28 May, 2004

A safer world means more aid, not more spooks

Green MP Keith Locke says the Government has got its priorities badly wrong, with dramatic budget boosts for intelligence agencies but just a miserly increase in overseas aid.

"If we want to be secure from terrorism we should first help reduced the gap between rich and poor countries," said Mr Locke, the Green Party's Foreign Affairs spokesperson.

"The priority spending area should be on overseas aid, not more intelligence operatives. Yet New Zealand's aid budget is miserly, rising this coming year from 0.23 per cent of Gross National Income to just 0.24 per cent. The agreed international standard is 0.7 per cent.

"By contrast the Security Intelligence Service and Government Communications Security Bureau budgets both went up by 28 per cent.

"Why do we need more spies? New Zealand is hardly bedevilled with terrorists. In fact, the only person arriving here with terrorist allegations against him, Ahmed Zaoui, has been fully cleared by the Refugee Status Appeals Authority.

"Extra spending on spooks might get brownie points in Washington, but New Zealand's contribution should be help eliminate the poverty that breeds terrorists. And that means a much greater contribution to overseas aid," said Mr Locke.

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>