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Last week's departure of SRC Co-ordinator Mark Sainsbury is thought to be the first of a spate of resignations from Students Association executive members.
Mark Sainsbury, a 3rd year law student, campaigned last year on a promise of opening Association activities up to the "grass roots" students. He emphasised increased publicity, on current campus events and the encouragement of greater participation of the mass of students rather than a select few.
His resignation came after nearly three months of inactivity on everything except serving drinks at Barretts Hotel and poring over statute books in the Law Library. He could not fulfill his election promises, so decided to resign. There are other executive members who could be about to follow suit.
The first of these may be Cultural Affairs Officer Gerard Sharrock, whose initial bumblings have come under fire from his Cultural Affairs Committee. Because of his non-involvement in Orientation the biggest cultural event of the year turned into another mediocre performance and the Orientation Controller was left holding the can.
Gerard Sharrock, another law student, has investigated a couple of rock concerts, but his half-hearted efforts lack the necessary drive to create a "cultural scene" on a very much dead campus.
The second executive member might also be pondering resignation is Woman Vice-president Catherine Paterson, who seems to be all at sea in the world of politics. She promised, among other things, to establish a student pub. As yet she has shown little interest in investigating the chances of getting a pub or any other of her election promises. We have yet to hear a report from her at Exec or at SRC.
Neil Gray, although making a contribution to the Orientation Activities seems at a loose end. He seems very vocal at SRC and Exec meetings but we have yet to see what exactly he can make out of his open Man Vice President portfolio.
The Publications Officer, Gerard Couper, has not really burst onto the political scene either. He missed the first two Exec meetings of
Peter Thrush is occupied on Easter Tournament but rarely makes a positive contribution on other issues. He frequently shows contempt for the authority of SRC. His performance on University Council as a student rep has been abysmal. Out of the last three council meetings, he has missed two and arrived late at the third. This was the Council meeting at which the library cuts received their final stamp of approval Our Council reps, Steve Underwood and Peter Thrush missed this completely and gave away any chance of blocking this retrograde move.
The Accommodation Officer, Peter Gilkison is, at present, trying to procure formerly unoccupied flats for the Students Association to sublet. How far in this task he has got, no-one knows—he missed the last Exec meeting. Overall he seems to be working better than the last incumbent although his greater involvement in other Association matters would help the Exec to develop a more integrated approach to their work.
Steve Underwood, Treasurer of the Association, is the old hand on the Executive. Along with Lindy Cassidy, he dominates Exec meetings. Not so at SRC however. Perhaps because of his experiences in last years 'Office Affair' he has learnt to keep a low profile at SRC and only surfaces to give financial reports. He is also the Company Secretary of the Victoria Bookcentre which cuts down the time which he can spend on Association matters. His role at the moment is to keep the show on the road financially. However well he does it, he like others does not take a leadership role on other issues.
The general dogsbody of the Association, Kevin Swann is hard to fault He has performed competently in keeping the Studass machine well oiled and running smoothly. His presence in the Office and around the Union Building has put him much in the role of a supporter, tidying up the loose ends.
With most of the Exec members playing a very passive role in the affairs of the Association, who is left to lead? The President, Lindy Cassidy, has taken up the challenge and initiated action on a wide variety of fronts—Mount Street objections, a class reps network for the assessment campaign, the Overseas Student Congress, the Library Cuts question and the various Committees that the President has to sit on.
Although Lindy lacks experience, especially in delegation of work, this does not explain the lack of initiative which the Exec as a whole has shown.
Looking at it, many of the hopefuls last year said they would do many things to help students and lead them on the issues which they were concerned with. With the exception of Lindy, none of the Exec members
We suggest that they have a good look at the way that they are operating individually and as a body lighting for the interests of students. Those who fail to measure up should take the same course of action as Mark Sainsbury.
Mount Street Disappears
Overseas Students
Students in Thailand
Education Cuts in Germany
I have just sat through a Political Science III lecture which must rate as the most revealing I have ever endured.
As an introduction to a theme, Professor Roberts offered a fifty minute tear jerker, tracing the development of New Zealand politics from about the turn of the century through to the present day, as illustrated through the life of his father. A novel and interesting approach (at least for the uninitiated) that involves no small amount of soul bearing, to be sure.
In true shop floor fashion (floor pacing, dramatic pauses, prolonged staring into space with glazed expression etc) Roberts added woof to his historical warp with an impassioned plea for committed study and action from intending political science students. Taking side-swipes at just about everybody including himself the student masses, various political movements and the country as a whole—all of which at various times he labelled soft, corrupt, bourgeois, decadent, fat, lazy and apathetic he predicted not only the demise and imminent dissolution of our political system as we know it but also the collapse of our entire social organization, which, he added, "is rotten to the core."
It was in this fashion that he continued unabated for some fifty minutes. Stunned at this unprecedented outbreak of honesty and integrity from a lecturer the audience sat rather subdued. Almost at time embarrassed. Not a note was taken.
"Surely" I mused as the crescendo rose "surely there has to be a climax soon. After all it's 10.55. He's only got a few minutes left. What would be his final blow? A telling acid comment to end all telling, acid comments? An alter call, demanding mass repentance from political sins? An exhortation to stage revolution, over throw the Studess Exec and occupy the cafe?
Which of the options, if any, Roberts took, I shall never know. Alas! What proved to be his final, most gesticulated, eye glazed and presumedly empassioned piece of rhetoric, was all but drowned when, dead on the hour, three hundred students simultaneously rustled their papers, clicked their ring binders and began to shuffle out of the lecture theatre even before he had finished.
Muggeridge asserts that the death knell of twentieth century man will be the gentle whispering of thousands upon thousands of lift doors opening and closing upon their empty, air conditioned, muzaked interior. I beg to differ. Surely it will be the deadly rustling of millions of papers, billions of clicking folders and zillions of shuffling students, who, having done their obligatory fifty minute life time, have to leave for their final lecture.
I was present at one of the recently held Assessment—meetings. I must say that I thought that the people there seemed really concerned with what seems to me now, to be a big problem.
I'd never really thought much about the way our marks are used, but now I'm angry it the way things are done.
I hope that those people working on changing the present system can get it done very soon.
Concerned student.
Professor Norrish of the French department proposed to the Professorial Board in
This method has yet again been brought to the fore with the recently held Education Assessment Forums attended by representitives from all Faculties in the Varsity.
At the meetings, held last Tuesday and Wednesday, members present included both the President of the New Zealand University Students Association (Lisa Sacksen) and the President of the Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association (Lindy Cassidy). The topic for discussion was "Assessment".
The meetings discussed and debated the problems outlined by delegates present.
Numerous anomolies within Faculties's were found with respect to Registry and Departmental Exam and Assessment techniques. VUWSA President Lindy Cassidy chaired the meetings and on both occasions outlined the basic need for a better understanding by all students of the present and proposed Assessment systems.
The Seminar decided to pursue a general policy of passing on information to all students on the nature of the problem and possible solutions.
Lisa Sacksen, President of NZUSA, stressed the urgency with which the situation must be treated.
The New Zealand University Students Association has embarked upon improving the assessment atrocity within NZ Universities as its No1 priority.
VUW's newly elected Education Officer (Robert Moore-Jones) explained that this situation involves all students and requires the immediate attention of All.
It was decided that another full meeting of all student representatives would take place on March the 22nd, to set up machinery for handling the numerous problems being brought up by 1st, 2nd and 3rd year students.
The Forum has called for elections in all Student Lectures and classes throughout the Varsity.
To date some classes are still in the process of finding representatives.
Many have expressed the worry that the solution may not be found in time, can it be done in time?
"Lindy Cassidy: "Yes! We must, it is a question of survival!"
Most of you will probably not know that there has been a proposal to close Mount Street in order to build a block of luxury high-rise flats there.
If you haven't heard, its not surprising for it hasn't been all that widely advertised by the City Council. Notice of a hearing about the closure was posted but this was during the Christmas holidays, when most students were away from campus. The sign put up on Mount St. was high up a power pole where not many people would notice it.
The hearing last Tuesday would also lead one to believe that the Council is determined to rush this through with as little fuss as possible. Lindy Cassidy and Steven Underwood went to represent Students Association and fight against the closure that is definitely not in the interests of students (nor of the other inhabitants of Kelburn). However the attitude of the chairman at the hearing was far from neutral, and it is likely that when a decision is reached, it will be in favour of the closure of Mount Street.
If this is so. The Students Association will fight if further, for the proposed closure is a blatant case of developers interests before people's.
Nearly every vegetable combines with other vegetables or fruit to make a salad. One exception is Beetroot which tints everything it sees.
The best salads are the simplest: the more ingredients you add the more a uniform drabness appears.
If using lettuce, cabbage or any green vegetable, apply the dressing just before serving. One of the simplest salads is lettuce (chilled) with french dressing. Don 't chop lettuce or cabbage too finely: tear lettuce into bite sized pieces just before you serve it. Shredding vegetables and leaving them for hours before use means that when you finally eat them most of their vitamins and minerals have long gone and been destroyed. Kentucky fried Chicken, Homestead, Big Tex, Wimpey and McDonalds fans note well. Prepare salads last, just before you need them.
Straight lemon juice is another inexpensive, health-ful and convienient dressing for cabbage—based salads and certain others (no good at all on lettuce though). The acid in lemon juice prevents discolouration of banana's and apples in salads as well.
Try adding to cole-slaw and lettuce salads new ingredients you haven't used before e.g. Brewers yeast, toasted Sunflower seeds, chopped walnuts, cashews, orange segments, raisins, banana slices, apricots, leftover pasta and noodles, leftover beans, peas, grated raw beetroot.
Beetroot is relatively cheap at the moment...
* Simple Beetroot Salad....
(Boil Beetroot whole, cutting off the tops but not the long tails, to prevent "bleeding", for about an hour. Then the outer skins will slide off).
Dice or slice cooked beetroot. Add salt and pepper, two parts vinegar to one part water. Raw sliced onion can be added also.
* Beetroot and Orange Salad...
Prepare beetroot as above. Dice when cool. Add orange juice and melted honey to taste.
Try also
One only has to look at the circular sent by the Department of Labour to realise the invidious position that Overseas Students are placed in.
The large majority of our Overseas Student population are Chinese Malaysians and have come here because the educational opportunities are limited in their own countries. Most of them come on private sponsorship by their families.
They encounter many problems in New Zealand, least of all harrasment by NZ Officials. Many have been sent letters saying that they must leave the country. This is not the only way that our officials are trying to decrease the numbers of students here. Regulations mean that Overseas Students are not allowed to work to gain extra money to keep them going during the year.
What is the reason for these harsh restrictions and cutbacks in numbers of Overseas Students
The restrictions have been carefully worked out by the Governments of Malaysia and New Zealand. Next week we will be featuring a history of the cutbacks.
The political effects of a large number of Malaysian students in New Zealand is considerable for the Malaysian Government. Surveillance of Malaysian students is tight to ensure that they do not start thinking about the social conditions back home.
What is happening to Malaysian and other Overseas students is what shortly may happen to ourselves. New Zealand students should defend the right of Overseas students to study in New Zealand.
We must stand up and defend the rights of groups that are being subjected to unfair treatment.
The Government is unwilling to act—we must do it ourselves.
The International Club was reformed in
Last years' activities included lively meetings to discuss South Africa, The Middle East situation, Malaysia, North Korea and Zimbabwe. Meetings were addressed both by members of the club and occasionally by guest speakers, and the informal tone of the meetings ensured maximum participation.
Opportunities were also provided throughout the year for members to mix socially and sample each other's cooking and hospitality. Some local members had difficulty deciding what to offer as the "traditional Kiwi dish"—but such problems were soon resolved.
This year, we hope to increase our membership (all students are welcome to join), and to Godzone.
To date, ideas for
Looking Forward to Seeing you and your Friends on Tuesday March 22nd, at 7.30pm in the Lounge and Smoking Rooms.
The Recreation Learning Exchange is an extension of the belief that staff and students can meet on neutral ground through recreation. All too often students only speak to their lecturer when they require an extension for an essay or assignment. And there is also little communication with other students, seen all around, but who remain largely anonymous.
Relex intends to provide a contact service for people wanting to learn skills, share knowledge or exchange ideas. Through
If you want to learn something and don't know where to start, contact Relex. It will try to find a resource person who can help you with new skills.
