Peters views damaging to migrants: Professor Shameem Massey University's new migrants director Professor Shaista Shameem says New Zealand First leader Winston Peters risks serious harm to new migrant communities in New Zealand with his speech on immigration yesterday. "Mr Peters does not realise just how much distress he is causing the new migrant communities in New Zealand when he takes to the podium to make the kinds of remarks he made in his state of the nation address in Auckland," Professor Shameem says. "Such speeches have the effect of encouraging and facilitating outright racism against new migrants in New Zealand and cause serious harm to the safety and security of minority groups who have made their home here. "Before launching his anti-immigration missiles, Mr Peters should take a moment to consider how his words can make migrant children suffer as targets of racial violence in the playground and classrooms. He should also consider how his speeches have the effect of causing direct and indirect discrimination in the workplace. Many employers, fuelled by the words of an accomplished politician such as Mr Peters, make life very difficult for their new migrant workers through exploitation, humiliation and abuse. "Immigration to New Zealand does not benefit only migrants, as Mr Peters alleges. While many of them face tough challenges at first, most end up making a better life for themselves and their families and, in the process, help make New Zealand more cosmopolitan and vibrant. We all know that new migrants contribute to expanding the cultural capital of New Zealand. "Mr Peters should also realise that his speeches against immigration have the inevitable effect of causing harm to the already vulnerable members of migrant groups. Women and children of minority populations in particular are not in a position to protect themselves from being targets of racial hatred caused by the thoughtless and dangerous comments that Mr Peters often lets loose on the general public. "Mr Peters may well have a point or two to make about past and present governments' migration policies; however, he should try to make those points without encouraging entrenchment of existing ethnic prejudices in our society." Source: http://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/about-massey/news/article.cfm?mnarticle_uuid=62A9E325-EC47-9243-3F9B-84AA17C2D5B1 Senior New Migrant leader appointed: Professor Shaista Shameem Massey University has appointed Professor Shaista Shameem to the newly created role of Director – New Migrants. Assistant Vice-Chancellor Māori and Pasifika, Dr Selwyn Katene says the new role is essential to meet the needs of the changing demographics of Aotearoa New Zealand. “People from a number of different ethnicities now make up our country, and as a university of the new New Zealand, we need to ensure we consider the needs of these communities. This position will be integral to ensuring how Massey works effectively with new migrant constituents — especially in the Auckland region. Professor Shameem has strong academic law background both in New Zealand and internationally. She has worked with the United Nations on international human rights issues so she is fully equipped to lead," says Dr Katene. Describing the position as both progressive and exciting, Professor Shameem says it shows Massey is looking to acquire new ways of thinking from new migrants. “New Zealand attracts new migrants all the time, making the country more vibrant and cosmopolitan. New migrants often bring with them a wealth of knowledge and experiences. Massey University - especially because of the work that Distinguished Professor Paul Spoonley has completed - is streets ahead of any other institution in New Zealand to understand and address new migrant issues in a comprehensive way,” she says. “I look forward to working with Massey colleagues to support and enhance the work the university has started, and to build on that excellent foundation.” A key focus for the incoming director will be to connect with and investigate how Massey can help ease issues for new migrants to New Zealand, “New migrants face enormous challenges when they go to any country to study, and New Zealand is no exception. Having been a new migrant myself, I know from first-hand experience the issues that are encountered.” According to Statistics New Zealand, in June 2013 Auckland’s population grew by over 21,000 people, with 32 per cent of this growth coming from net migration into the region. | Peters on Immigration: "With immigration, few of the former objectives are present today. Previously, immigration filled skills gaps in employment, education, science, medicine and industry. We bought in young men and women, young families who would reinvigorate our population and make a lifetime of contribution to our economy. They never embarked from offshore without first having a job and a house to live in.This policy resulted in a second generation proud to call themselves Kiwis. For the past three decades New Zealand governments have adopted policies of open door immigration. Over the past five years the New Zealand population has had a turnover of twelve per cent. In total half a million people have moved into and out of New Zealand. That is a staggering figure for a small country. New Zealand has gone from a nation of united people to an urban collection of communities, many clinging to where they were, rather than where they are now. We have the Chinese community, the Pacific Islands community, the Sri Lankans, the Indians - the list is endless. All hyphenated New Zealanders. Now let’s be clear. A great number of these people have been enormous contributors to New Zealand’s economic and social life, but there has been a huge cost in infrastructural, educational, health and governmental demands. All of these costs are being overlooked in an attempt to tell you that if only we increase our population, economic boom times will come. Well we’ve done that for the last 30 years, so where is the boom? We are all proud of our heritage – we all come from somewhere else, even the Māori, but when we are here we should be New Zealanders. It’s as simple as this. Our last census had boxes for virtually every race on earth. Except one. There was no box for you to tick that you are a New Zealander. There are more than 75 languages catered for by the Auckland health board. Now, there are three official languages for New Zealand – English, Maori and New Zealand Sign Language. When people come to New Zealand, New Zealand First says they should fit in and contribute to our laws, our values, our culture, language and traditions. That doesn’t mean abandoning identity. The Irish, Scots, Welsh, Dalmatians never did, nor did the Dutch, but if you look at our successful immigration programmes in the past, they were based on the critical things that people need – a house, health, education and skills, jobs and first world wages. Sadly, New Zealand is losing many of its young, trained workers and replacing them often with untrained, unskilled immigrants. The very people who say today that we’ve got a population aging problem, by some intellectual gymnastics defend the policy that allows more than forty