the efficient and effective MMP (mixed member proportional) coalition government of New Zealand for banning military-style assault weapons within days of the attacks. It seems that despite a strong gun lobby, under MMP, New Zealand was able to skip right past thoughts and prayers to actually doing something about gun violence. I’m a proud member of Vote Yes P.E.I. Speaking personally, I welcome the No side going on about the supposedly “efficient,” “effective” governments under FPTP (first-past-the-post). Efficient and effective at patronage, at least. New Zealand has inspired us to see what those words really mean and how empty are the fears the No side is trying to stir up. Islanders can look back at the wild swings and fake majorities and decide if we feel well served, or if we would like to make a change to a fair voting system under MMP, where 40 per cent of the vote means 40 per cent of the seats.
Stephen DeGrace,
Charlottetown