Resource People are vital to the successful operation of a learning Exchange. So even if you think "no one would ever be interested" in your particular skill, get in touch with Relex.
This can be done by asking for Joce at the Gym Store, Wednesday 12-4pm., ph 738-566 extension 65. Outside this time messages may be left for me with the Store person.
We hope to widen the scope of the films' page into a kind of forum on film. Reviews will be supplemented by previews, background articles, counter reviews... anything by which people care to articulate their thoughts on the subject. If you are interested, please contact David Murray or myself through theSalient Office.
Salient is edited by David Murray, published by Victoria University Students Association and printed at Wanganui Newspapers Ltd., Drews Ave., Wanganui. Deadlines for copy are Wednesday for stories and Tuesday for advertisements. All contributions gratefully received. All correspondence should be addressed to Salient, Victoria University of Wellington Students Assn., Private Bag, Wellington.
Apart from the above-mentioned, others who worked on getting Salient out(or pretended to) were Lamorna Rogers, Gerard Couper, Jonathon Scott, Rose Desmond, Olivia Stephens, Chris Cauldwell, Rachel Scott, Marty Wood, Richard Bohmer, Craig Mabon, Kevin Swann, Paul Clark, Chris Norman, David Newton, Peter Gibbs, and then, even lower down in the works came J.V.Stalin, Big Lenny, the degenerate John Henderson, Chairman Hua Kuo-feng and lower still, ex-proof-reader David Cunningham. If you want to get your name in Salient Staff Notes, come along and do something for us we might be able to fit you in under Chairman Hua Kuo-feng!
Some 250 students were in the Union Hall at the beginning of SRC at noon on Wednesday - by the end of the meeting at 2.10 pm numbers had dropped to about 50, mostly uninterested people.
After minutes and matters arising, the meeting proper got underway with reports from Association executive members. Neil Gray told us that the V.U.W T-shirts would not be arriving for a fortnight. Our President, Lindy Cassidy apologised in advance for the length of her report and proceeded to give a very lengthy report in which she mentioned:
But the main item of interest in this part of the meeting came when Lindy reported on action taken so far regarding the cutbacks in Library hours. She said that in carrying around a petition about this she had got the impression that students were not too concerned at losing the use of the Library on Friday nights as this really only inconvenienced part time students.
She moved a motion to the effect that SRC declare itself dissatisfied with the level of finance and priority given to Library services. Immediate reaction came from the floor. The first speaker attacked the stand at present being taken by the Association. He said that if student reps had done their jobs in the first place, then the cutbacks would never have occurred. Given that they had, he said our approach now should not be one of attack and confrontation but one of negotiation with the Library. He sat down to loud applause.
Gyles Beckford agreed with much of what the first speaker had said, but pointed out that negotiating with the Library could achieve nothing when the directives for the cuts had come from the Registrary. Professional Board and University Council. He was disappointed that so little action had been taken since the last SRC when a strongly worded motion had been passed. Why had no leaflets been distributed to students on the matter? He also mentioned that although closure of the Library on Friday nights may only inconvenience part-time students, there were nearly 3000 such students at VUW.
As he too sat down to applause, it was clear that the crowd was at least listening—no mean feat for an SRC. Gyles rose again minutes later to ask who would raise the matter at Prof. Board the next day as we had no reps on it at present (Lindy: "I'll be there") and since the Board would almost definitely delay matters for a month by sidetracking it into a committee, what other action would be taken (Lindy: "Then we'll set up a committee')
Lindy's first motion was passed with out dissent, and she then moved a further motion: "That the Education Officer be directed to form a Library Action Committee". Patrick Mulrennan, with memories of the glorious 60's no doubt still in his mind, rose immediately to ask "what about sit-ins?" After the boos and shouting had died down Leonie Morris and Neil Gray both said it was a "stupid motion". Patrick, undeterred, continued that such action was needed to "scare the authorities and the Government". But the meeting appeared too timid to begin the revolution with a Library sit-in and moved to other business after directing the Library Action Committee to report back at the next SRC (this Wednesday, boys and girls!)
Steve Underwood reported that since the beginning of the year he as Association Treasurer had been involved in the catering operation, orientation programme and with the auditors.
Next was the announcement that Mark (Barretts) Sainsbury, one time SRC coordinator had resigned. This position is to be filled at this Wednesday's SRC.
Apart from Neil Gray's asking that those willing to help with the extravaganza capping revue see himself, Peter Thrush or Kevin Swann, that ended reports.
Next on the agenda was SRC elections for Overseas Students Officer and Publications Board Reps (6). There were 2 nominations for O.S.O.: W. Wongsarot and James Movik. Both were articulate and seemed genuinely interested in overseas students, both culturally and politically. James Movik was elected (several of his planks being to help politicise students and to help set up a Third World caucus).
The six elected to Pubs Board were:
It was now 1.20pm, numbers had dropped to about 130 and the meeting was only just reaching the first of the motions on the agenda.
First (after a procedural motion changing the order of agenda items) was a motion that SRC recommend a donation of $150 be given to Tenants Union (formerly the Tenants Protection Association). Speakers said that the Union was of particular use to students and that the Union had received a similar grant in
The meeting then passed two motions to do with the Sharpeville Commemoration and Rally - the first giving the Association's support, and the second giving its money ($90). Costs for the rally were to be about $900 (leaflets, advertising, play cards, mail-outs, etc) so the money would have a definite use. Any funds left over would be donated to the Bastion Point Fund.
The meeting (now with very few people attending or listening), after brief discussion left two motions (one on Bursaries the other on Arts Council constituting itself into a separate body) to be dealt with at the AGM on March 30th. The meeting was then closed with 3 or 4 items on the agenda unconsidered.
It became the pattern last year and definitely is continuing this year that the agenda at SRC was never finished—in many cases not even half finished. In most cases responsibility for this must be borne by the Chairperson. Especially at this year's meetings we have seen a certain lack of control shown by Lindy Cassidy in the chair. Business at the beginning of meetings needs to be kept short and succinct. Speakers must come through the chair and length of speeches must be controlled. At both SRC's this year we have seen Lindy losing some control of the meeting through changing her rulings because someone disagrees with her or not realising that time is ticking away on unimportant matters. This is perhaps understandably due to inexperience on her part in the chair, but the Association and SRC in particular can only allow her so much time to learn. I hope we see some immediate improvements at this weeks SRC especially in keeping reports brief.
Included on the agenda are matters of great social and political importance, such as the appointment of a deputy marshal for the cafetaria (paid) and the disappearance of the pool tables.
There will be — Elections for a 11 faculty committees. Professorial Board, all Committees, (including library), Union Management Committee, and the Catering Committee.
All these committees and boards and things must have student reps to operate legally.. If you think the cafe is a rip-off get on the Catering Committee and see if you can't improve things.
If none of that inspires you, come along and moan about the impending calamity regarding the pool tables—it is proposed that they be removed and the pool room converted into a General Meeting Room.
Is there anybody reading this who is 7 feet tall, has muscles of iron can run faster than a speeding bullet and looks like John Wayne? Then come and volunteer for the position of Deputy-Marshal to enforce non-smoking in the Cafeteria. This position carries with it a certain financial remuneration, otherwise known as pay.
Also there will be a proposal that all union policy be changed to ban smoking throughout the union building. All you nicotine addicts, come and stand up for your rights.
The S.R.C. is yours, and can only function with your support and involvement. Its decisions affect you, and remember you have no right to moan about their actions if you don't even attend their meetings.
Have you had experience with IBM electric typewriters? Want a part-time job at Varsity with reasonably flexible hours? Then come and work for Salient. Approximately 30 hours a week mainly on Wednesdays Thursdays and Fridays. Good rate of pay with generous allowances. If you have any queries, come and talk about it with David Murray (Editor) in the Salient Office, or Gerard Couper (Publications Officer). Written applications may be left at the Students Association Office.
The Women's National Abortion Action Campaign (WONAAC) held a National Meeting on the 26th February, with about 35 women from Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch, and Wanganui attending it. WONAAC is a women's organisation fighting for the feminist demands of a women's right to control her own body, and to repeal the abortion laws.
The two main aims of the meeting were to discuss WONAAC's reaction to the Royal Commission on Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion, which reports late in March, and to find ways of making WONAAC more effective as a national organisation.
Ways of building WONAAC into a more effective national organisation were also discussed and it was decided to use the time before the Royal Commission reports to build the various branches by arranging visits by speakers to the other centres.
As well as the possibility of a speaking tour by WONAAC activists after the Royal Commission, local visits will be organised to women's groups, technical institutes and high schools. Other activities will be organising pickets, such as the one of the Women and Health Conference protesting at the exclusion of representatives from WONAAC, selling the newsletter, and working with other feminist groups on the abortion issue.
In calling for a woman's right to choose, WONAAC won't get concessions from the government easily, but by making the government aware of what public opinion is and by organising effective activities around the feminist demand of a woman's right to control her body, WONAAC will succeed.
If you are interested in joining WONAAC, ring Di Cleary Ph 861-857 Helen Wilson Ph 848.541
Last Tuesday students were asked to give their views on the catering service.
The two questions we asked were:
What do you think of the catering facilities provided in the Union Building?
Do you think that the University or the Student's Association should be responsible for the subsidisation of catering?
What do you think of the food in the Cafe?
What do you think of the Cafe?
Come and have your say on how the Cafe should be run.
Who should subsidise student meals?....the Students Assn. or the University.
Cafe Forum Union Hall Monday 21st 12 Noon
If a long man replete with long grey beard and glittering eye accosted you in the street, fixed you with his eyes and asked" why are you at university young man/woman?" Chances are you would answer "to get educated."
Now true education as I understand it is the process of learning to perceive, understand and analyse the world around us; it should be concerned with methods and and relationships, not with a body of 'facts'. But if you look at the University you will see that its primary role is conferring degrees based on a supposed amount of facts learned. These 'facts' that we are at Varsity to absorb are the justifications for the validity of degrees. But it is obvious from the way university works that the primary purpose of a degree is to stratify people.
The education system acts as a sudden-death lottery with those who win at one stage being able to go up to another stage and try the lottery again. We are the people who have had the winning streak (of course it is not a conventional game of chance—many of us had initial advantages such as being middle class with intellectual-orientated parents; and most of us have according to the law of the jungle adapted our minds to survive the education system).
In society's terms we are the blue-eyed boys, who are given the key to money, prestige, etc (assuming of course we survive the last tests).
Even those at university not solely to get meal-tickets must admit that whether they intend it or not, a degree gives them considerable advantage in society. This not only refers to possessing a bit of paper, but also to possessing the 'education' that signifies that we know how to act the way society wants us to act and therefore to collect the benefits society offers for those who "succeed".
When we get a holiday job our approach to it is totally different from all our nonstudent workmates. Because we are in a privilidged position we obviously have a different point of view
This was bought home to me in the Christmas holidays when I worked as a machine operator in Griffins biscuit factory. It was a valuable insight into how the structure of society is maintained and made me realise that the education system is one of the main instruments of this. The people I worked with on the factory floor were those who had been weeded out of the education system very early on in the process. This had two consequences. Firstly they possessed no qualifications. Secondly they had been given a certain ideology that, seen in the factory context, is designed to make the workers docile non-thinking cogs in the machine. (As different cogs in the machine, university students have been given a fundamentally different ideology that fits the different role designed for them).
Because of this ideology, the people worked with were stuck in the factory situation and generally unwilling to institute changes. To me coming from outside and seeing the appalling conditions they worked under it seemed changes to the system are not only justifiable but humanly necessary.
We worked a 9½ hour day from 7am to 5pm with a ½ hour lunchtime. Thus there were 7½ hours compulsory overtime. On top of this there was more compulsory overtime at nights and on Saturday morning, so that some people would be working to 10pm on two nights a week and from 6am to 12 noon on Saturday morning (a 62½ hour week). This overtime was compulsory because nobody questioned the company's self-given right to force workers to work more than a 40 hour week.. The company also ensured people worked overtime by paying a low basic wage (one of the job supervisors specifically told me this—"if we pay them more they wouldn't want to work 60 hour, a week").
The basic rate for a skilled machine operator was $2.27 per hour while my supervisor who had been there for twelve years was getting $2.40 per hour. A partly skilled worker who had been there three years was getting $2.11 per hour (as a trainee machine operator I was on $2.09).
