Media Release

23 June 2002

McCully Can’t Be Serious
Kettle Calling The Kettle Black

“National’s Murray McCully may be right about dubious spending on Maori development but he can’t be serious about where he lays the blame,” New Zealand First Leader, Winston Peters said.

“McCully’s complaint about $17m spent on ‘capacity building’ is an own goal. The funding was allocated by the National minority Government when he held ministerial office, and it was passed over, no strings attached, as a sop to Mauri Pacific for their continued support. No policy was attached to that money as to disbursement or purpose. That was to be cooked up later.

“Perhaps Mr.McCully was too busy at the time throwing money like an eight armed octopus at Tourism Board directors whose dismissal he had organised and who were about to sue him? Perhaps he has forgotten those unhappy times asked Mr. Peters.

“What is certain, is that National and Labour are really no different. Labour promised an end to secret payments but has gone on making them. Labour’s secrecy and National’s amnesia are on a par. In this case, whilst it is true that Labour has continued the policy the fact is that National started it.

“Where we have been questioning such spending for years, McCully’s belated attempt to climb on a political bandwagon is unconscionable and matched only by TVNZ’s decision to run his story. I guess you shouldn’t believe everything you see on television either,” Mr. Peters said.

ENDS

© Scoop Media