12 February 2012

McCully Must Listen To West Papuans Not Just Indonesia

The Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully should meet with and listen to the views of West Papuan leader Benny Wenda, Green Party MP Catherine Delahunty said today.

Mr McCully advised National MPs not to support a forum at Parliament which would have had Mr Wenda as the key speaker. The Speaker of Parliament David Carter later refused permission for the forum.

“The Government’s current policy of only dealing with Indonesia when raising human rights in West Papua means the voice of the indigenous people, the West Papuans, are missing from the dialogue,” said Ms Delahunty.

“Mr McCully’s advice to Government MPs to avoid a forum aiming to highlight human rights abuses by the Indonesian Government in West Papua reflects poorly on him and the current policies of the Key Government.

“Stopping Mr Wenda from having a platform to speak at Parliament sends the message that freedom of speech is being sacrificed in order to placate a trading partner,” said Ms Delahunty.

“The Government and the Minister of Foreign Affairs should reconsider how they deal with Indonesia, and stop providing military and police training to Indonesian forces while human rights abuses are occurring in our backyard.”

ENDS

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Mighty River: 'Mum And Dad’ Investors Myth Busted

Green Party research, confirmed by Treasury, shows that half of the shares in Mighty River Power that National sold to retail investors went to just 13,000 people and that 10 percent of the retail shares went to just 400 wealthy people and organisations, Green Party Co-leader Dr Russel Norman said today.

The sale of Mighty River Power saw 113,000 retail investors, referred to as ‘mum and dad’ investors by the National Government, buy 26.9 percent of the company. Analysis by the Greens and Treasury shows that half of those shares were, in fact, purchased by fewer than 13,000 people who bought an average of nearly $35,000 worth of shares...

“The truth is that 98 percent of New Zealanders bought no shares at all. Half the retail shares went to just 0.3 percent of the population, and a tiny group of just 400 wealthy individuals and organisations got 10 percent of the retail shares. More>>