Most of the men I was working with were married with children, so overtime was financially necessary. And you can imagine what affect this would have on family life. After a hard day at the factory screaming kids and wives with suburban neurosis are not likely to be treated with sympathy.
The working conditions of the factory were physically and mentally exhausting. The machines we worked were loud and continuously running, and because of the ovens nearby it was always very hot. On humid days parts of the factory felt like the inside of a sauna. The whole place was grotty, and to say the least, an unstimulating environment.
The work we did required us to be on our feet all day and maintain concentration; yet most of the time there was nothing to do. After a ten hour day this left you feeling like a walking zombie.
The attitude of the workers to their conditions and wages was a very anaesthised one. They knew they were being ripped off by Griffins (one of the guys told me all about the company which is American owned and makes big profits from its Wellington factory) but accepted this as the way things should be. This is what I was saying earlier about their ideology: lower education works to produce compliant workers. They were also tied to the factory situation both economically and ideologically. Their education and experiences had reinforced the idea that the only kind of work they could do was factory work.
I asked some of the people who had been at Griffins a long time (up to 30 years) why they didn't get another job when their present conditions were so bad. They all told me they would only move to another factory which would be no different.
An obvious corollary of this is the very weak nature of the union (Chemical and Food processers Union). They told me that their union had good relations with the management and practically never went on strike. But in fact the wages and conditions were so bad precisely because the unions had such good relations with the management. Nothing will change to until the workers back the union and make it work in their interests.
As a student, the experience made me aware of what this education system is designed to do. Working at the foundation level of capitalism also brough home to me that oft-repeated phrase. Workers Are Oppressed.
This oppression is maintained through the ideology that is inculcated mainly through our education system.
So if you think you know how society works, or that politics is a lot of bullshit, go and work in a factory.
The recent reduction in library hours and the closure of the Biology library has rightly incensed many people on campus and now it's possible for students to become involved in a constructive way.
At last weeks S.R.C. an action Committee was empowered to investigate and report on the cutting of University hours The committee will be organized by S.R. C. Education Officer, Robert Moore Jones. It will be made up of members of the University library, academic staff S. R. C. members and any other people who wish to be involved.
At last weeks S.R.C. it was apparent that some students thought the Library was responsible for the present cutbacks. This is untrue. The responsibility lies solely with the University Grants Committee and the University Council.
The Grants Committee allocate a set sum to the Library each year. Any money allocated to the Library is absorbed in two main areas, salaries and the purchase of books. At the present time the Library is desperately short of money The book budget is grossly inadequate, having been made more so by the rising inflation of the previous years and last years devaluation. This is highlighted by the Library's fixed commitment to the purchase of periodicals and journals. Maintaining this commitment has meant in the last year 2/3 of the available book budget has gone in that alone.
As early as the middle of last year it was found the five year grant made at the end of
The greatest cuts in hours appear to be during the May and August vacations. Library hours from Monday to Friday will be reduced five hours each night when the library closes at 6pm instead of 11pm. Friday night hours have also been cut by five hours by closing the library at 6pm instead of 11 pm.
The library are aware that the cutbacks are inconveniencing people (especially the many part time students at Victoria) but these were considered the least drastic measures open to them.
The savings resulting from the cuts will only amount to some five to six thousand dollars per annum. If one takes into account the millions invested in the establishment of the library as it is, savings in terms of a few thousand seem ridiculous especially if weighed against deteriorating services.
If the University continues to ignore the library's plight things can only get worse.
At the present time a decision has yet to be reached on the future of the Geology library, it could well suffer the same fate as the Biology library.
There is no question that these are temporary changes. It will not be until the end of the quinquineum (
Those present at next Tuesdays meeting will have to decide what their priorities are. One thing is certain the University Grants Committee and the University Council must re evaluate their priorities.
A sympathetic attitude is not good enough if library services are allowed to deteriorate further.
Students are becoming restless over the conditions they are subjected to. In Kiel recently the University Student's Association tried to bring their discontentment to the attention of Education Minister Walter Braun by presenting him with a pig-let as a
For better or worse, however, this gesture was not completed since the piglet was so excited that, despite sedatives, its life was endangered.
The piglet was in fact somewhat more excited than the students themselves have been so far. As yet their protests have taken the form of such light hearted, practical jokes as this—although there can be no doubt that their dissatisfaction is real enough.
So far there is no sign of bitterness or fanaticism. In Cologne students doled out beakers of soup to passers-by in the street. In Hamburg they discussed their problems in the street in a controlled and disciplined manner. They have also printed handouts, written letters, held debates, started working groups and organised seminars.
The student strikes a couple of weeks ago represented the most extensive stu-Trade schools are another quite diff-fore. The standard children are now rein the Federal Republic. Police had to intervene only once, in Berlin.
This was the only city where there was anything akin to riots or fights—except perhaps in Tubingen where a right-wing radical group of students tried to cause a disturbance.
Fifteen thousand students demonstrated in Berlin, 3500 in Munich and 2000 in Freiburg. In Constance 42 per cent of the students turned out to vote whether or not to strike. Eighty-eight per cent of these voted in favour, and as a result almost all of the city's 106 trade schools and colleges were temporarily closed
The executive committee of the Federal Students' Association (VDS) is no doubt feeling extremely pleased with the turnout for the demonstrations it has organised. It has not been able to rally such massive support since the days of the students revolt in
The VDS committee, in which the Marxist student association and the socialist student association are at odds with young socialists, now feels that about as much has been achieved for the time being as can be hoped for. It is now considering whether to call off the strike or carry on with it.
The fact is that at the moment the whole scene is very quiet. The hard core of the Communists was scarcely in evidence at all during the recent action With Christmas coming up, it is conceivable that any intensification and radicalisation of the issue may be stymied by the vacation.
On the other hand, it is also possible that Communist student groups may use the break to work out a new tactical plan for the coming term.
Before any ideas can be formed as to how things are likely to progress from here it would be appropriate to take a closer look at what the students are dissatisfied about.
Their grievances are multiple and various, ranging from social and financial conditions, political and legal quarrels, internal university factors and national as well as regional occurrences.
In Berlin German students have been on strike for Weeks because two of their professors are suspected of having leftist radical sympathies and disciplinary measures have been started.
In Kiel occupants of several student houses are refusing to pay the rent because they are not prepared to accept a rent increase of, in some cases over ten per cent.
In Constance students are fighting against a regulation which has been introduced in Baden Wurttemberg only, whereby students are required to pay for paper, chemicals, broken flasks, test tubes and so on.
In Hamburg students are trying to prevent the new state university Bill now under consideration from being brought in line with legislation governing university courses and students' rights which has recently been introduced.
These four examples bear no immediate relation to each other. They are primarily the result of isolated local developments. But their importance is clear when viewed in connection with other problems which students are battling with all over the country, not just in Kiel Hamburg, Berlin and Constance. These are primarily:
These points are directly connected with each other. A school leaver wanting to study, say, pharmacy, will often be unable to get a place at university immediately after leaving school.
Being forced to kill time he may well decide to start on another course in which he has no particular interest, but for which his school grades were good enough to secure him admission immediately.
After this, should he decide to change over to pharmacy—which is easier than gaining admission for pharmacy in the first place—he loses his right to state assistance and falls foul of the new legislation, which may result in his being sent down.
This is only one general example but it illustrates how many students acquire the impression that, no matter which way they turn they are bound to lose somewhere.
And this is by no means the whole story. There is also the problem of in creasing unemployment among graduates, which is reducing job prospects for more and more courses of study. For would be teachers the situation has become even worse since political extremists may no longer be employed by the State.
Furthermore universities are tightening up on admissions even more than before. The standard children are now required to achieve at school in order to gain admission to university has developed from the sublime to the ridiculous in a relatively short space of time.
Trade schools are another, quite different, but equally problematic matter. Trade schools were started as training centres where students could gain qualifications for occupations which, generally speaking, are less well paid and of lower social standing than these for which university students are trained.
More and more trade school students as many as forty per cent now—are going on to university from trade schools. Ministers of Education in the various states have stamped on this and in future only one to two per cent of trade school graduates will be admitted for further study at university.
None of these reasons alone was enough to spark off the recent protests. The only reason the VDS received such overwhelming response throughout the country is because students are irritated and disturbed by a combination of all these points.
As far as the future is concerned the following facts must be borne in mind;
Firstly, none of the grievances students are now protesting about can be cleared up in the immediate future. On the contrary some things such as social situation and university entrance conditions may well become worse
Secondly, in contrast to
There are considerable numbers of people living in the vicinity of universities and colleges who would not hesitate to take part in demonstrations if the situation does not change.
Thirdly, no responsible politician has a sure cure for unrest and dissatisfaction. There are always plenty of plans and proposals, but they are either utopian or clearly impossible to implement even on a modest scale.
For these reasons the present movement may well be continued, widened and radicalised. Conditions in universities, colleges and schools are such that unless changes are made students may resort to more drastic action in future than simply making a symbolic offering of a piglet.
As our main feature this week, we retell the story of Thailands military coup and the events leading up to it. We hope that New Zealand students will read it and become conversant with the situation of students, workers and peasants under a fascist regime controlled primarily by American capital.
The two
Under the suppression of imperialism and feudalism, the Thai society is in constant flux and full of contradictions. After the Second World War, the American imperialists exploited the strategic location of Thailand in the encirclement of China and as a stepping stone to invade Indochina. In Thailand, the military junta grasped power, externally flirted with the imperialists by betraying the national sovereignty and domestically made the people to live in an abyss of suffering.
Yet in the Sixties, the traditional education system and the oligarchic political situation only drove the Thai University students to piles of book, chasing after certificates and diplomas. The Thai University students, at that time, were indifferent to society and country. They were apathetic to politics.
By the turn of the Sixties, the increasely frenzied invasion of the Americans in Vietnam has provoked the roars of justice from people all over the world. The worldwide student activism has brought its impacts on Thailand. In
Along with the development of Vietnam war, the American furthered their invasion in Thailand and the military junta also tightened their oppressive control. In their social practice, they have experienced many discontents and under the influence of western education and American democratic ideas, they opened fire on the tyrannical order.
In
The victories gained in this "Fight for democracy and constitution campaign" made the Thai students deepen their concerns with the country and nurtured a sense of responsibility to society. The victories gained further encouraged them to participate more actively in politics and to probe for an ideal in their social practices.
The civilian government which came into power began in
The NSCT then proposed a slogan "Go to the countryside". They mobilised 4000 of their fellow students to go to the countryside and to live and work with peasants. They also built schools and libraries for them. In the meantime, the contradiction between the peasants and landlords had sharpened. Many peasants, who were seriously exploited by the blood-sucking landlords, went to Bangkok to protest. In many other areas in the country peasants' federations were set up.
Strikes were increasing in the cities. From
In their social practices, the Thai students gradually realised that in order to solve these social problems, one has to dig deep into the "roots" of these problems—that is, the political control, military aggression, economic exploitation and cultural debasement by imperialism. The brave resistances of the Indo-Chinese peoples against the American imperialists have also inspired the Thai people. From
In Temco (Thai Exploration and Mining Company). Temco was a company primarily based on American capital but also with British and Dutch shares. Operating on a highly exploitative low wage system, Temco had been receiving enormous amounts of profits annually. Yet the more important thing was that Temco had been ruthlessly exploiting the resources of Thailand. In
The experiences in the countryside made the Thai students realise the feudal landlords were Land-in-glove with the bureaucratic compradores who served the imperialists. They also understood that the feudalist idealogy was still poisoning the farmers. In order to portray to the people their bright future and to encourage them to fight on, the Thai students took up literature and arts as the weapons against feudalism and imperialism. They wrote a lot of songs and plays and made a lot of performances in the cities and countryside.
Along with the victories of the Indo-Chinese peoples, the American influences in Asia was deteriorating and hence enormous changes in the Asian and world situations took place.
The expansions from another superpower, who had been longing desperately to substitute their American counterpart in scrambling for world hegemony, was also extremely interested with the strategic location of Thailand. Besides infiltrating Thai society from various aspects, this superpower also paid much attention to the Thai students by frequently offering them free trips for travelling. Of course, these ulterior aims were met with strong refusals. The Thai students were also fully alert to the ambitions of expansion from any foreign power.
