Next ethnic affairs minister will probably pass Paul Henry test
New Zealand ethnic affairs minister Pansy Wong has had to resign from her ministerial duties last week following allegations of impropriety relating to misuse of taxpayer subsidised travel perks.
Ms Wong also is alleged to have signed as witness on a document as a government minister rather than as a Member of Parliament in a business deal involving her husband that ultimately went sour, which is what led to the whistle blowing.
Ms Wong has agreed to pay back the New Zealand taxpayer although it is not known how many times private business was conducted in the course of taxpayer subsidised travel by her husband Sammy Wong. That aspect is being investigated.
That Ms Wong has had to sacrifice her career because of her husband’s business affairs is indeed an unfortunate event for New Zealand’s first government minister of Asian heritage, who built her career meticulously beginning in Christchurch and then in Auckland.
Her hard work and high visibility at ethnic events down the years won her handsome support and popularity in her Howick electorate, considered among New Zealand’s most ethnically diverse electorates, with a large percentage of voters born overseas.
Pansy Wong had the perfect credentials, background – and, of course, the looks – for the image of a minister in charge of ethnic affairs in multi racial, multi cultural, multi ethnic New Zealand – an image that fitted any political party’s politically correct agenda so very well.
But her resignation has once again brought into sharp relief the big difference in the style of functioning between former Prime Minister Helen Clark and Prime Minister John Key when dealing with controversial matters pertaining to alleged ministerial impropriety.
Mr Key has repeatedly shown great alacrity in accepting resignations almost immediately after such a story makes it to the front pages. Richard Worth and Phil Heatley are cases in point. Allegations against Dr Worth were never substantiated but he was not rehabilitated. Mr Heatley, stood down over a ministerial credit card payment for a bottle of wine, was forgiven.
Ms Clark on the other hand used every ploy in the seasoned thick-skinned politician’s book to soft pedal, divert attention and go to great lengths to protect Labour and supporting party ministers during her last term, despite the gravity of the allegations. Phillip Field and Winston Peters are glaring examples. Contrast that with Labour’s intense call for Ms Wong’s resignation from Parliament last week.
This is not to find fault with Mr Key’s decisions. It is rather about his still being quite wet behind the ears when it comes to being a true blue politician. Midway into his term, his style is still that of a quick thinking, fast acting corporate czar rather than a quick thinking, artfully procrastinating political schemer.
While Mr Key’s quick decision making in such matters conveys a strong sense of propriety (his swift position on abolishing the travel perk for parliamentarians that brought the desired result within days must certainly be commended), the speed with which he acts also exposes his lack of political nous compared to his wily predecessor.
He gives the impression that it doesn’t take much for the opposition to get him to submit to their machinations quickly – sometimes all too quickly. Expect Labour’s dirty tricks department to go into overdrive as the next election nears to look for all sorts of skeletons in National MPs’ and ministers’ cupboards.
While his antennae may be finely tuned to big picture scenarios and matters relating to economics and his bailiwick of finance, his political antennae especially in a number of more earthy and mundane matters such as ethnic sensitivities are clearly a far cry from the finely honed skills of Ms Clark, or for that matter other Labour Party seniors. His handling of the Paul Henry saga both on screen and his failure to grab the moral high ground is ample proof of this.
With Ms Wong gone and elections in all probability coming up sooner rather than later next year, National must wonder who its new ethnic affairs face should be. And without much really talented ethnic representation in Parliament, the new face will in all probability be one that would quite easily pass the Paul Henry test.
Ms Wong’s sacrifice also exposes the lack of quality ethnic representation in the ruling party.
New Zealand ethnic affairs minister Pansy Wong has had to resign from her ministerial duties last week following allegations of impropriety relating to misuse of taxpayer subsidised travel perks.
Ms Wong also is alleged to have signed as witness on a document as a government minister rather than...
New Zealand ethnic affairs minister Pansy Wong has had to resign from her ministerial duties last week following allegations of impropriety relating to misuse of taxpayer subsidised travel perks.
Ms Wong also is alleged to have signed as witness on a document as a government minister rather than as a Member of Parliament in a business deal involving her husband that ultimately went sour, which is what led to the whistle blowing.
Ms Wong has agreed to pay back the New Zealand taxpayer although it is not known how many times private business was conducted in the course of taxpayer subsidised travel by her husband Sammy Wong. That aspect is being investigated.
That Ms Wong has had to sacrifice her career because of her husband’s business affairs is indeed an unfortunate event for New Zealand’s first government minister of Asian heritage, who built her career meticulously beginning in Christchurch and then in Auckland.
Her hard work and high visibility at ethnic events down the years won her handsome support and popularity in her Howick electorate, considered among New Zealand’s most ethnically diverse electorates, with a large percentage of voters born overseas.
Pansy Wong had the perfect credentials, background – and, of course, the looks – for the image of a minister in charge of ethnic affairs in multi racial, multi cultural, multi ethnic New Zealand – an image that fitted any political party’s politically correct agenda so very well.
But her resignation has once again brought into sharp relief the big difference in the style of functioning between former Prime Minister Helen Clark and Prime Minister John Key when dealing with controversial matters pertaining to alleged ministerial impropriety.
Mr Key has repeatedly shown great alacrity in accepting resignations almost immediately after such a story makes it to the front pages. Richard Worth and Phil Heatley are cases in point. Allegations against Dr Worth were never substantiated but he was not rehabilitated. Mr Heatley, stood down over a ministerial credit card payment for a bottle of wine, was forgiven.
Ms Clark on the other hand used every ploy in the seasoned thick-skinned politician’s book to soft pedal, divert attention and go to great lengths to protect Labour and supporting party ministers during her last term, despite the gravity of the allegations. Phillip Field and Winston Peters are glaring examples. Contrast that with Labour’s intense call for Ms Wong’s resignation from Parliament last week.
This is not to find fault with Mr Key’s decisions. It is rather about his still being quite wet behind the ears when it comes to being a true blue politician. Midway into his term, his style is still that of a quick thinking, fast acting corporate czar rather than a quick thinking, artfully procrastinating political schemer.
While Mr Key’s quick decision making in such matters conveys a strong sense of propriety (his swift position on abolishing the travel perk for parliamentarians that brought the desired result within days must certainly be commended), the speed with which he acts also exposes his lack of political nous compared to his wily predecessor.
He gives the impression that it doesn’t take much for the opposition to get him to submit to their machinations quickly – sometimes all too quickly. Expect Labour’s dirty tricks department to go into overdrive as the next election nears to look for all sorts of skeletons in National MPs’ and ministers’ cupboards.
While his antennae may be finely tuned to big picture scenarios and matters relating to economics and his bailiwick of finance, his political antennae especially in a number of more earthy and mundane matters such as ethnic sensitivities are clearly a far cry from the finely honed skills of Ms Clark, or for that matter other Labour Party seniors. His handling of the Paul Henry saga both on screen and his failure to grab the moral high ground is ample proof of this.
With Ms Wong gone and elections in all probability coming up sooner rather than later next year, National must wonder who its new ethnic affairs face should be. And without much really talented ethnic representation in Parliament, the new face will in all probability be one that would quite easily pass the Paul Henry test.
Ms Wong’s sacrifice also exposes the lack of quality ethnic representation in the ruling party.
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