Three political big-wigs have drawn flak for their jet-setting.
Defence Minister Judith Collins has been denounced by Waikanae Watch for flying to Kyiv while former Prime Ministers Helen Clark and John Key have been criticised for flying to China.
The New Zealand Herald described Collins mission as “a secret trip to Ukraine”, although a record of it – true, not posted to tell us of her travel plans before her departure from New Zealand – can be found on the Beehive website.
Security – not an intention to deceive us – surely was the reason for her disinclination to signal where she was headed.
While in Kyiv Collins had formal talks with her Ukrainian counterpart, Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal, and engagements with Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, the Office of the President and Deputy Minister of Defence Oleksandr Kozenko.
She also paid her respects at the Wall of Remembrance in Mykhailivska Square and visited the site of a residential apartment building hit by a Russian ballistic missile on 17 June, killing 23 civilians, including children.
She said her visit, accompanied by Chief of Defence Force Air Marshal Tony Davies, was a tangible reminder of both New Zealand’s strong support for Ukraine and our strong support for the international rules-based order.
Collins also visited Warsaw, Poland, and was scheduled to travel to the UK, to undertake defence and security-focused meetings.
The press statement says Collins had visited Ukraine, “seeing firsthand the heartbreaking human cost of war to its people”.
“Russia’s illegal invasion has brought misery and destruction to the Ukrainian people for three-and-a-half long years now,” Ms Collins says.
“New Zealand’s response was swift when Russia invaded in February 2022 – and our support for Ukraine remains steadfast. This was the key message I conveyed in Kyiv.”
And:
“Seeing the devastating impact of Russia’s illegal war – the disruption to everyday life, the human cost, the impact on children, the physical destruction – was heartbreaking,” Ms Collins says.
PoO applauds her for seeing for herself what is happening in that part of the world – and wonders if she is considering a similar visit to see what’s doing in Gaza.
Her report back from there might galvanise the Government to decide one way or the other its position on the concept of a Palestinian state.
PoO recalls that three weeks ago Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour said recognising Palestine as a state was a complex decision that should not be rushed, but “it’s a matter of when not if” New Zealand does so.
France, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia at that time had declared an intention to recognise a Palestinian state at a United Nations summit this month.
The Herald reported the Luxon Government would formally weigh up New Zealand’s position on the recognition of the state of Palestine over the next month before a formal decision was made in September.
However, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has been unwilling to explain to New Zealanders what exact criteria will need to be met in order for recognition to occur.
There is much less disagreement in New Zealand about our policy on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
But the Waikanae Watch has posted this article …
Former Prime Ministers Helen Clark and John Key have copped criticism, too, for sending “the wrong message” by attending China’s World War II victory parade.
Anne-Marie Brady, a professor at the University of Canterbury who specialises in Chinese politics, wrote in Newsroom about Clark and Key attending the “Victory Day” military parade in Beijing, commemorating the end of the Second World War.
Hosted by the Chinese Communist Party government, the event is framed as a celebration of China’s role in defeating fascism.
Yet this highly choreographed military parade is not a genuine act of remembrance. It is a strategic performance of historical revisionism and political legitimation.
The article notes that the confirmed VIP participants included Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, “alongside a cohort of leaders from other authoritarian regimes”.
Their presence signals the event is meant as an affirmation of a China-centred authoritarian axis.
Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping’s ambition is to construct an alternative international order—one that rejects the rules-based international order—in favour of shows of force and illiberal solidarity.
In this context, the participation of two former leaders from a democratic state such as New Zealand is not merely symbolic—it is deeply consequential.
Brady noted that China seldom hosted events to commemorate WWII, or any war, and China’s contribution to WWII was made by the Kuomintang Nationalist government (KMT), not the Chinese Communist Party military.
By giving democratic support to an authoritarian display, the two leaders [Clark and Key] risk being perceived in an unflattering light – as useful idiots, the term famously attributed to Lenin to describe Westerners who, wittingly or not, help prop up authoritarian regimes by lending them legitimacy.
But what should we make of Brady’s concerns about Xi Jinping’s ambition to construct an alternative international order—one that rejects the rules-based international order—in favour of shows of force and illiberal solidarity?
PoO’s observations of happenings around the globe suggest Xi is not the only bloke who aims to construct an alternative international order.