All these showed that under the impact of the rapidly changing world situation, the Thai students, through their social practices, had witnessed drastic changes in their thinking. At last, they had searched the direction of their student movement. They have summarised that feudalism and imperialism were The main foes that oppressed and exploited the Thai people most. Only after these two foes were eliminated, then the Thai people could have genuine independence and democracy. Yet how could imperialism be defeated? How could national self-determination be achieved? The answer lies in the strength of the workers and peasants who constituted more than 90% of the population. The aim could only be achieved by combining with the revolutionary strength of workers and peasants. Going to the countryside meant not to educate the peasants but instead to receive education from them, to understand the conditions of the majority exploited in this class society to nurture a feeling towards them.
The corruption and degeneration in parliamentary politics shattered the dream of the Thai students in Western style of democracy. What Thailand needed was not the kind of parliamentary democracy in a mere scrap of paper, but genuine people's democracy in the hands of those who stood for the interest of the majority. To fight for people's democracy, the strength of the workers and peasants was needed.
The Thai student movement was heading in this direction because the Thai student movement was closely linked with the destiny of the whole nation. In the process of development, the Thai students, under the impact of progressive ideas, have come to understand more and more the significance of genuine national independence and liberation. Now and then they analysed the contradictions in Thai society, summarized the direction of the Thai people's movement and tried their best to integrate their furture with the destiny of the whole nation.
Yet on the road of progress, there had never been full sail, it was full of obstacles and tortuousities. The path of the Thai student movement, was also stained with blood. Since
Yet the people can never be intimidated nor slaughtered. Even though one of them has fallen, thousands would stand up again. Difficulties could only forge the will of the people. The Thai student movement would grow amidst the stormy times. Bloody oppressions only signify the deterioration of the ruling elite and the ever increasing strength of the people's movement. The victories gained by anti-imperialistic forces of people all over the world are also encouraging the Thai people and students to fight on. They will summarize experiences and march on bravely to the bright future. Their militant voices, full of courageous spirits, will grow stronger and stronger.
Thailand originally known as Siam, is an agricultural country in the tropical zone. The total area of Thailand is 520 thousand square miles, with a population amounting 40 millions. 80% of which are farmers, growing mainly paddi-rice. Thailand is one of the three "rice-bowls" of South East Asia. Just like the neighbouring countries in Indo-China, Thailand became the target of imperialist invasion for her fertile lands and rich resources. From the 16th century onwards, Thailand was under the constant invasion of Portugal, Nether land, Britain and France, and was occupied by Japan during the 2nd World War. For the past few decades, the political situation of Thailand has been in a state of flux, and the society is full of contradictions. Especially in the recent years, students and people movements one following the other, contradictions among the ruling elite become acute everyday, and always signs of coming coup d'etat, further aggravate the situation to a state of instabilities.
The political situation is inseparable with the situation of the whole of Asia the U.S. policy in Asia after the 2nd World War, from being the "World Police" to the victory of the third world people, especially those in Indo-China who are fighting for national independence and liberation, all these influence the change in the political situation of Thailand which is situated in the centre of South East Asia. What is the significance of the Thai society? This article tries to give a general introduction of the Thai society by looking at its social, political and economic structure.
The
Between
In
History showed, that Thailand was nominally implementing a democratic constitutional system, in reality it was the militia who grasped power. Their influence was entrenched deeply in the political structure in Thailand. A seat in the parliament meant no guarantee for democracy, instead it was the gun-barrel of the militia which mattered most. In front of gun and bullets, all democratic measures would became powerless. Many students were sacrificed. So long as the weapons remained in the hands of the military junta how could the masses resist with bare hands? How could the people have genuine democracy?
The decades following the second World War, the international political situation marked the American influence controlled and penetrated into the Asia region, until their gradual decline. In Asia, on the the one hand, American imperialism took advantages of the decline of the British and French influence after the war, extended her colonialization and spheres of influence; on the other hand, the victories of the struggles of the Asian people greatly altered the situation in Asia. In order to maintain her benefit in Asia, United States imposed the policy of encircle China set up military bases in Japan South Korea Taiwan, Philippines. Indonesia, Vietnam Laos and Thailand, endeavouring in using bribery, infiltrations to control and back up the regime of these countries.
Owing to Thailand's strategic position United States gradually strengthened her infiltration. She aided the
The US has established in Thailand a military 'advisory group' consisted of three thousand men, these are U.S. military advisers in the Defence Dept. Further still there are public security adviser' in the police system. The U.S. soldiers stationed in Thailand had come up to 50,000. There 'advisers' and soldiers have political privileges. Thailand had followed the American policy for a long period of time. In
Economically, Thailand suffered miserably from the plundering and exploitation of foreign capitals. In order to reciprocate to the American military assistance, Thailand was bound to implement her economic 'duties' prescribed on the treaty. By these 'duties', Thailand had virtually become a dumping place for the American goods and supplier of the strategic materials (like rubber and tungsten) needed by the American. From
Thailand, rich in natural resources is famous for "fish found in water rice found in fields". Paddi is one of the four main exports, amounting to more than one thousand four hundred tons annually. 80% of the population are farmers. Although they are the chief producers of the financial resources of Thailand, they are always in starvation and poverty, and are under the severe suppression of the feudal authority and the heavy exploitation of the land-lords.
According to the statistics of the Thai Government, farmers occupying little or no land accounted for 85% of the total number of farmers. Although the legitimate highest rent is 25% of the harvest more than half of the farmers have to give about 30% to 55% of the harvest as rent, and some in the central Thailand have to give 80%. This interest of the rent high as 100% to 300%. Very often the farmers have to sell their children to pay for the rent. According to the material issued by the Thailand Government, the yield per acre is only 240 kilo grammes. The income of the farmer is the lowest among all the average income of every farmer is only 1000 bahts (about 250 Hong Kong dollars), equivalent to only 40% of the annual income of the average Thai citizen, also equal to 1/8 of the annual income of the average citizen in the Thai cities. There are enormous differences between the urban and the rural area.
In a country where paddi is the main export, the paddi-rice growers worked hard labours for the whole year round. However, their lives are so bitter, they are always on the verge of starvation and poverty. But the Thailand Government sees nothing of this. They only levied heavy taxes on the Thai people. The poverty and suppression in the rural area forced the farmers to find their livings in the urban areas. They settled in the slum-areas at the verge of the cities, as part time workers, coolies, non technical works. Some families even have to sell their daughters as prostitutes to maintain their livings.
The cities are places where the workers concentrate, especially Bangkok city. Among the 1.7 million labourers in the country, about 1.3 million are industrial workers. The Thai industrial workers have been leading miserable lives. A majority of them had to work 12 to 20 hours for an extremely low wage. Generally, the male workers can get only 10 to 15 bahts (approximately 50c to 80c US) while the female workers can get only halt as much. The working conditions are extremely poor. There was no welfare system. The government sided with the bourgeoisie in forbidding the workers to strike.
Since
The setting up of the regional peasant associations further promoted the organisation of the peasants to fight for their interest and to struggle against the local bullies and bad gentry. The worker movement also surged vigorously. In
In Thailand, as in many other Third World countries, foreign capitalists were sucking the blood of the working people, plundering their natural resources and interventing her domestic politics and economy. In the
Yet, the general trend of "countries want independence, nations want liberation, and the people want revolution" has been surging vigorously. The anti-imperialist struggles of the Third World people are achieving greater and greater success. This irresistible trend all over the world has been reshaping the world situation, and undoubtedly lasting its impacts on the Thai society. The people of Thailand on their road of struggles for genuine democracy and independence will see a bright future and hope.
After watching the sketch shown in the International Evening last Saturday I felt astrong need to clarify a distorted picture presented by those responsible for the show. Hoping you will print this article for a better understanding of our cultural life in Malaysia. Here goes.
When one walks along the busy streets in any town in Malaysia, one can see many hawkers along the road side. The goods they sell are many and varied. It may be food, clothing, everyday necessities etc.
Why do we have so many hawkers in Malaysia?
Another reason of equal importance and in fact a cause of the first reason, is the control of over 60% of our country's economy by foreign investors namely, USA, Britain and Japan. On the surface Malaysia seems to be developing rapidly but underneath this is a picture of rural bankruptcy and urban poverty. The Government itself plays a part in encouraging foreigners to exploit the cheap labour.
One of the main reason is the unequal distribution of wealth in the country. About 70% of the common people are living below the poverty line. Hence, only a small proportion of the population is able to go for higher education and get good positions. This is especially true for rural areas. Most of them are forced to leave school before the six years free primary education, either through lack of money or the necessity to find a job to supplement the family's income. One of the ways of doing this is to start a small business of their own, i.e. hawking.
Rural bankruptcy is created when exodus of common rurals move to town in search of a better way of earning a living. The result is an abundance of labour unemployment and social dislocation—the creation of slums. In order to survive under small condition, people will turn their hands to anything and hawking is one of them
Generally there are two groups of hawkers. One group is 'Stationary', whereas the other is 'moving' in nature. Those who stay 'stationary' usually occupy a fixed stall which can be in a shop open air market, busy street or side street. The 'moving' hawkers are always on the move hawking under the burning sun and pouring rain in rainy days.
The income of the hawkers is very low and they live from day to day. The weather is an important factor to them. On rainy days they may not have any customers at all. This will affect that daily income. Some are able to earn enough to support a family but many are barely able to make ends meet. Most of them are in debt and have to rely on credit from shops. Due to sky rocketing inflation, the hawkers find their means of earning a living even harder. They have to pay more for their goods and consequently their profits are considerably lowered. The hawkers work very long hours. For one who sells foodstuffs, his day usually starts before dawn and he waits till late into the night.
For a 'moving' hawker, he faces the constant problem of being arrested if he stays at the same spot beyond a specified time limit. He usually has to move on just when his customers are beginning to arrive
Hawkers who have obtained the licences still have to pay extortion from the police and are confronted by gangsters who often demand 'protection money' from them. These are some of the problems confronting the hawkers in their daily mouth-to mouth living—earning enough to make ends meet today and start worrying about how to make ends meet tomorrow, not to mention of a week's time. They have have no time for other things—such as the root cause for their poverty and the way to solve it.
As intellectuals, are we right to regard them as ignorant and noisey rabble and adopt a non-care-a-less attitude. As intellectuals we must bear in mind that we have the responsibility to help and respect them. Remember that, we as students, have come overseas at the expense of our fellow countrymen. Ultimately we should help to unite them in the fight for justice and equality, not look down on them with contempt.
To most New Zealand students, the Overseas population at University remains a mystery. We asked a Malaysian student some questions about the nature of the Malaysian Student Movement in New Zealand.
Why do so many Malaysians, especially of Chinese origin go overseas for tertiary education?
Malaysia is a neo-colonial country. According to
The past few years also see a big increase in the number of students from Sarawak. The use of Malay as a medium of instruction in Malaysian higher institutions makes it extremely difficult for them even if they are offered a place in these institutions.
Note:
The 45% cutback on Malysian students was implemented this year. According to Foreign Minister Mr Talboys, the cutback was aimed at providing more opportunities to other overseas students, such as from Middle East etc. What is your comment on this?
On the surface such argument sounds justifiable. But as far as I know, the 200 or more vacancies as a result of the cutback on Malaysian students, has yet to be filled. The general feeling among Malaysians is that this issue has deep political implications.
How can NZ students help in the Malaysian student movement?
First they must understand the neocolonial nature of our country, and the problems faced by Malaysian students in this country. This can be done by reading more factual articles about Malaysia and having discussions with students in N.Z. On the other hand, Malaysians have the responsibilities to prove this information and talk about their problems. Unless a cause or movement is well discussed and understood it will have no supporter or sympathiser.
Progressive students should always support a righteous cause be it at home or abroad. In the international context, the victory of our fraternal brothers in any part of the world is also our victory. It is a step forward in history.
There are various fields that NZ and Malaysian students can co-operate. For example, we can unite to oppose the Five Power Defence Arrangement which is a common issue confronting us. This military pact is aimed at suppressing the awakening Malaysian people with the consent and support of the NZ government. The essence and ulterior motives of the Five Power Defence pact must be exposed.