per cent of immigrants to New Zealand from one country to be over 50 years of age. This policy is economic lunacy. Which New Zealand prime minister in the hundred years prior to 1984 would have tolerated this? One of the disastrous consequences from this policy now sees hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders in Australia being treated as second class citizens. And when you hear politicians and commentators complaining about it, please ask them – what did you do, before or after 2001, to prevent this happening? No doubt they will cough and splutter and move on to a different subject. And whilst we are at it, why is the Government issuing tens of thousands of work permits to foreigners when New Zealanders can’t get jobs? Last year, just one example, endlessly repeated, the Government issued 49 essential work visas to foreigners to be checkout operators! There is the old Greek saying – ‘those the gods would destroy, they first make mad’. These unfocussed immigration policies and handing out of work visas like an eight-armed octopus happen because it means a flow of cheap labour that drags down wages and conditions. Ladies and gentlemen, the next government must make serious changes to immigration. The next government must focus on people we need, not people who need us. Economics, like charity, begins at home." |
23 Comments
AIYAZ SAYED-KHAIYUM: Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Anti-Corruption, Public Enterprises, Communications, Civil Aviation, Tourism, Industry and Trade, Acting Minister for Local Government, Urban Development, Housing and Environment,
|
By Professor Wadan Narsey The Fiji National Provident Fund (FNPF), is the largest financial institution in Fiji in terms of assets, bigger than the commercial banks combined, and the largest lender to the Fiji Government. The members of the FNPF (current contributors and pensioners) number around two hundred thousands, or roughly 40% of all the voters for the coming elections in Fiji. They represent an extremely powerful “voting block”. The Bainimarama Government recently defended their extra-legal policy changes at FNPF. They claimed that previous governments had used the FNPF as their “piggy bank” (Fiji Sun, 7 Feb. 2014). This last statement is certainly correct, but that criticism can equally be leveled at the Bainimarama Government itself, with more serious criticisms, including their massive reduction of pension rates from 15% to 9%. Further, despite being in control for seven years, this Bainimarama Government has done nothing to ensure that future governments will not be able to control and use the FNPF as their “piggy bank”. Mismanagement of FNPF This Bainimarama Government is an unelected government which seized power through a military coup in 2006. Marginalizing both unions and employers who used to nominate their representatives to the FNPF Board, the Bainimarama Government appointed all the FNPF board members, some of whom have been non-citizens, and some who have Permanent Residency in other countries. By military decree the Bainimarama Government and the FNPF Board, forced through a massive decrease in pension rates of all pensioners. The FNPF propaganda has focused only on those who used to enjoy admittedly over-generous rates above 15% (to as much as 25%)- but even these were voluntarily offered by FNPF as legal contracts and accepted by those pensioners. But the official propaganda ignores the more significant reduction of future pension rates from 15% to 9%, with grave public doubts about the fairness of the 9% rate. Existing pensioners who chose not to accept the 9% pension rates were forced to withdraw their original sums, despite a clear legal contract being in place between them and FNPF. These reductions were forced through, despite the fact that the pensioners’ had mounted legal challenge, which had been accepted for hearing by Fiji’s High Court. The FNPF management, against all rules of good corporate practice, have arrogantly assumed the right to state and justify major changes in FNPF policies, which should properly be the domain of a lawfully appointed Board. Even private expatriate consultants from Australia and NZ, have justified the policy changes through the media, implicitly supporting the unlawful military decrees. The FNPF Board has mismanaged a number of major investments, in particular those at Natadola, Momi and the GPH, resulting in the writing down of hundreds of millions of dollars in assets. Undesirable loans have also been made, such as to Fiji Sugar Corporation. | The FNPF Board and Management have refused to release any of the reports of inquiries into the mismanagement of the investments, making a mockery of the frequent claims of transparency and accountability made by the FNPF Board and the Bainimarama Government. What voters should ask political parties: Voters in the coming elections must make the governance of FNPF an important election issue. Voters must ask all political parties, including any party that Commodore Bainimarama might set up, what their policies will be on a thorough reform of the management of FNPF, including the following: (a) Two thirds of the Board of the FNPF (and the Chairman) must be elected for five year terms by the members of the FNPF. (b) The legal case that pensioners had in the courts must be reactivated, with the judiciary requested to hand down a lawful solution to the case, which could include (c) below. (c) The FNPF Board commission a thorough independent review that recommends a fair pension rate that is consistent with the long-term sustainability of FNPF. (d) To strengthen accountability and transparency of the FNPF Board, all reports into the mismanagement of FNPF funds as well as the reports that have justified the recent changes in pensions, be made public. Readers may wish to refer to some of my previous posts on FNPF and its activities in the Fiji economy here: https://narseyonfiji.wordpress.com/?s=FNPF and in particular https://narseyonfiji.wordpress.com/2012/03/18/fnpf-transition-decree-last-nail-in-the-fnpf-coffin-2011-blog/ or the full Report for the Burness/Shameem case: Narsey Report for Burness-Shameem case 13 August 2011. |
Meanwhile FBC is reporting - Education Ministry issues warning:
The Ministry of Education has issued a stern warning to all heads of schools to implement the teaching of iTaukei and Fiji Hindi languages in their classrooms. This follows investigations by FBC News on Monday which revealed that a number of schools were not following the new compulsory language requirement under the 2013 Constitution. Education Permanent Secretary Dr Brij Lal says they will not tolerate any head teacher who does not conform to this instruction as it will be treated as insubordination. Dr Lal says Divisional and District Education Officers are to see that these instructions are adhered to and report any head teacher or school that refuses to teach the two compulsory languages.
Military must not be used by Bainimarama to sell out Fijian interests, weaken the GCC and the Church and to cover up Bainimarama's
abuse of State funds and laws
editor@fijileaks.com
ARCHIVES
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
October 2012
September 2012