An ongoing reminder of what happened and how this society suffered. The fact that the building was partly sponsored with public money stated loud and clear how important it is to the locals to have a wonderful place of reflection.
On the other side of the world, memorials are holy ground. About 25 years ago, the Belgian government wanted to extend a motorway leading to the Belgian coast. The new route would require that two smaller cemeteries would have to be moved.
As soon as I learned of that plan, I contacted the press in an attempt to wake up the locals. The scenario reminds me of what is happening in Napier, with the difference that the plans were leaked before the action was undertaken.
It was the power of the people that stopped the road from being built. I use this example to underline that people do have a voice. However, it is up to them to make sure it is being heard.
Looking at what is happening in Napier recently brings to light that there are several examples of the council ruling without public consultation. Sadly enough, the war memorial is only one issue.
Tuesday's meeting in the MTG was set up as a late response to several months of protest. The mayor referred only to the positive feedback he received, conveniently ignoring the outcry of the ratepayers to restore the memorial to its original location.
A meeting to "put things right" offering three options which no one asked for in the first place, a meeting to present a flimsy excuse as to why the public had not been consulted before the memorial was being removed, a meeting with an indication that restoring the name is currently not a consideration (trying to gauge public opinion with what I call a poor alternative to rename the former ballroom the memorial hall).
However the input from Guy Natush made it clear that restoring the name should be a priority. All in all, by removing the eternal flame and roll of honour without any consultation the council blatantly ignored the link that so many families have with the original building/memorial.
Napier had something unique: a living memorial which played a part in the daily life of people (think of all the functions which automatically took people for a short history lesson when walking through the entrance hall). The present council will be remembered for having taken that away.
Despite the fact that the mayor did acknowledge that consultation did not take place in 2015, the Q & A session did not give us an answer as to why the memorial cannot be reinstalled inside the building. Instead of answering this key question, focus was being diverted to the three selected options. Just thinking of what is happening to the pier... has anyone considered the protection an inside location offers?
It seems as if NCC is ruling from an ivory tower: major decisions are taken without any consultation with the public.
We are lucky enough to live in a democratic country: the mayor and councillors have been elected in a democratic way.
However democracy can only work when it is being applied both ways: those elected to take decisions have to listen to the population.
Failing to do so comes at a high price; this is where democracy takes lessons from history.
Charlotte Descamps is a former guide of the battlefields of Flanders,
lecturer on the Great War and volunteer Art Deco Guide. Views expressed here are the writer's opinion and not the newspaper's. Email: editor@hbtoday.co.nz.