Hishamuddin Rais, the
These few years see a trend of overseas student movement and growing political consciousness. In U.K., Malaysian student organisation such as Fuemsso, helped to expel the Singapore Lee govt, from the Socialist International. There were also many campaigns to mobilise the students to fight for democratic rights and freedom in our country. In Australia progressive students took over the leadership of MUSA in
The growing dissent with the Malaysian government in NZ was illustrated in the Jack de Silva affair and the "hot" reception accorded to Razak by the students while he was in NZ. That threw the Razak government into a frenzy. The 45% cutback was raised when Mr Talboys visited Kuala Lumpur the following year.
Actions were also taken to limit Malaysian students going to the U.K. and Australia by imposing various regulations together with discriminating high fees on overseas students.
So the whole question is extremely clear as to the motive of the cutback. It is aimed at curtailing the development of student movement in NZ.
What is the present situation of the Malaysian student movement in NZ?
I think the Malaysian student movement here has a lot more to learn from the student movements in U.K. and Australia.
On regional scale, we have organisations such as Auckland MSSA which has done a substantial amount of work in welfare and promoting social awareness among Malaysian students. Publications such as MMR, and Suara provide a correct analysis of the social-economical and political situation at home. However, there is still a need for a national body to coordinate all Malaysian student bodies to fight common issues facing us.
The majority of Malaysian students here are dissatisfied with the home government. But for years they are silenced by suppressive laws like the Internal Security Act, University and University College Act, etc. Without a correct student body to lead them, students will still hold onto their "apathetic" attitude.
A petition is currently circulating asking that an appropriate degree and form of proportional representation be introduced into our electoral system. This subject has been in discussion now since
In short, proportional representation means that the percentage of the vote that each party receives determines its percentage of the seats in parliament. This system results in everybody's vote being of equal weight and being counted in the election of an M.P. unless the party the person votes for receives so few votes as to be ineligible to a seat. It metes out precise justice for all parliamentary parties, is totally democratic and ensures that the political views of nearly all are presented in parliament.
In contrast, the present electoral system involving the first past the post method of election results in the votes of those who do not support the "winner" in each Government instead of a National one; this in
In each election the whim of about 2% of floating voters in half a dozen or so of the marginal electorates determine which of National or Labour will be the next Government. Even in the "landslide" electorates had voted Labour instead of National, there would have been a Labour Government instead of a National one? Western Hutt 55, Palmerston North 71, Hastings 246, Lyttelton 500, Dunedin North 485, Wellington Central 539, Eden 639, Gisborne 661, Manurewa 680, Rangiora 691, Waitemata 694, Wairarapa 735; a total of 5996. For the usual close election this number is usually around 2000.
The present system acts as a dissentive for people to vote for third parties thereby strengthening the two party confrontation system, with, upon each being elected, the undoing of much of what the other has started.
A table of general election results reveals the discrepancies between the percentage of votes and percentage of seats that N.Z. parties have received under the present system. This was particularly great in
It is clear that the present system results in minority views being under represented or not represented at all, so that one of the functions of parliamentary democracy as the body which scrutinizes the conduct of the executive, asks questions, expresses doubts and acts as a forum and focus for public criticism and debate, is defeated.
There are several different variations in use each having been developed by the particular country to suit its own individual circumstances. But the two main systems that were considered for adoption in Britain by the Hansard Society Commission on Electoral Reform are the single transferable vote and one which can be called the additional member system. Both systems have their advantages and disadvantages and neither are necessarily the best form for New Zealand. This would be the subject of submissions by all interested parties and groups once the principle is accepted. The petition is solely concerned with establishment of the principle (for a discussion of the various electoral systems in use see "Voting in Democracies" by E. Lakeman and J. Lambert).
Personally neither system appeals very much. Two proposals that I think would be best are either (a) retain the present set-up, except, only those candidates who receive a majority of the votes in their electorate be declared elected. The remaining seats to be allocated to each party so that its total number of seats is equivalent to its percentage of the total vote. For example, for the
The main argument against proportional representation is that it produces political instability in that a situation can arise whereby third parties hold the balance of power, whereas the first past the post system usually produces a government by one party even when it receives less than half the vote.
But the balance of power situation is still possible under the present system, as is the case in Britain at the present time and advocating the ability of one party to do all it wishes against the will of the majority is being undemocratic, and when the ruling minority becomes as low as 39% of electors, the elementary rights of citizens come into question. This minority rule situation has existed in New Zealand now for the last 26 years and on a number of occasions before that as well.
If a coalition Government is needed under a proportional representation system then each issue is decided by a majority of electors as represented in parliament by their elected parties. If a party gains a majority of the vote, then it is able to put its own policies into effect. Under either situation there exists political stability, consensus and democracy which can be seen in the economic prosperity social health, relative absence of industrial troubles in those countries which have proportional representation such as Sweden and West Germany.
Another argument against proportional representation is that under it some constituents may end up with an M.P. which few of them voted for, if the additional seat form is being used. However, under the present system many people end up with an M.P. which few voted for and since party preferences account for at least 87% of voting behaviour the parties are justified in selecting their own M.P.s for the seats they are eligible for although all candidates for the seats should stand in constituency elections.
Any change to the Electoral Act re quires either a 75% majority in the House of Representatives, or a majority in the popular vote via a national referendum. It seems likely that until both National and Labour agree to a proportional representation system there is little chance of there being one.
In a truly democratic society any citizen should feel that he or she can influence government. How many of us feel this in
(This article does not necessarily reflect the views of Salient or V.U. W.S.A.)
The International Student Congress this year is the responsibility of Victoria University Students to plan and organize. Between the 5th and 8th of May Overseas and New Zealand students from all University Campuses will meet at Akatarwa Campsite north of Upper Hutt to discuss a variety of topics relating to individual and collective problems, political, social and cultural issues.
This is only the second time that the N.Z.U.S.A. initiated congress has been held. The first Congress which was organized by Auckland University Students and held at Knok-na-Gree camp in Auckland in
The Congress is open to any overseas and New Zealand Students who want to learn from other nationalities and understand the reasons for Overseas Student cutbacks, the military coup in Thailand and the contention between the two superpowers particularly as it relates to South East Asia and the South Pacific. For, even though New Zealand students are welcome this congress particularly hopes to give Overseas students an opportunity to talk about the countries in which they live, if they wish, and the problems they are facing in New Zealand with their study and living conditions. The overseas student welfare issue will in fact be given important priority early in the congress.
The intention of the International Student Congress Planning Committee is to make this Congress not only an educative four days but also a social event with plenty of sport and cultural events. In fact, each day it is planned to have lunch and tea prepared by a different group of Overseas Students in as near as possible to their traditional manner.
This year the Congress is being planned by representatives from V U.W.S.A., M.S. S.A., the International Club, Fiji and Samoan Clubs and hopefully M.S.A. If you have any suggestions as to how you think the Congress can best cater particularly for the needs of Overseas students would you please give them to either Lindy Cassidy President of V.U.W.S.A. at the Students Association office, or James Movik, Overseas Students Officer, or come along to the Thursday night committee meetings that are held in the President's Office at 7.30pm.
A new addition to the Agenda, this year there is a workshop on Women and other issues. Undoubtably to be discussed will be the new French initiatives in the South Pacific and an analysis of developments in Southern Africa. But it is hoped that the many needs of Overseas Students will be catered for.
For futher details about the Congress and registration please watch Salient and the notice boards.
Planning Committee I.S.C
Royalty is like sex: we may feel guilty about it, or try to hide it or make excuses for it, but like it or not we can't do without it.
There isn't a country in the world which hasn't had Royalty at some stage of its history; those that tried to do without have either gone into serious decline or been wiped out entirely. Consider the United States, for example. Although they seem on the face of it to be managing very well without a monarchy there are, I suspect, many Americans who still buy model kitsets of the Brittania or gloat over hidden pin-ups of Corgis.
What the Americans have failed to realise is that monarchism is a psychological necessity. Although they may boast that they don't need a Queen, their country abounds in signs of an all-consuming Royalty-wish. The much-idolised Statue of Liberty is obviously a subconscious symbol for the Queen Marilyn Monroe is one of many Queen-figures produced by Hollywood, which is itself merely a pathetic simulation of Buckingham Palace.
Magazines like 'Playboy' and 'Oui' originate almost exclusively from America or Europe, but Britain seems not to need such things. It is also interesting to note that while America is noted for its cult of 'Momism' or Mother-worship, no such thing exists in Britain. They simply have no need of it: they have the Queen.
Obviously, then, Royalty is vital to the healthy well-being of a state. On the other hand, you can get too much of a good thing. Royalty tends to be extremely expensive, sometimes tiresome and often socially embarrassing. Britain tried for centuries to cope with her large amount of Royalty, and several times came perilously close to giving up the struggle and going the way of France and the United States. But, with typical British originality and daring, they found a better solution: the Commonwealth.
The British realised that they had more Royalty than was really good for them. At the same time, many nations were in dire straits because they had no Royalty at all. So, they invented a system of sharing the world's limited Royalty resources equally, so that no-one got too much or too little. This is the purpose of the Royal Tours.
Whether we like it or not, we in New Zealand need Royalty as much as everyone else. We too collect pin-ups of Prince Citarles and exchange gossip about the Dukes love life During Royal Tours we run around like headless chickens, cleaning up streets, cheering and waving flags. The Maori Queen cannot shake hands or open bridges with the elegance and style of Elizabeth, the splendour and excitement of a Tour cannot be matched by a by-election in Mangere or a Farmers Christmas Parade.
In fact, we could probably do with a little more Royalty than we have right now. The interval between the
Now that the Royal Tour has given New Zealanders a glimpse of the real thing, they will quickly reject Nationals cheap imitation.
Whoa there! That's the typewriter ribbon I'm grabbing because I want to make sure I get this all down alright. Bring up the violins there... Shucks, this Red Mole Enterprises outfit gets around some. Last time I came across them, they were sitting across the table from me in Veints' tearooms above the main street of Gore laying down some heavy charts about a national tour they were then beginning with the fine art combo Split Enz.
They really hauled arse to keep up with Split Enz who were into a very schizo phase. Red Mole did the support act number and just about acted Split Enz out of the tent. That was in January, Split Enz cut out for Los Angeles and a recording contract while Red Mole returned to Wellington, their home base for the last two years, to penury—a penury made awesome by the bad habits they had picked up in farflung but loyal bits of the Empire like Invercargill and Hamilton.
What to do? The regular theatres in town walked a mile around this inventive and provocative act while Red Mole went under the carpet to count the roaches. By one of those fortuitous winds that blow across town occasionally bringing in the good with the bad, Carmen, enterpreneur and local mayoral Candidate, had been forced to close down her night-club deal at The Balcony. Deborah Hunt and Sally Rodwell from Red Mole had worked for Carmen in
Red Mole which had walked hot coals to present theme cabarets in the past ( Cabaret Paris Spleen at the now defunct Performers Theatre, Cabaret Pekin 49 at Unity and Cabaret Gone West in Dunedin's Fortune Theatre) now seized the day, as it were. So was born Cabaret Capital Strut, a two buck deal of theatrico-musical fun and fare that promises to put Sunday back into the weekend. Two hundred tickets for the hushed up gala opening of this, the latest Red Mole charivari, for March 13 were grabbed up in a couple of days and their normally reticent promotions manager promised that Cabaret Capital Strut would last every Sunday until public tolerance was exhausted. And so it will if the enthusiasm and abandoned, reckless response that met the first night are any indication, to use the cant promo phrase.
In the New Year of Totally Abolish the Technique that is Killing the Passeist Theatre. Red Mole must have read the whole manifesto a hundred times because they just stuck a barrel of laughing gas under the noses of the bourgeois theatres and are laughing all the way to the apocalypse. Fifty people were turned away at the door, at least another fifty tried bootleg invitations to get in but The Balcony is small. With this sort of pressure happening on opening night it looks like Cabaret Capital Strut could last a life time.
The entertainment on the first night ranged from farce through mise en scene to divine afflatus. Red Mole had a whole bunch of friends on stage to get them through the night, many names too notorious to mention here, who have signed on for the season. As the theme song for the cabaret says:
'Do the Capital Strut!'
The Balcony is situated at 57A Victoria Street in the city and the doors to this trip open at 7 p.m. every Sunday. You best grab a ticket now if you can find one for love or money, and bless your soul at the Capital Strut. This isn't just another movie in a some suburban art film cinema, this is real. It's a revolving show, different acts every time, you could do it once but twice is nice at the Capital Strut!
