Posted on 10/18/2005 4:58:40 PM PDT by Aneirin
Racism begins at home in Asia: Peters
Ean Higgins
October 19, 2005
WINSTON Peters thinks he will get on fabulously with Asian leaders because, like him, they think it is an outrageous mistake to let too many immigrants alter a country's ethnic make-up.
Mr Peters caused ripples around the world when news broke on Monday that he would be New Zealand's new Foreign Minister in Prime Minister Helen Clark's third Labour-led government.
He negotiated the plum job as part of a complex deal in which his nationalist New Zealand First party would support Labour on confidence and supply, although not within a formal coalition. Mr Peters is an unashamed anti-immigrationist who has said Muslims should be ethnically profiled and, as a default position, kept out as a terror threat.
Yesterday he did not resile from his comments, including those he made four years ago: that the country was becoming an Asian colony.
In an interview with The Australian last night, he said he was no newcomer to world affairs, having travelled and met Asian leaders when he was a senior minister in previous National-led governments.
"When I was a treasurer, a deputy prime minister, I got on with them superbly," he said.
Japan, Malaysia, China and other countries of the region had a policy of little or no immigration, he said.
"It is absurd to suggest that somebody talking in New Zealand about excessive immigration would not be acceptable to Asia," he said.
Mr Peters said he was not surprised that news of his appointment had caused a stir. "Much of the comment is originated by New Zealand journalists and taken on by international media, shallow as that view might be," he said.
Mr Peters said his remarks on Asian immigration had been in a specific context, ignored by the New Zealand media. At the time, a study by a leading expert, Gareth Morgan, had analysed the rate of emigration of New Zealanders to Australia against the rate of immigrants coming to take their place.
"Immigration had been running at about 58,000 a year, at a time when Australia had been taking 82,000 a year," he said, noting Australia had five times New Zealand's population.
Mr Peters, a former teacher and barrister, is one of the country's most experienced politicians.
A Maori and former Maori affairs minister, he worked with Ms Clark in her last government to draw up legislation securing beaches from land rights claims. Like Aboriginal leader Noel Pearson, he emphasises the importance of advances for indigenous people, including health, housing and economic opportunity.
Mr Peters said he would move to restore New Zealand's two critical alliances: with Australia and the US.
While he supports the country's ban on nuclear ships which led to the collapse of the ANZUS alliance 20 years ago, he believes the potential exists to build on the relationship.
This should help curb her dabbling in social engineering legislation. It could also mean the government is quite volatile, with bitter public rifts - especially as the next election approaches. Maybe this government won't see out its full three-year term.
And apologies if this story hasn't been posted quite right - it's the first time I've given it a go.
Immigrate? Ha! You must be joking...!
For anyone in Asia to call these NZ observations as somehow xenophobia is the hight of hypocracy...
self ping
Asians live by the ultimate rules of relativism - "you profess you believe in diversity but I don't. So I can demand you to accept cultural multiculturalism but I don't need to abide to abide by them myself". I see it all the way in my former home.
This is a sick thinking paradigm.
For all Winston's weaknesses - and he is an odd choice as foreign minister - he does come with a couple of advantages if New Zealand is to solve its little impasse with the US. First, he's nearing the end of his career and he might be thinking of his legacy. And second, with his brand of nationalism he can't credibly be accused of selling out New Zealand - which is the stick that the media would use to beat National with.
I'm not that optimistic. It will take for the United States's side nothing less than a Noam Chomsky as US President to be able to please New Zealand. Middle New Zealand's stance on global trade-security-foreign affairs is far left-wing from the perspective of Heartland America - which is now where the solid support of US conservatism comes from. And day by day they are eclipsing the power of the Beltway. W is considered by a large chunk here as a "moderate" on foreign affairs - and we don't need to restate how he is weighed on the NZ scale on foreign affairs issues.
And the US Northeast liberals like the Brookings Institute are moderate National by the standards of this country on the big issue of WOT and national security. It just shows that even a large number of US liberals will not bulge with New Zealand. The US is essentially telling NZ now that "You can get on the train if you want to, but if you don't, fine, but don't mess with us."
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