GUEST SHOT Premier parachutist
By Ken Herar
As the federal election gets closer, it was no surprise to see Ujjal Dosanjh step onto the national scene as part of the Liberal Dream Team.I recall having a conversation with Dosanjh last summer about him running as a federal candidate. I told him to take the 10 years in government with the NDP and run with it. I told him that he did a respectable job as our attorney general and in his short stint as premier. He should be proud of his political career and, more importantly, his service to our province.The last premier to make the move to federal politics was Dave Barrett who was premier from 1972-75, and later became an MP. Barrett didn't switch parties, and ran for the NDP both provincially and federally.The news about Dosanjh running didn't surprise me. Dosanjh is an ambitious man who earned his political stripes the hard way during the 70s and 80s. Love him or hate him, he is a survivor.I believe Dosanjh will be a great Liberal candidate for Vancouver South and will be an asset for them in the West, if elected.The question remains "Is he still electable after all the opposition to his candidacy?" I believe he still is, but he is in for a tough fight.I personally don't agree with him being parachuted in as a candidate. This will play a pivotal role in his campaign. Will voters forget or forgive him over this undemocratic appointment?This is the bigger issue, bigger than the fact that he switched parties. He is not the first and won't be the last to switch parties. Switching parties happens all the time, especially from provincial to federal, but getting special privileges to run will be harder to erase during the campaign. Dosanjh can overcome these odds if he immediately distances himself from Prime Minister Paul Martin and becomes his own man until the election. The more he is seen with the Liberal brass, the more he is hurting his campaign and his legacy.He needs to reach out to voters and convince them of his cause. His supporters, both in the Indo Canadian and mainstream community are judging him a bit more cautiously. He needs to do what he is good at talking about issues not just running for political office. For him to become the next Tommy Douglas he needs a universal vision that brings people together.The Liberals in my opinion will have a tough time electing more than a handful of candidates from BC. PM Martin sounds good and is doing a descent job of distancing himself from the previous administration. His attention to the west as he promised has impressed me. But I think it is a little too late. The large majority of people who I have spoken to want the Liberals out. Liberals have been in power too long and its time for a change in Ottawa voices say. The desperate measures they are taking to appoint candidates are only hurting their image especially in the west were traditionally Liberals don't elect a large number of seats.People still respect Dosanjh despite the appointment if he wins his legacy continues if he loses his legacy will be damaged and unrepairable. His critics will be out in full force to damage his creditability but if Dosanjh plays it smooth I believe he can overcome any curves he might face. There is still bad blood out there over the Glen Clark saga within the NDP ranks where many think Dosanjh purposely brought down the premier and went public with the criminal investigation to start his own bid for the top job. The way he pursued this nomination has to be questioned. Will the political baggage of the past and present hurt Dosanjh's quest. He has a lot to prove and he has an opportunity to prove many wrong. I predict at the end of this campaign Dosanjh will one of the very few Liberals voices from BC going to Ottawa.
Ken Herar@gmail.com
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