Theatre, it is said, flourishes in adversity (not to say university) and this perhaps explains the strange paradox that university drama societies everywhere are often either extremely good or quite moribund, or more usually both things in regular succession.
This year Drama Soc. is reviving, and with a little effort from a lot of people it could once again come to be an important force on the Wellington scene, as indeed it ought to be! This will happen easily if all the considerable resource of the University can come together and work in harmony.
In fact it's amazing how many of the things necessary for a successful theatre group are already here—a good-sized, well equipped and well-run (not to mention over-booded) theatre, a number of staff members experienced and active in theatres downtown, a group of about fifty students working intensively in drama as part of their academic careers, and, most important of all, a large body of presumably young, enthusiastic, vital and intelligent students who must always form the heart of any university theatre society.
So far, plans for this year include possible productions of Dr Faustus and A Midsummer Night's Dream. If you are interested in the reestablishment of Drama Soc and want to be a part of either of these two productions, or if you have any ideas of your own you want to try out, then come along to the AGM in the Student Union Lounge at 7.00 on Thursday 24th March and lend your support. The potential is here let's make it happen!
The proper, or pure form of any particular art has always been the subject of much investigation, The question boils down to technique. Almost as long as film has existed, man has tried to discover how the available technical means can create a meaning or effect unique to that art. By the
Furthermore, it allowed man to dominate space and time as never before. This was the crux, for the strength of art was seen in the way it formed its own reality in order to reflect back on life. Life's reality is defined in temporo-spatial terms beyond our control. Film's greatest freedom from this restriction lay at the very heart of its power. Anything which threatened to tie film to reality was therefore seen as a debasement.
The advent of talking-pictures was anticipated as such, because speech (sound and the body making it) implied a biological relationship independent of man's creative faculty. Film would revert to being a mere recording device. Speech, in fact sound generally, the purists claimed, must only used where its relationship to the visual image was man-made and served man's purpose.
Werner Herzog's Fata Morgana is a fascinating resolution of this conflict. Narration aside, both the music and the words within the film act as a single coherent entity. They are the aural element, standing in counterpoint and with equal importance to the visual image. The narration is imposed on this duality, providing signification at the point of synthesis which flows back into the sound and image and assists in the mutual transcendence of each.
The breathtaking combination of German oratorios and long tracking shots through the desert is the best example. There is nothing in the songs requiring this or any other image, and vice versa. The two elements are artificially related. That they do relate is incontestable, that each brings to the other a sublimity beyond the scope of either acting alone is also incontestable. Neither our watching nor our listening takes precedence: our reaction lies between the effect of the two.
Over this Herzog has laid an extraordinarily rich creation myth, whose gist is that none of the creatures of this world, least of all man, is capable of fulfilling the gods will. For this ineptitude (mark that) man is destroyed in the flood. Immediately we are presented with a paradox. Man created the myth which belittles him. Man created the beautiful music we are listening to. And man created the film by which all this is conveyed. Yet in these creations ineptitude is the last thing we think of. The narrative does not contradict everything else in the film, it allows us deep understanding. In a filmic metaphor, man is to nature what sound is to image.
Herzog has said that his films go beyond words, that like dreams they reveal something incomprehensible to our logical modes of thinking. In other words, they present paradoxes such as the one I have just suggested.
Much later we get documentary-type footage of various people explaining the fauna of the desert. Their speeches are left untranslated. From this we can infer that what they are saying is unimportant and jump straight to the essence of the scenes: words, even when observing strict fidelity to the moving mouth, have an artificial nature which makes them ultimately nonsensical. Although those people are telling us about things, we recognise they are simply obeying the compulsion to communicate, a thing far more important than the actual content. An understanding of German would not alter this. Herzog's dogmatic insistence on bringing us back to them, of matching the visually and aurally uninteresting, heavily underlines the point. The paradox of the desert sequences here receives non-aesthetic expression. In a similar way, Leonard Cohen's songs are annoying only because we get caught up in the familiar words. As sounds they are exactly right.
We are several times told: "In Paradise, you call hello without ever seeing anyone." This is not the voice of a cynic. Paradise is the accepted place where paradoxes don't exist. The only way this can happen is for each individual to lose his concept of other individuals, to be absolutely alone. Vet only through those others do we have any sense of separate identity. I cannot say "I am me," without implying "I am not you." So the paradox is inescapable. In Paradise, alone, we must continue to call out. The filmic aspect reflects this: we "call" but we don't "see." In Paradise, the aural and the visual are in discord and create nothing.
Herzog is not suggesting futility. Quite the opposite. This paradox is inherent in our life. Beyond words, beyond meaning, it is the fountainhead of all beauty, all truth, all faith. The mere fact that we can live with it attests to this. It is not Paradise we seek, it is Life.
Thus we have film's full potential: the ability to explore the profoundest level of man's experience. Because film alone incorporates space and time in complete subervience to man's will and imagination, its powers of presentation and evocation are the broadest of all the arts. However, this does not make it the greatest art. If perfect expression brings man face to face with his God, what is the result? Does Fata Morgana prove its maker a prophet of film, or is it the wax and feathers of a new-found Icarus? Significantly, of the three divisions in the film-Creation, Paradise, the Golden Age-it is to Creation we feel most drawn....
It is beyond me how Raymond Durgnat ever achieved his status. A critic of international note, he appears to be without love for his subject, without communicable insight, without even a serviceable method. In short, an academic without vocation. For those who missed his recent lecture tour, here is the book to prove it.
Durgnat on Film is basically an amalgam of earlier works, designed as an introduction to the critic's thought. Finding that thought is difficult. Durgnat is much given to pointless observation. For example, "Much science fiction is in the tradition of 'Paradise Lost', in that it relates the human condition to the basic physical and mental structures of the cosmos." The considerable qualification which follows does not really help.
Even on those occasions when he does attempt serious reasoning the results are unsatisfactory. Chapter One is mainly devoted to proving the inseparability and mutual value of content and form, using all the tricks from false analogy to bewildering grammar to justify a narrow point of view. Naturally we accept that meaning emerges from the utilisation of means (such as subject of focus, appearance of the baddie, etc) yet nowhere does Durgnat seem to realise that with a given piece of film we can separate what is said from the techniques used, and can judge one against the other. This is exactly what we do with well-made commercials. Roving around these 'ideas' of his are a whole host of film examples. The author's adherence to the current trend of calling on Hollywood B-grade movies instead of European 'art' films does broaden one's knowledge of titles, but defeats his own purpose. There is no index of films because little is said about any one; the general lack of conciseness prohibits inclusion of a subject index; and there is not even a bibliography. No attempt has been made at summation, nor to sub-head the cryptic chapter headings (I Was a Middle Aged Water Baby, Pizzicato Pussycats, and twenty more). The result is a book too ill-organised and ill-argued for reference value, and much too pedantic for pleasure.
Putting one's name in the title of a book must be a sign of something. Prestige? That the purely subjective lies within? Durgnat makes a farce of both answers—for him, it is nothing other than pretension.
In my opinion this is the greatest film ever made. From what I can understand from writings on film from all around the world this film has had the most positive political impact of any film ever produced. The subject: The world engulfed in a nuclear holocaust The story is about a mad General who believes that the Dirty red Rusky commie rats are ruining the country's "purity of essence" by infiltrating the water system with flouride among other things So he sends a wing of B52 bombers to drop atomic bombs on dozens of Russian targets. The administrations in both countries try desperately to stop the mission but...
The film is brilliant in the extreme.—Its strength lies not only in its horrific theme or brilliant acting by Peter Sellers in three roles, but also in its structure, camera style, the background preparation, the set design the dialogue the performance of all the actors, the story line, etc etc... But I think more than anything the success of the film lies in Kubrick's complete control over his use of humour, (black humour).. The extremely funny and entertaining characters such as the mad Doctor Strange love, a military scientist, are combined with the unbearable consequences of what these people are doing to the world.
This is not merely some comedy that one might go and see if one felt like it, this is an experience of a lifetime even more so than watching Gizago on TV.
An excellent film and a perfect choice to star in a double bill with Doctor Strangelove. This is the most powerful documentary I have seen. It is a dramatised documentary of a nuclear attack on Britain. It is a subject that could revolt anyone but so often films depicting this sort of thing leave no after-effects on the audience at all. But don't expect to see this film and walk out feeling that nuclear warships in our harbours is a non-issue.
Perhaps more than anything else the secret of this film's success lies in its style of extreme understatement. You have to see it to see what I mean.
A fascinating film with brilliant cinematagraphy. How is it possible to make a feature film in which all the actors are seagulls and all the sea gulls talk. How is it possible to make the theatre feel as if it is flying through the sky like a bird on the wing; after all theatres don't have feelings. Its all as possible as flying Neil Diamond, who wrote and performed the brilliant music, direct to the wastelands of Mururoa where he belongs.
This film is about the trials and triumphs of a bright young Harvard Law student named Hart, His hero is Professor Kingsfield, a brilliant, irascible old professor of contract law, marvellously well-played by John H. Houseman. Kings-field, using the Socratic method of teaching, pushes, bullies and ridicules his students, with the aim of turning them into first-class lawyers. Hart is at first intimidated, and then challenged, propelled by an interest in learning, rather than in the material rewards that may follow. He has an affair with a pretty, independent girl who turns out to be Kingsfield's daughter.
Portrayed is the conformism of the Law School, the pressures of the Socratic system, and a mild rebellion.
This film is to be recommended to anyone who has done law, is doing law is thinking of doing law, or has been done by law!
When Schtung first started playing at the wine bar at Barretts a short while ago their music echoed through the cavernous darkness of an empty room. I went down to see them last Saturday afternoon and the place was packed.
Why this sudden transformation around a band that most people in this country have still never heard of? It is, in fact, a very curious situation and one interesting enough to get a basically lazy chap like me sufficiently motivated to write an article.
Schtung used to be a four-piece instrumental bond and played as such for two years. Due to their conspicuous lack of success they altered their lineup to include two new members and re-wrote most of their material to incorporate lyrics and vocals. In its present form the band is only two and a half months old and has managed to move up from the Railway Tavern to Barretts; an insufficient step but a significant one nevertheless. (I find the thought of Schtung playing at the Railway Tavern slightly akin to visions of Pink Floyd letting it all hang out at a Waiouru Rugby Club Hop:)
Trying to describe Schtung's music is difficult in the same way that it's difficult to describe the music of any band that has created its own type of music: one must constantly refer to other groups for comparison. At different times I have thought Schtung similar to Genesis, Supertramp. Yes, and Split Enz. But what they really have in common with those groups is the fact that musically, a fundamental common factor really doesn't exist! They have created their own highly distinctive type of music—as recognisable as it is uncopiable.
The six members of the band are Robby Sinclair (bass), Paul Jeffery (keyboards), Andrew Hagan (guitar/keyboards), Morton Wilson (guitar), Jeff Boudler (drums), and David Bo-water (saxes and flutes). All their music is original and (by rock 'n'roll standards) complex.
Because of its complicated nature, arrangement is a major factor in the achievement of the final product and so Andrew Hagan stressed to me that although all the songs to date have been written by either him or Morton Wilson, they only write the initials, the "visual images", which are then interpreted and arranged by Schtung. In effect this means that the band is more than just a collection of people playing musical instruments—it is a firm family of musical minds as well, and this is evident in their music.
When they perform they cannot relax in the comfort of a basic never ending riff; instrumentation and tempo are always changing and they need to concentrate and co-operate to pull it off. When they're too tired to do that the music suffers severely. When they're not the effect is stunningly impressive.
Schtung's music, then, is complex, diverse, constantly changing and developing, dropping from ear-shattering keyboard climaxes into the cool beauty of floyd like guitar or flute; vocals changing from sharp projection to velvet smooth menace. Their collection of songs now numbers about fifteen and within that there is similar variation: smooth guitar-featured instrumentals like "Aujourd'hui" and "You Don't Even Make Me Angry Any More": keyboards/vocals—dominated tracks like "We Wonder Why We Don't Appear" and woodwind/vocal tracks like "National Scandle". The only fundamental common factor is that they're all good and will get better as Schtung, its present lineup still in its infancy, practise and progress.
