Salient. Official Newspaper of the Victoria University Students' Association. Vol 41 No. 21. August 28 1978
Developing a Taste for it
Developing a Taste for it
By this time the Government was really into its stride, and announced that an official representative of the East Timorese Fretilin Government, Jose Ramos Horta could only come to New Zealand if he did not talk about politics either! Brian Talboys' explanation, that New Zealand did not recognise Fretilin and therefore was under no obligation to listen to it, is full of blatant flaws. First off, it is the NZ Government which does not recognise Fretilin. The Government can choose at any time it likes who it will listen to, but this does not give it the right to deny New Zealand people the right to make up their own minds.
The Indonesian Government suppresses the democratic rights of the East Timorese and of its own people. By denying Horta the right to speak on this Muldoon demonstrated his own Government's acceptance of anti-democratic methods and gave implicit support to a fascist regime. Remember what he claims to have told a Nigerian UN representative concerning Trevor Richards? In your country you lock up people like him ...
It is not true, of course, that the Government waits until students are on holiday especially so it can reveal a little bit more of its anti-democratic nature. But there is a long history of coincidence, and it seems clear that the potential lack of organised student activity is a factor in deciding the timing of Government action Last year's SIS legislation is a case in point. Things like this won't change, but it does point to the importance of the role student politics play in New Zealand. In fact, MPs have long acknowledged the strength of the student movement as a pressure group.