Since February, long-standing Western defence alliances have been thrown into upheaval over doubts about the commitment of a key partner and its leader’s siding with Russia in talks to end the war in Ukraine.
Moreover, this leader has fomented economic turmoil by overturning what had been well-established rules for international trading.
He has claimed emergency powers to use tariffs to bargain with other countries and wield an ever-changing level of taxation on his country’s businesses and consumers.
He has declared “We are the federal law” and posted a social media image of himself wearing a crown with the words “Long live the king”. He also has declared “He who saves his country does not violate any law”, a variation of a quote sometimes attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte (not known for his democratic inclinations).
This bloke has pardoned those who had been involved in an insurrection aimed at overturning an election result which resulted in his losing the presidency in 2020.
He has deployed military troops under his command for policing duties in major cities and brags of ramping up these efforts in other cities to militarize his homeland.
Masked federal agents have used aggressive tactics to arrest immigrants and have them deported without trials.
His administration has launched vengeful investigations or taken punitive steps against key figures involved in investigating or examining his actions over the recent years, including personal criminal and civil cases.
He has sacked his government’s top labour-market statistician, accusing her — without evidence — of “rigging” a weak jobs report. He appointed a loyalist to succeed her (presumably in the expectation future statistics will reinforced his claim he is making his country great again).
Further undermining civil service independence and scrutiny, he has fired non-partisan government officials from watchdog agencies.
He has campaigned for months to persuade his central bank’s chair to lower interest rates by repeatedly threatening to fire or investigate him and – in recent days – has sacked another central bank governor.
He has coerced the media, universities and law firms, disregarded the legislative branch of his government, and challenged the authority of the rule of law and the courts.
Oh – and in recent days he has announced the sinking of a boat after it left Venezuela, allegedly carrying drugs. This was the first known military strike in the region since he ordered an increased military presence in the Caribbean.
He has proclaimed his right to do whatever he wants. And he is doing it – flexing his military muscle and (in effect) rewriting his country’s constitution to buttress his authority.
What will Brady say when our politicians visit that country?
Bob Edlin is a veteran journalist and editor for the Point of Order blog HERE. - where this article was sourced.
Security – not an intention to deceive us – surely was the reason for her disinclination to signal where she was headed.
While in Kyiv Collins had formal talks with her Ukrainian counterpart, Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal, and engagements with Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, the Office of the President and Deputy Minister of Defence Oleksandr Kozenko.
She also paid her respects at the Wall of Remembrance in Mykhailivska Square and visited the site of a residential apartment building hit by a Russian ballistic missile on 17 June, killing 23 civilians, including children.
She said her visit, accompanied by Chief of Defence Force Air Marshal Tony Davies, was a tangible reminder of both New Zealand’s strong support for Ukraine and our strong support for the international rules-based order.
Collins also visited Warsaw, Poland, and was scheduled to travel to the UK, to undertake defence and security-focused meetings.
The press statement says Collins had visited Ukraine, “seeing firsthand the heartbreaking human cost of war to its people”.
“Russia’s illegal invasion has brought misery and destruction to the Ukrainian people for three-and-a-half long years now,” Ms Collins says.
“New Zealand’s response was swift when Russia invaded in February 2022 – and our support for Ukraine remains steadfast. This was the key message I conveyed in Kyiv.”
And:
“Seeing the devastating impact of Russia’s illegal war – the disruption to everyday life, the human cost, the impact on children, the physical destruction – was heartbreaking,” Ms Collins says.
PoO applauds her for seeing for herself what is happening in that part of the world – and wonders if she is considering a similar visit to see what’s doing in Gaza.
Her report back from there might galvanise the Government to decide one way or the other its position on the concept of a Palestinian state.
PoO recalls that three weeks ago Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour said recognising Palestine as a state was a complex decision that should not be rushed, but “it’s a matter of when not if” New Zealand does so.
France, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia at that time had declared an intention to recognise a Palestinian state at a United Nations summit this month.
The Herald reported the Luxon Government would formally weigh up New Zealand’s position on the recognition of the state of Palestine over the next month before a formal decision was made in September.
However, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has been unwilling to explain to New Zealanders what exact criteria will need to be met in order for recognition to occur.