There is now a fanatical clique of
The answer to my original question then, is that there is an undiscovered goldmine currently playing in humble circumstances in Barretts Hotel. All their material is their own and no-one has yet offered them a chance to make an album. In a couple of years most New Zealand record companies are going to be pretty pissed off that they missed the opportunity.
Joan Armatrading: Joan Armatrading
With the memory of the magnificent "Lonely Lady" single that Joan Armatrading put out about four years ago still afresh I eagerly put this record on hoping to find such similar works.
But it wasn't to be. Nearly all the tracks on here are bland soul flavoured numbers with some disco beat touching up, and like most who subscribe to this formula, unless the melodies are particularly strong, the result is as dull and turgid as cold rice pudding.
Generally the vocal efforts are weak and the arrangements sound sloppy but I suspect the latter is the fault of the poor material rather than of the producer/arranger as there are one or two instances such as the chorus on 'People" and the intro and guitar solo on "Tall in the Saddle" where quite a nice effect is produced.
For those then who want the real sensuous soul/blues I recommend you forget about this and try either Phobe Snow or Maria Muldar.
Record kindly supplied by Colin Morns Records, 54 The Terrace
Probably destined to be
Phil Collins, Steve Hackett, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford are now Genesis which is still very much alive and well. The musicianship on the album is first class, with "Blood On The Rooftops" highlighting Hackett's classical guitar playing, while the only instrumental on the album, "Wot Gorilla?" exhibits Collin's fine drumming. Bank's great keyboard Knowledge and Rutherford as a proficient bassist. "Distinctive Genesis" about describes the musical range of the album, with all the arranging by the group, and production shared by them and David Henscthel.
Typically an album full of new and not-so-new social, religious and political concepts. "Wind and Wuthering" sports humour in "All In A Mouses' Night", a religious anecdote in One For The Vine", political satire and disappointment in "Blood On The Rooftops", with the tracks "Your Own Special Way", "Afterglow" and "Eleventh Earl of Man" being two love songs and a narrative respectively.
Ethereal and mystic. Genesis are always as distant as the world's beginnings, leaving us craving more of this 'new' music.
To me it seems somewhat surprising that Nazareth's records meet with any real success. It's generally a heavy sort of sound, characterized by tracks such as "Somebody to Roll". A bassy rhythm, predictable lyrics, loud and beaty. Their instrumentation is, of course, beyond reproach and there are some effects put into the music, but overall I found myself comparing them to groups such as the Sweet and others of their kind. Many will think this an unfair comparison, but the essential qualities of Nazareth's seem somewhat similar except, of course, that they are aiming at a much older age group. As you progress through the album, you come upon some more interesting tracks-such as 'Flying", which shares few traits with most other tracks on the album. It's different—no thumping bass beat, no reliance on a heavy sound. It's tracks like that which make this album worth buying. But even "Flying" shares definite traits with I don't went to go or without you, another quieter, and I think, more worthwhile track than most on the album. The rest, with the possible exception of Wild Honey, are all much the same - slow or fast, they all share basic traits.
If you're into the bassy, beaty, heavy sound, then this album is a superbly executed example. But if you yearn for a little more originality and diversity in your music, you won't really consider this, unless you're buying it for the three tracks mentioned previously. I'm sure, however, that Nazareth has a loyal band of supporters which will make up the major sales numbers.
Victoria was the centre of New Zealand Universities Sports Administration last weekend, as preparations for Raster Tournament swang into their final formal phases.
They began on Friday afternoon, when Sports Officer from Auckland and Lincoln arrived for preliminary talks with Peter Thrush about the different things he has planned for this Easter Tournament.
The biggest change from previous years is the proposal to rent competitors rooms in the Halls of Residence. The students who normally occupy the rooms are being offered a full rent rebate if they wish to go home for Easter, and make their rooms available for sportspersons.
So if you live in one of the Halls and have been thinking of going away for Easter see your Warden for a full rebate!
Another change is the earlier starting time of Tournament. While play need not commence until Saturday, agreement was reached that the players would arrive in time for competition to begin on Friday afternoon. With a full day on Saturday and Sunday and another ½ day on Monday for some sports an extra day's play has been gained.
This extra day is for the Super Stars completion on Monday. At the Sports Dinners on Sunday night 3 men and 3 women will be nominally from each sport. On Monday these reps will undergo an exciting, gruelling testing series of events designed to sort out the Super Stars.
After these informal discussions with the Sports Officers the 'heavies' arrival for the resident Executive meeting of N.Z.U.S.U., where it was revealed that NZUSU had come in under budget this year, due to good administration. Another sign of good administration was the fact that the Blues Awards for the last few years were finally satisfied.
[A "Blue" is the highest award for Sporting Excellence].
One of N.Z.U.S.U's main functions is organizing Overseas Tours, mostly with Australia. To assist him in his task the Tours Officer, Murray Osmond, has been granted a trip to the A.G.M. of the A.U.S.A. to present our case for reciprocal tours.
The meeting closed with a discussion of the assistance N.Z.U. could give the various Sports Councils. It was resolved that each Executive Member should take as a Portfolio several Councils and assist them in their running. At 9 the following morning more heavies arrived, including the Treasurers of the other Associations or their representatives for the Finance Commission.
The final accounts for last years' two tournaments were presented and approved, then it was the turn of Dick Langford as Tournament Treasurer, to present the Budget for Easter 77. Budgets are always examined very carefully by the Various Treasurers as each University pays for a portion of the cost.
This is termed the Recovery Account, and is made up of Venue Hire, Equipment costs, transport, advertising, and costs directly related to Tournament. These are paid for at a basic 4% to each University, then the balance is divided between all constituents in proportion to their rolls as at June 30 of the preceding year.
The Budgeting was very carefully done in most cases and was ably presented by Dick Lngford assisted by the Tournament Controller, and the Assistant Controller Liz Dengate.
The meeting finally closed around 1.00 with delegates darting off to the airport, glad it was all over for another year, or at least, till the A.G.M.
Winner: "Cancer"
244 The Terrace, Wellington.
Captions must be submitted before 2.00pm on the Wednesday of the issue week and must include name, address and phone. Judging will be done by the Salient staff. No Salient staff may enter. Captions may be dropped into our letterbox inside our door or in the Studass office. The prize is an LP of your choice courtesy of Colin Morris Records Ltd' Winners must contact us as soon as possible.
On the "International evening", WMSA put forward a sketch which claimed to depict the "typical scence" of Malaysian's hawkers' life. I think this sketch have misled our Kiwi friends and other overseas students. Certainly the performance did not reflect the "typical" and true hawkers' life in
What is the "typical scene" of hawkers? The detenorating economic situations (together with rampant inflation) had caused the hawkers' life even more miserable. That is why the hawkers had to toil day and night but their income and standard of living still had not improved at all. They earn a living in insecurity and suffered constant harassment from the random checking from the police and gansters. All these constituted the real life which the sketch didn't even bother to give a thought on it. As a Malaysian, I think we should love and respect our people, and try to understand their grievances, because we come here at the expense of them instead the sketch made a mockery of them. I was really hurt after seeing the sketch.
We Malaysians come from a place which has abundant natural resources, but our hawkers still have to toil like hell in order to survive. Where has our wealth gone to?
60% of our country's economy is controlled by foreign investors. For instance, British alone each year siphoned 220 million pounds from our country. This constituted the root cause of our people's poverty and that is why our hawkers had to compete for customers. (The Sketch had shown it in a very exapperated manner).
Apart from this, I was completely lost by the last act in which the hawkers called for 'berjaya...etc' which I think was completely irrelevant to the scene. May the producer of the sketch please explain what was it all about.'
Lastly, WMSA as a representative body for M'sian students in Wellington and in NZ general ought to think twice when representing an event in such a big occasion as the 'International evening'. My stray criticism about this sketch was that it gave an totally false picture of the common people and their culture in M'sia.
P.S. Announcer for the WMSA please try to learn to announce better before coming out for such an occasion.
After watching the M'sian Sketch' on International night, we feel both sad and angry that some of our students could degrade our own people, namely the hawkers in this case, and made a laughing stock of them for the sake of entertainment.
The sketch was introduced as a typical M'sian scene, this is not true. We do not deny that rare incidents like that do occur but it is not typical for our hawkers to try to assault tourists and to double or treble their prices. The whole thing was grossly exaggerated.
We think the sketch is in bad taste and the MSA members who were involved should realise this and try to come up with something more meaningful next time.
I am very disappointed with the Malaysian Sketch' put up by WMSA. As a Malaysian I feel duty-bound to express my strong protest to the promoter of this highly distorted 'typical scene' of hawkers life. At the same time, I sincerely hope all my fellow patriotic Malysians/Singaporeans will register with Salient their discontent over the humuliation of our fellow country men. Tell me, honestly my fellow mates; don't you get hurt when a kiwi friend tell this to you; "We have too many idiot overseas students here. Look at the Malaysian Sketch, how can they come to universities with that civilization".
Regarding the 'Sketch' I can only sum up the following points.
In view of this bad impression and distorted picture portrayed to oar kiwi friends, I would, together with all other fellow mates demand a public apology from those MSA sketch promoters. In addition they should assure no more of this sort of stupidity is repeated.
I wish to comment on the recent sketch put up by WMSA on International Night. I am really disgusted by the distorted view painted of our poor hardworking Malaysian hawkers and working men. Are these people (the majority of our population) really such a group of exploiting cut-throats ready to seize on the so-called rich tourists? Mind you I must explain that we are not a country of cut-throats as those who haven't heard or have been to our country might now seem to think so.
These poor but hardworking hawkers lead very humble lives and I can say they lead an Honest but hard life earning a meagre living. I have to point out that those so-called 'educated cream of the society' got the chance to gain a higher education because those people like the hawkers through their sweat and labour enable us to gain it.
So wake up WMSA! Don't give such a distorted view of our ordinary working people and especially on a night so important as this. I would say that a better view of our Malaysian people and its culture is called for.
Bruce Robinson's latest letter, as well as his article in an earlier issue, must have left everyone in total confusion regarding the debate in the Anti-Apartheid movement over the slogans to be used on the March 18th demonstration. The purpose of this letter, then, is to clarify the position of the Young Socialists and the Socialist Action League and to explain why we look this position and hold to it.
The main point of contention in the argument over the slogans to be used was over whether the word 'Black' should appear. The YS and SAL supported the slogan 'Black Majority Rule/Let the Blacks Decide' against the slogan 'Majority Rule/Let the Oppressed People Decide because the demonstration is in solidarity with the struggle presently going on in South Africa, and this is a struggle against Racism.
When the uprisings began in Soweto last year, it became the first priority of the Anti-Apartheid movement in New Zealand to give the best possible support to this struggle. In order to do this, it is necessary to know the nature of the struggle and the way it is being advanced. This was explained in an editorial in "Socialist Action",
"What is the idea that unites and inspires the Black people of Southern Africa today, especially of South Africa itself? It is the idea that Black people are human beings too. The racist oppressors are saying every day, in deed if not in word, that Blacks are not human beings. Black Africans know that if they want to win their rights as human beings, the first thing they have to do is win their rights as Black human beings. They know that they have to find their identity as Black people, and join hands as Black people, in order to win liberation. In South Africa, the driving force of the current struggle is a broad movement which the Black people themselves call the 'Black Consciousness Movement'".
Of course, this struggle brings them into direct collision with the interests of South African capitalism and European and American imperialism. It was, as Robinson rightly says, to serve these interests that the system of Apartheid was created. But that does not change the fact that it is specifically the Racist nature of the capitalist oppression that is being fought. To ignore this, as the slogan that Robinson supports does, is to seriously misrepresent the struggle.
The danger of this demand ('Majority Rule') is that it is a concession to white racism. Why? Because it bends to the idea that to have Blacks ruling themselves means bloodshed, horror, etc. - the kind of racism we see in the daily papers when they deal with 'Big Daddy' Amin, which implies that Black self-determination will always produce a 'Black Hilter'. It tries to hide the fact that majority rule in South Africa would be rule by Black people.
