Q+A: Roshan Nauhria

The leader of the soon to be launched NZ People's Party Roshan Nauhria says the government is to blame for exploiting Indian foreign students.

‘I will conclude that, our people have been exploited by the government. They might not say that and it might not look that way. When the students in India go to the agents, they
have been told a different story, and when they come here, it’s not actually the same thing that the people are told in India, and the government’s aware of it, and we have
discussed with the ministers myself that this is what is happening.’

GREG Michael Woodhouse has said he’s going to clamp down on this, though.

ROSHAN How long is it going to take? It’s been going on for years. See, it’s very easy to say this government- I’ve been here since 1972 in this country. Out of that, 18 years have been a Labour Government and roughly 26 years have been a National Government. It took them 26 years for the government to sort this problem?

Mr Roshan is also critical of the education the students receive once here.

‘You look at the education here, when they come to education. They come at level five or level six business education. You go to all these schools I call- you know what I call them? Shops. School shops in Queen Street. The education standard is not even 10 per cent of what it should be. I can tell you that if you go to AUT or University Of Auckland and tell them to do exams, not even 10 per cent of students will pass when they finish exams. Nobody really do any education. This is just a system built up between the government, between all the education providers and the agents. They may not be ..but this is actually happening.’

You can find the link to the interview here.






Q + A
Episode 26
ROSHAN NAUHRIA
Interviewed by Greg Boyed

GREG Thanks for coming in.

ROSHAN It’s my pleasure.

GREG Why is a party like this needed at all in New Zealand?

ROSHAN First of all, let me talk about what Michael Woodhouse was talking about about immigration and students. I still say, and I will conclude that, our people have been exploited by the government. They might not say that and it might not look that way. When the students in India go to the agents, they have been told a different story, and when they come here, it’s not actually the same thing that the people are told in India, and the government’s aware of it, and we have discussed with the ministers myself that this is what is happening.

GREG Okay, well, let’s take an example of these dozens of students in Auckland who are facing deportation.

ROSHAN All right.

GREG They have been led up the garden path by the agent in India. That can’t be blamed on the government here, can it?

ROSHAN Why not? The government is aware of what is happening? Let me go through one-by-one step. This is one of the agents. The government is 100 per cent aware and all the MPs in the government like Mr Bakshi and Dr Parmar are aware of what is happening with the agents. Still, they’re still not doing it.

GREG All right, so, let’s say-

ROSHAN Is that not part of the exploitation?

GREG Well, what would your party do, then?

ROSHAN What my party would do is all these people who come in from India must have some sort of a system built up there. Maybe a one-week licence for everybody that they tell them exactly what the true story is for when they come over here. You look at the education here, when they come to education. They come at level five or level six business education. You go to all these schools I call- you know what I call them? Shops. School shops in Queen Street. The education standard is not even 10 per cent of what it should be. I can tell you that if you go to AUT or University Of Auckland and tell them to do exams, not even 10 per cent of students will pass when they finish exams. Nobody really do any education. This is just a system built up between the government, between all the education providers and the agents. They may not be (SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY) but this is actually happening.

GREG Michael Woodhouse has said he’s going to clamp down on this, though.

ROSHAN How long is it going to take? It’s been going on for years. See, it’s very easy to say this government- I’ve been here since 1972 in this country. Out of that, 18 years have been a Labour Government and roughly 26 years have been a National Government. It took them 26 years for the government to sort this problem?

GREG I find this interesting because trying to find out about yourself and your background and all the rest, we googled you, and a lot of the images come up with Pansy Wong, John Key. So you do have people in government, to an extent, I assume, as a business leader, have their ear. Why haven’t you done something about it and raised the flag?

ROSHAN I raised the flag many times. I used to be part of the National Government. I used to be part of the Labour Government. I raised the issue many times. And they would say they’re not interested, really, because they can export money. That’s what they are interested in - how much money we are going to get from the students, how much money we are going to get from exports.

GREG We’re talking about the dozen or so students - 150, up to 150 students in Auckland. What should happen? Should they be given amnesty? Should they be given a bit of time?

