Posted on 11/18/2009 12:13:17 AM PST by ketelone
New Zealand PM will not meet Dalai Lama
IANS 18 November 2009, 01:17pm
WELLINGTON: New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said on Wednesday that he would not meet the Dalai Lama when he visits the country next month.
"The reason simply is I've decided that I wouldn't get a lot out of that particular meeting," he told reporters. "I don't see every religious leader that comes to town. I've seen him in the past, I may see him in the future."
Key, who said before he was elected a year ago that he would meet the Dalai Lama on future visits, denied that China had pressured him to boycott the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader.
He said the issue was not raised by China's President Hu Jintao during a regional summit in Singapore at the weekend, and no other Chinese government agency had asked him not to meet the Dalai Lama.
But a spokesman for the trust organising the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader's programme, said there could only be one reason for Key's decision, "and that reason is China's political and economic influence in New Zealand either directly or indirectly".
Neil Cameron, of the Dalai Lama Visit Trust New Zealand, said in a statement: "The issue of human rights abuses in Tibet by China no longer concerns New Zealand governments."
Cameron called Key's decision disappointing but not surprising. "We have entered a period of time when China wields significant influence over the economies and internal policies of many nations around the world and New Zealand is no exception.
"The prime minister may or may not have been pressured by Chinese officials or agencies over the visit but direct and vocal pressure would have been applied if the invitation had been accepted."
When the Dalai Lama was last in New Zealand in 2007, Key was leader of the opposition and "dropped in" on a meeting between his National Party foreign affairs spokesman Murray McCully and the Tibetan.
Cameron said Chinese newspapers in Auckland had refused to run paid editorial or advertisements promoting the visit, "so this pressure is applied in a number of spheres even before His Holiness arrives, it's the reality of China's political presence in New Zealand".
He said Phil Goff, leader of the opposition Labour Party, had accepted an invitation to meet the Dalai Lama, who is scheduled to speak in Auckland Dec 6, during his visit.
Who does he represent the citizens of New Zealand, or the oligarchs of China?
> Who does he represent the citizens of New Zealand, or the oligarchs of China?
Just over a year ago I thought I knew the answer. Now, I am not so sure. National got both of my votes (here in NZ we get two votes) now I think I’d probably split my vote differently.
The Dalai Lama is more of a left wing cult hero. Certainly China are thugs, so even the right have respect for Tibet’s religious freedom. But if I was a leader, I would not drop much to see him, especially if I had seen him before.
A frightening display of the power that China wields today. America today is rudderless and without ambition in the world. Saddled with a fifth columnist internationalist government, and hamstrung by the recession and war, she is not paying attention to what is happening in the world. And Communists love a power vacuum. Thats where they thrive. The Chicom thugs are out for a power grab.
Nothing of the sort. He is the head of government of a nation (Tibet) which fought the Chinese and lost. Whether left or right, the free world should support him, because he is a symbol of Tibet, which the Chinamen have stolen, much as they would like to do to the rest of the world.
why do you get two votes???
> why do you get two votes???
We have an election system called MMP “Mixed-Member Proportional”, rather like what was put in place in Germany after WW-II. One vote is for your local Electorate Representative, and the other vote is for your preferred Party. They do not have to be cast the same way.
At Election, the Party votes are tallied up: Parliament will be formed proportionally, based upon the proportion of Party votes each party gets. The Electorate votes stipulate precisely who will be in Parliament, with any differences topped up from the Party List.
(So we can, and do, have Members of Parliament representing nobody because they weren’t Electorate MPs but merely on the Party List).
This method of voting encourages coalitions between major parties and minor parties, and is designed such that no single party gets too strong. In reality it also gives a hugely disproportionate amount of power to minor parties, who get to play “kingmaker”.
Happens in a lot of places, but it's nothing to be proud about.
Some of our List Parliamentarians do a really good job, work really hard and earn their keep. Some don’t. They’re ultimately held accountable thru the Party vote.
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