Robinson's assertion that the main point of contention was 'Let the Oppressed People Decide' as opposed to 'Let the Oppressed People Decide' is quite wrong. The compromise slogan proposed 'Black Majority Rule/Left the Oppressed People Decide' would have been acceptable to us. We argued against it and in favour of the 'Black Majority Rule/Let the Blacks Decide' slogan only because that version makes it even clearer that the struggle is against racism. But as the compromise slogan includes the word 'Black' it also labels the struggle as one opposing racism, and so is entirely acceptable.
The fact that the later meeting of the Overseas Students supported the slogan 'Black Majority Rule/Let the Oppressed People Decide' therefore in no way undermines our position. On the contrary, it further supports it.
To say that the slogans we support could appear to support the Bantustans policy is ridiculous—did the Blacks decide the Bantustans policy, a system of laws which forcibly uproots 'non-productive' blacks and condemns them to live at starvation standards in the overpopulated and unproductive Bantustans? Of course not—the White minority government did.
To say that we support 'Black rule not Majority rule' is absurd, when the slogan we support is 'Black Majority Rule'. This dearly distinguishes the type of rule we advocate from neo-colonialism. What neo-colonial rule is rule by the majority?
We hope that our position is clear. When we demonstrate on Friday (after having done our share of the 'hard work') it will be in solidarity with the Black people fighting Apartheid. We will be marching in support of a struggle going on—a struggle that, when it is won, will lead to Black Majority rule. And so we will be marching under the slogan 'Black Majority Rule/South Africa, let the Blacks Decide'.
I want to give my views about the lack of information given on the payment of Standard Tertiary Bursary. Although some students have received notice that they will be getting S.T.B., that's about all they've received. Others (mainly first-years) who haven't received even this news are consequently running around like scared rabbits for fear that something's gone wrong with their S.T.B. application and they're not going to get all (?) that lovely money which is so essential to their continued health and wellbeing.
That aside, there's the fact that no information has been published as to when the first payments will be received. This can be found out roughly by going to the Bursaries office and asking, but even then you won't be told a definite date and I feel it shouldn't be necessary to ask the Bursaries people. They should broadcast this information themselves and in such a way that all students concerned will get it.
Then there's the question of the actual payments ie the fact that a bulk amount is given 3 or 4 times yearly. A lot of students would be a lot happier if payments were made on a fortnightly basis as done at Polytech. So why aren't they? The University authorities tell us that it would cost too much to make fortnightly payments - what they're not so quick to tell us is that if they were to do it this way, they'd also lose all the interest which they're receiving at present on our money.
Then, forgetting about payment arrangements, there's the fact that S.T.B. is just not enough. At the very least we need a cost of living increase but the way things are going it doesn't look like we'll be getting it.
Something needs to be done fast about the whole S.T.B. question. At present there are just too many things wrong with it.
You seem to have made an effort at sweeping, judging by the change in masthead of your inevitable publication. Ah, such a pity that the broom is so old and hairless—bald, in fact. It is my considered opinion (and the opinion of many with whom I have deigned to speak) that this newspaper (and after so many years writing for it I am afraid I cannot bring it upon myself to call it a rag) is altogether too serious. Even more serious than its predeccessors. Maybe it is because this is the first time I have entered these hallowed offices this year.
On the other hand, maybe I have nothing to do with it at all. Who will ever know? Is this one of the questions that mankind is destined never to find out? Is it fated to become the major stumbling block in attempts to reconcile the conflict between the National Government and the Cooks and Stewards Union? Who will ever know whether it was this problem unsolvable that caused Rob Muldoon to call his wife by the wrong name in the height of marital splendour last night? Who will ever know?
These are questions which should beset the mind of every bent-thinking person living on the odd side of Hill St today and prompt a reincarnation of the Thorndon Apathy League of yore.
I certainly hope so.
All I need is the air that I breathe and a four-finger deal in my pocket.
Then I will, finally, be happy, content in the knowledge that the man standing on his head in the middle of Kelburn parade is in fact yourself, dear editor, posing for the cover of your first solo album.
Yours from the rarified air and stoned glory of the Mars Hotel.
This is disgusting. Tell Thrush to resign.
Students! At your peril! Read the Studass noticeboard. The wolf is at the door etc.
The recent handout from SRC entitled "Money to burn, and give away...?' I thought most appropriate. What more fitting title to put on a piece of paper which was less than half-filled? Surely the Ad-man with the Student Council could have saved half the cost by printing these few pearls on smaller paper? To waste so much seems to be a criminal act especially at a time when so many people are economy conscious. If the SRC are so keen to use up their paper stocks perhaps they might like to put it all in a pile outside the library and let the students have what doesn't blow away.
Marked on a scale from 0-10 for novelty, excitement, interest, and that curious brand of wit peculiar to university students, most of the letters this year score about 1½. Wake Up—your paper is what you make it!! Drop letters into the Salient Office, or post to P.O. Box 1347 Wellington.
Letters Must be double spaced and legible or else they will not be published.
At last a new Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers. And a series at that. Please keep it going. Over the past years I have become so used to the continual reprinting of old strips of the Freaks that I must know them by heart. Not that they aren't good, It's just that winds of change are fresher.
So, for all us Freak Fans out here, keep them coming.
May I congratulate you upon your show of initiative, when emptying a bag of balloons in the cafe on Friday 11 March. My day had been previously off to a terrible start and upon entry to the cafe, I perceived untold balloons which cheered me immensely.
Let's see crazy things like this more often to relieve the apathy that seems to be setting in even earlier this year.
Can you tell me why is it, in this ecologically super-balanced natural-health-food freak-out i.e. VUSA no-one objects to the mountains of plastic, non-biodegradable, non-WCC issue rubbish bags? Is it indicative of a subconcious instinct for immortality through our rubbish?
Or does nobody give a shit?
I await with interest your comment.
These were the prices of Stage I texts at Victoria Bookshop and Whitcoulls during enrolment week:—
And both shops gave 10% discount on texts.
Fellow students be warned. Do not buy any text books, reference books or stationery from Victoria Bookshop.
Pissed off but not so gullible to be ripped off?
After 2 years intinerant potato-picking on the continent I decided it was time to return home to Enzed.
Upon arriving penniless I took up employment with the harbour board and was officially designated the task of draining the water out of Wellington harbour to aid in the reclaimation process. However, after pumping for 6 months I became disillusioned and decided to take the only sane alternative—go to varsity.
After being here for 3 weeks I received a serious shock - there were women on the campus! Not only were they in the lectures but some were roaming about outside without being in the custody of a responsible male!
It is obvious that without recourse to their sexuality women would never pass a single unit. I have even heard that one unfortunate girl had to satisfy the wanton lust of an honours student so that he would help her fill out the enrolment form.
As we all know, women are inferior to men, and as such should not be seen trying to raise themselves to our level. They should not, therefore be at varsity. Instead, they are recommended to go home, to look after their children, cook their husband's dinners, empty the slops, and generally attend to the domestic affairs for with Nature designed them.
By taking this advice they will gain the respect of all right-minded people an end not to be attained by unsexing themselves and meddling in masculine concerns of which they are profoundly ignorant.
With regard to the forum on the cafe, I would like to inform students of another alternative that is open to them.
I made some proposals to the Students Association executive, in which I asked to rent the Restaurant in the middle floor of the Union Building. They have not yet decided so I would like the students to be aware of the alternative service I am offering.
I would open from 10am-2pm and 6pm till 11pm and provide a variety of takeaway and restaurant foods with the emphasis on interesting quality food. Some of the dishes I would offer are; Winter or fresh fruit salad with a choice of cream, ice-cream or yoghurt (50c); macaroni or spaghetti with grated cheese and tomato sauce (60c); hot polpette (Italian style hamburger, fried in oil with garlic, breadcrumbs, parsley, parmesan cheese and eggs; together with side vegetables and potatoes) ($1.20); homemade soups (lentil, pumpkin, mushroom, minestrone) (45c); a smorgasbord of corn baked beans, cole slaw, potato salad, brown rice, eggs, and cheese; and a variety of drinks—tea (15c), percolated coffee with cream (25c) peppermint tea (20c), cariocas (a South American drink made of milk, fresh fruit and raw sugar blended together) (30c).
For dinner I would offer the same plus Italian style meat dishes - Spezzatino com patate (goulash) ($1.50), Fettina al tegame (veal steak with garlic and parsley and side dish) ($1.50) and Cotoletta Alla Milanese (Weiner Schnitzel with side salad and baked potatoes and garlic) ($2.00). The restaurant could be decorated with candles and pot plants and provided with stereo equipment to give it a more stimulating atmosphere, especially in the evening. Another possible is allowing people to drink wine and beer there (sold through SASRAC).
I am prepared to work hard and give good service and hope students will support me. If you like my proposals, come along to the forum on the cafe (Monday 21st 12-2pm in the Union Hall) and express your ideas.
I wish to congratulate the Student's Association for having the good taste, judgement and foresight for showing "Ladies and Gentlemen—The Rolling Stones" once again.
However I sympathise with all those people who attended the performance in expectation of ½ hours good 'Stones' music. Obviously those people who walked out had the most sense.
It was impossible to hear the music unless one was wearing a hearing aid. I'm sure those who underwent the said torture will agree with me that it was an absolutely soul-destroying experience to see Mick Jagger whispering into the microphone (you couldn't even hear the whispers for the static!)
I hope Studass will learn by its devastating 'mistake' in having such a worthless 'sound system for a classic film. Never to be done again.
I wish to protest about the reduction in library hours—they were inadequate enough already. The closing of the library on Friday night now means that it is not possible to study on any night during the weekend. While this may not affect full-timers too greatly, it does affect part-timers who have limited time to study during the week.
In my own case, work and family commitments mean that the weekend becomes the only major time for study. And with the amount of work that the university throws on its students these days, study becomes increasingly important if one wishes to pass. Many books required, particularly law reports, are only available in the library and consequently a trip to the library is necessary. Fitting the time required in the library with other commitments is not easy when the library hours are restricted.
I would like to see not only the library reopened on Friday nights and during the holiday weekends, but also on Sunday nights. Then it would become possible to do a decent amount on study in the library on Sunday.
Despite the fact that you own a smashingly good guitar and Knowyour music inside out and upside down, I believe there must have been either a misunderstanding between 'music lovers" or a psychological clash, somewhere along the line. For, you see, I know my music, too. And, tell me, how many forms does music take? Surely out of any one of these forms is at least one highly commendable and enjoyable sector. Or not? Can anyone honestly write off disco or space/funk jazz or 19th century Romanticism or West Coast rock (to mention only four ants in the entire heap)? I think not.
As you pointed out, rather aptly the reviewer's task is to get beyond personal opinion and taste. His job is, firstly, to let the (interested) reader know the particular prejudices and preferences of the reviewer himself, so that he may judge for himself the record in question, keeping that point strongly in mind. Secondly, the reviewer, the "critic", must justify his statements and impressions with understandable (within the context) remarks concerning the record's production quality, presentation etc... as well as the artist's musicianship—a word which cover: enough territory without further elaboration. He may do this through background information on the subject of the review and/or specific, technical examples. But, most importantly, the good reviewer stands on firm, not shaky, ground in all that is produced for the public eye.
Granted! and with pleasure!—portions of my own past reviews which, for some strange reason, attracted so many delighted comments, have not always held up to the standards stated above (which are only a few of hundreds). Yet, it could only have been a mental clash of some kind between us that induced you to order me off to the Royal Tiger-I am present there on a sufficient number of occasions, my reasons being to attain great musical pleasure and instruction. (And any brand of Camels cause a violently distasteful reaction; nor is joining the Nazi party much of a probability). So...Salient needs me, whether they, you or I know it or not.
Have an enjoyable year in all respects, Mr Collins, and, "Do not let this prevent you from opening your cars to a wider range of musical experiences."
Now that the dust has settled on the events that marked the Cable-Price dispute (Salient
Second that most unions in this country that do not have weekly deductions, have no provisions for temporary/short term membership.
On the first question, the events at Cable-Price and other student work experience demonstrate the need for Union coverage, and illustrate the obvious advantage of same. The second question of Union fees is a more complex issue. It would be desirable that either V.U.W.S.A. or NZUSA negotiate with those unions or agreement whereby there is a special rate for students. This special rate could be for example approx one third of the full yearly rate. It is interesting to note that similar arrangements already exist in most major Australian Unions.
If this idea was to gain favour, the general reluctance of students to become involved in Trade Union affairs may be, in part, over come.