In 1924, when democracy was on the rise, not threatened as it is today, Tomas Masaryk, the founding president of what was independent Czechoslovakia, the strongest democracy in Europe, spoke of democracy this way: "Democracy is a way of life, it requires belief in human beings, in humanity. Democracy is a continuing discussion. But the real discussion is only possible if people trust each other and if they try fairly to find the truth."
Opponents of the End Of Life Choice (EOLC) have adopted a contrary view. We've seen how local politicians Harete Hipango and Ian McKelvie express their distrust of the democratic process and of the voters. They oppose the referendum on the EOLC, contending with no factual basis, that average voters - you and I - could not educate ourselves on the issues to make an informed choice.
![Whanganui MP Harete Hipango and Rangitikei MP Ian McKelvie.](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/ZV6ITTDDPNT73S645LSU2OEB6M.jpg?auth=7de6191a76bf4ea2352206dc2c3b470738b57588ec58514dc97d944958ee5ee1&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)
While I deplore the condescension of those anti-democratic views about the voters, the distrust of our common sense (which certainly reflects negatively on the electoral process by which these two were installed in their exalted positions) I have to acknowledge that there is some truth to the difficulty of voters to inform themselves properly about the EOLC. That's because the opponents, like Maggie Barrie and her fellow religious zealots in the National Party have done everything in their power to misinform and create fear about the bill and its potential.
Unfortunately for the trust we need to have in our institutions and in our professions, a small coterie of like-minded zealots on the board of the NZMA (New Zealand Medical Association) have had their anti-choice positions aired on TV (TV1, May 22 2019) by their head, Dr Kate Baddock. Dr Baddock made a number of outrageous statements unsupported by facts.