ROSHAN I think there must be some sort of consideration given. You look at what actually is their fault, the students’ fault. You might say because they signed the declaration. A lot of the time, the people are vulnerable. They sign the declaration. They are not aware of what has happened and they’ve done it. And then another thing at this point. What they have done is the money- first the agent paid the money and then the people paid the money to the agent. Still money has been paid to the government via banking system. So what is the wrong actually they have done? It’s just the process or system. ‘Oh, no, it should have been done this way, should have been that.’ That’s not a fraud.

GREG Okay, let’s get on to your party. Let’s talk about your party. Winston Peters has come out swinging about your party. He said all it’s going to do is accentuate differences in New Zealand, and there’s no place for this. What do you say to that?

ROSHAN That’s his problem, really. What is going to happen, you look at what the polling says at this stage, Winston Peters could be the kingmaker, right? He might have the balance of power. So if we are working and we get 10% of the votes, we could have the balance of power. But we’re not going to call ourselves kingmaker. We’re going to be the sensible partners either with Labour or with National. Not have the silly policies. You tell me that Winston Peters has been in politics 30-odd years. He’s been deputy prime minister. What’s a constructive policy or he has done for the country?

GREG The sceptic would say, though, as well, a party that’s not going to launch till about a year out from the election saying they’re going to get 10% of the vote is dreaming. What do you say to that?

ROSHAN That’s his opinion. We’ll tell at the time.

GREG No, Winston Peters didn’t say that. People are saying that. There was a party – Ethnic Minority Party – in 1996 that launched and disappeared. How are you going to be any different and get 10%? That’s a big slice of the pie.

ROSHAN First of all, at present, the population of our ethnic people is 13%, right? That time in ’96, there was only 4% or 5%. That’s the difference. The second thing you see, we’re going to bring some policies, okay, at the election, which will suit or the common New Zealander will like the policies. They will like our policy. I’m quite sure we’ll get 10% of votes. I’m quite positive about it. And I’m getting good feedback from the people.

GREG You’re going to need to be aligned with a major party. Who’s it going to be – National or Labour?

ROSHAN Anyone. I’m not a left; I’m not a right. I’m going to have policies, and I’m going to be a minor party, not a major party. So we’ll have only two or three policies, which we think is the best policies to suit our people. And I’ll make sure those policies are implemented.

GREG Okay, we talked about immigration. Just quickly, one of the other big issues you’ve got is crime and punishment in New Zealand. Do you feel we’re too soft on criminals.

ROSHAN No, no. That’s a different thing. I’m not saying ‘too soft’. It’s the system. What has happened is there are two or three things. I think first of all we have to do— we have to make the system work out is the people are deterrent to the crime. It’s not that we’re soft or too hard. It’s a question of how we deal with the crime.

GREG So harsher punishment? Is that what you’re saying.

ROSHAN No, no. I don’t say that. I’m not saying that. First we go on that if— We first of all, you look at who the criminals are in New Zealand.

GREG But what you are saying appears to be harsher. You’re saying how we’re dealing with them afterwards, so that would point to—

ROSHAN No, no, no, no, no.

GREG No?

ROSHAN First we spend money on rehabilitation, right? We do a lot of rehabilitation. If we don’t succeed in rehabilitation, then we apply harsher punishment. What is happening now is that first of all 90% of people think they do crime, they’re not going to get caught, right? So we have to build a system that the people are deterrent that that they know they’re going to get caught, okay? Once they’re caught, they’re going to be dealt with appropriately. One is first rehabilitation. If we succeed in rehabilitation, which is very good, that is the best way. If we can’t succeed in rehabilitation, then we go appropriate punishment. So the people are aware that if they do any crime, they’re going to be caught.

GREG All right.

ROSHAN Let me give you what-

GREG I’m afraid we’re going to have to leave it there, Roshan. We will look for your official launch in October and what more you’ve got to say. Roshan Nauhria from NZ People’s Party. Thank you for coming in.

ROSHAN Thank you very much.

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