May 26, 2013 9:00am by David Farrar

Nat members want waka jumping law

National Party members are pushing for a new “waka-jumping” law to force rogue list MPs out of Parliament.

Delegates at the party’s northern regional convention yesterday voted to ask the Government for the law.

Former NZ First MP Brendan Horan is the only MP who would be affected but National Party members were spooked this month by fears that disgraced junior list MP Aaron Gilmore would stay in Parliament against party wishes.

The problem with a waka jumping law is that it makes a party leader very powerful. They can sack a List MP who angers them. They could use such a law to stay leader by sacking MPs planning to vote for an alternate leader. It also can be misused in a situation where a party splits in two on philosophical grounds as the Alliance did in 2002.