Manning: Hager's New Book + New Gov-General Controversies

Thursday, 1 September 2011, 2:09 pm
Article: Scoop Audio

On today's counter-clockwise, Selwyn Manning and 95bFM's Jon Armistead discuss how controversy surrounds the new Governor General Lt. General Sir Jerry Mateparae, especially now as a new book by investigative author Nicky Hager has revealed how New Zealand Defence officials acted against the stated policy of the New Zealand Government.

Lt General Sir Jerry Mateparae was yesterday sworn in as New Zealand's Governor General.

As Metro Magazine editor Simon Wilson wrote in his editorial in this month's edition:

Lieutenant- General Sir Jerry Mateparae has in many respects had a distinguished career. Just how distinguished, however, we still do not know, because for the past four months he has been kept out of public sight.

Metro asks why this is so, and answers that it was because of investigative journalist, Jon Stephenson’s story and how it revealed details of the apparent complicity of our SAS in breaches of the Geneva Convention.

As Metro editor points out in its editorial:

Mateparae is a former head of the SAS, the Army and the NZDF, and has therefore been responsible, in one capacity or another, for the troops in the field and for advising the government on their activities, for the entire period of the Afghan war.

Metro, like us, has asked and continues to ask: What role has this new Governor General played in all this?

Also, Jerry Mateparae was head of New Zealand Defence when revelations were made exposing the Stephen Wilce scandal, where Wilce a highly appointed official in NZ Defence's security wing was found to have doctored his CV, falsely amplified his experience. This was not picked up by the NZ Defence, nor NZSIS, nor the NZ Govt. It was picked up by 3News producer Eugene Bingham and its presenter Paula Penfold.

Then in December there was the Wikileaks release of a cable between the Wellington-based Embassy of the United States. The cable was an official and secret document recording a communication between the Embassy and the Bush Administration foreign wing in Washington.

It stated that the US Embassy had a highly placed NZ Defence official leaking it information. That information included classified secret information originating from the NZ Cabinet of the Helen Clark Government. Including secret discussions among its Cabinet Ministers about its stance on the US invasion of Iraq.

On discovering that cable released by Wikileaks, this National-led Government did not set in train an investigation to hunt down who this spy was? No, it went silent. Even the State Services Minister Tony Ryall and the State Services Commissioner did not utter one word about what could have been one of the biggest breaches of New Zealand Government information.

Instead, the Prime Minister announced, that the head of New Zealand Defence was to be appointed as Governor General.

30 minutes ago, Investigative author Nicky Hager began launching a new book that digs deep into what role New Zealand and its military and foreign affairs wings has really played in the US-led war on terror.

In the introduction to his book, Nicky Hager writes that he has gained access to classified internal documents.

He adds that these secret documents have provided "a view of a culture where some senior officers wanted to obey the Government only when they agreed with it and otherwise quietly undermined its policies and decisions. The same politicisation is seen with some foreign affairs officials".

Nicky Hager writes: "For these people, the September 11 attacks became an opportunity to achieve their political goals in spite of, and directly in opposition to, the policies and instructions of their civilian leaders."

These revelations, first by Jon Stephenson, and now with Nicky Hager's broader and deeper investigative publication raise questions that New Zealand's new Governor General must answer.

Lt General Sir Jerry Mateparae cannot now remain silent and hidden away from this issue. Is there a right and honourable explanation for all of this? Well, if so, then the Governor General should publicly address these points and reveal those explanations.

ALSO:

• Nicky Hager - Release of Nicky Hager's new book: Other People's Wars

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