Labour ministers suffering from a strange phenomenon

A strange new type of amnesia is striking down Labour ministers left, right and centre. In some cases, it hits after they’ve been at ethnic events or interviewed by ethnic media, and in one case it seems to have hit everyday life. Its main symptoms include evasion, obfuscation and omission.

Our first entrant into this dubious hall of fame is the Hon David Cunliffe.

The Immigration Minister was interviewed on a Chinese radio show, Chinese Voice AM936, by Raymond Huo on 8 June, 2007. A large part of this interview focused on the Government’s new Investors Policy, which had just been announced.

During this interview, Cunliffe said he had had ‘large-scale discussions’ with Chinese community groups. So, being the diligent MP I am, I followed up on this comment and asked him in an Official Information Act request what groups he had met with.

His list included Business New Zealand, most of the Ministries, Customs, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, IRD, DPMC, Te Puni Kokiri and the Office for Ethnic Affairs. Surprise, surprise there was no mention of any Chinese groups at all.

I then asked him in a written question what Chinese groups he had met with, when he had met them and where. His answer was 10 days late and all he told me was that as Immigration Minister, he meets with many different people and discusses a wide range of issues. So, in other words, due to amnesia he couldn’t remember what Chinese groups, if any, he had met with.

The second and third entrants into the hall of fame are the Hon Chris Carter and the Hon Judith Tizard.

On 13 August, 2007, WTV, a Chinese television station, launched its first 24 hour free-to-air channel.

A number of Ministers were present at the opening, including the Minister of Ethnic Affairs and the Hon Judith Tizard. Mr Carter apparently had to dash away and entrusted Minister Tizard to deliver his speech. As part of the speech, Minister Tizard said Chris Carter was ‘looking forward to the day when Mandarin and Cantonese are official languages in New Zealand’.

This was exciting news for Chinese communities, given this statement was made at a Chinese function and was even reported on and quoted in the New Zealand Herald.

When I asked Minister Carter what action he would be taking to make this happen, guess what he said? He replied that he never said it and he was not responsible for the comments others make. So either, Judith Tizard had some trouble reading Chris Carter’s writing, or he’s conveniently forgotten his pledge now it’s been exposed to the wider community.

The fourth and fifth entrants into the hall of fame are the Prime Minister, and again, the Hon Judith Tizard.

If you cast your mind back to Anzac Day 2007, you may remember the fracas the Hon Judith Tizard caused at the Auckland War Memorial service. Minister Tizard took offence at the order of the wreath laying ceremony and that I was going to be laying a wreath.

Judith Tizard publicly attacked the RSA President, Jim Newman, about this before the service and then went on to berate an RSA employee Margaret Burke, saying she was responsible for the situation.

In subsequent interviews, Ms Tizard said in the past only the Government, the Opposition and the local MP had laid wreaths at the ceremonies. Maybe she’s been asleep, or had been doing her knitting, during past ceremonies, but I have laid wreaths as an MP for the past four years as have other parties.

As you can appreciate, this sort of inappropriate, and extremely rude and uncalled for behaviour on such a sacred day greatly upset proceedings and the RSA.

Given that Judith Tizard was representing the Government, I decided to ask the Prime Minister if she was going to ask Tizard to apologise for her actions.

This is where Helen Clark began suffering amnesia. Despite official parade orders saying Tizard was the Government representative, and being noted in major newspapers as representing the Government, Helen Clark said Ms Tizard had been there in her capacity as a local MP, which means she had no responsibility for her actions.

With all evidence pointing to the contrary, the PM and her ‘handbag’ appeared to have forgotten about her involvement in an effort to sidestep the issue. A case of amnesia anyone? It would appear that attacking the RSA on Anzac day is condoned by the PM herself…

Saying one thing, then doing another, has become a hallmark of this Labour Government. They shouldn’t be allowed to get away with this sort of behaviour, especially when they treat our ethnic communities as being gullible believers in whatever they say.

Pansy Wong

www.pansywong.co.nz
www.national.org.nz

ENDS

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