There is much less disagreement in New Zealand about our policy on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
But the Waikanae Watch has posted this article …
Former Prime Ministers Helen Clark and John Key have copped criticism, too, for sending “the wrong message” by attending China’s World War II victory parade.
Anne-Marie Brady, a professor at the University of Canterbury who specialises in Chinese politics, wrote in Newsroom about Clark and Key attending the “Victory Day” military parade in Beijing, commemorating the end of the Second World War.
Hosted by the Chinese Communist Party government, the event is framed as a celebration of China’s role in defeating fascism.
Yet this highly choreographed military parade is not a genuine act of remembrance. It is a strategic performance of historical revisionism and political legitimation.
The article notes that the confirmed VIP participants included Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, “alongside a cohort of leaders from other authoritarian regimes”.
Their presence signals the event is meant as an affirmation of a China-centred authoritarian axis.
Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping’s ambition is to construct an alternative international order—one that rejects the rules-based international order—in favour of shows of force and illiberal solidarity.
In this context, the participation of two former leaders from a democratic state such as New Zealand is not merely symbolic—it is deeply consequential.
Brady noted that China seldom hosted events to commemorate WWII, or any war, and China’s contribution to WWII was made by the Kuomintang Nationalist government (KMT), not the Chinese Communist Party military.
By giving democratic support to an authoritarian display, the two leaders [Clark and Key] risk being perceived in an unflattering light – as useful idiots, the term famously attributed to Lenin to describe Westerners who, wittingly or not, help prop up authoritarian regimes by lending them legitimacy.
But what should we make of Brady’s concerns about Xi Jinping’s ambition to construct an alternative international order—one that rejects the rules-based international order—in favour of shows of force and illiberal solidarity?
PoO’s observations of happenings around the globe suggest Xi is not the only bloke who aims to construct an alternative international order.
Since February, long-standing Western defence alliances have been thrown into upheaval over doubts about the commitment of a key partner and its leader’s siding with Russia in talks to end the war in Ukraine.
Moreover, this leader has fomented economic turmoil by overturning what had been well-established rules for international trading.
He has claimed emergency powers to use tariffs to bargain with other countries and wield an ever-changing level of taxation on his country’s businesses and consumers.
He has declared “We are the federal law” and posted a social media image of himself wearing a crown with the words “Long live the king”. He also has declared “He who saves his country does not violate any law”, a variation of a quote sometimes attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte (not known for his democratic inclinations).
This bloke has pardoned those who had been involved in an insurrection aimed at overturning an election result which resulted in his losing the presidency in 2020.
He has deployed military troops under his command for policing duties in major cities and brags of ramping up these efforts in other cities to militarize his homeland.
Masked federal agents have used aggressive tactics to arrest immigrants and have them deported without trials.
His administration has launched vengeful investigations or taken punitive steps against key figures involved in investigating or examining his actions over the recent years, including personal criminal and civil cases.
He has sacked his government’s top labour-market statistician, accusing her — without evidence — of “rigging” a weak jobs report. He appointed a loyalist to succeed her (presumably in the expectation future statistics will reinforced his claim he is making his country great again).
Further undermining civil service independence and scrutiny, he has fired non-partisan government officials from watchdog agencies.
He has campaigned for months to persuade his central bank’s chair to lower interest rates by repeatedly threatening to fire or investigate him and – in recent days – has sacked another central bank governor.
He has coerced the media, universities and law firms, disregarded the legislative branch of his government, and challenged the authority of the rule of law and the courts.
Oh – and in recent days he has announced the sinking of a boat after it left Venezuela, allegedly carrying drugs. This was the first known military strike in the region since he ordered an increased military presence in the Caribbean.
He has proclaimed his right to do whatever he wants. And he is doing it – flexing his military muscle and (in effect) rewriting his country’s constitution to buttress his authority.
What will Brady say when our politicians visit that country?
Bob Edlin is a veteran journalist and editor for the Point of Order blog HERE. - where this article was sourced.
1 comment:
Seymour would have been disappointed to miss out on the Ukraine trip, so he could thank Zelensky in person for the award?
Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour has been awarded the Order of Merit, Third Class by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, one of the country’s highest civilian honours, in recognition of his support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, charitable efforts, and advocacy on the global stage.
https://dailytelegraph.co.nz/news/zelensky-honours-seymour/
Post a Comment