An Unlikely Politician: Nandor Tánczos0

Say hello to Nandor Tánczos, New Zealand’s first and only Rastafarian Member of Parliament, well at least up until 2008 when he resigned his seat in order to concentrate on more grassroots endeavours. Tánczos, by his own admission comes from an anarchist background politically and he had to consider what appeared to be contradictions between this background and his own Rastafarian philosophy before entering Parliament in 1999. However, he reconciled these difference by striving to change what he considers to be an elitist power structure that is designed to maintain the status quo. He asserts that “True power does not reside in Parliament. It lies in the hearts and lives of ordinary people. That’s why most of my life has been committed to supporting grassroots participation in decision-making. At the same time it is useful to have allies in Parliament who support community participation.”

Far from being a mere political activist and dangerous radical (as his opponents sometimes characterised him), Tánczos holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences degree from the University of Waikato, and a diploma in sustainable land management at Unitec. Whilst an MP he was the only parliamentarian in the world with a qualification in permaculture design. He also co-founded Hempstore Aotearoa, a business that produces hemp-related products such as cosmetics and clothing. So this is a man who really knows what he is talking about.

During his time in Parliament, Tánczos was the Green Party spokesperson for the Environment and Sustainable Land Management, Justice, Information and Communication Technology, Constitutional issues and Commerce. According to Wikipedia “his most significant legislative achievement, the Clean Slate Act, conceals non-violent criminal offences if the offender does not re-offend after 7 years. His Misuse of Drugs (Hemp) amendment bill led the way for regulation changes to allow hemp growing in New Zealand. He introduced the Waste Minimisation Bill to parliament with a narrow majority but succeeded in building near unanimous support across parliament. He negotiated the establishment of an Independent Prison Ombudsman, and has advocated for a Criminal Cases Review Office to look at miscarriages of justice, and against unsustainable dairy farming. In addition to his political policies, Tánczos also supports open source software, and uses Ubuntu Linux on his laptop.”

After overcoming his reservations about entering mainstream politics, Tánczos counters the popular belief that all politicians are dishonest, for him it is the system rather than the people that causes the problem. He believes that in almost every country, Governments are so compromised by corporate agendas that they cannot do what is needed in the face of the environmental crisis. Tánczos argues that it will be up to people working in community to take control. Perhaps that is why he felt it necessary to leave Parliament and return to the communities where he feels he can make a real difference. A shame really considering the legislative success Tánczos achieved, but as he would argue: “When the people lead, the leaders will follow.”