.jpg)
Salient. The Newspaper of Victoria University College. Vol. 19, No. 5. May 5, 1955
Meeting Decides That... — Armed Forces Should Not Be Sent to Malaya
Meeting Decides That...
Armed Forces Should Not Be Sent to Malaya
There were no brilliant speeches in this first debate. None of the four main speakers was able to show that he understood the situation in Malaya even adequately. The facts had to come out slowly, almost painfully, as each speaker from the floor did his bit.
On the other hand there was some vigorous speaking, a heartening show of disparate ideas, some laughs, competent judging, and supper.
The subject: "That New Zealand should send strong forces to Malaya." Hubbard (aff.) opened, and after one or two false starts ("That this house should send strong forces . . .") he got going. Beaming a milk of human kindness beam he said we must not send lambs to meet wolves, and that we must give Malaya time. Time, please gentlemen. Bollinger (neg.) turned down this idea of sending lambs. Why not the Commissioner of Police, or New Zealand's cricket team? Self-proclaimed moralist, he discussed the ethics of New Zealand's intervention, and its effect on the peoples of Asia. After all, the so-called terrorist movement was "purely a Nationalist movement".
Elwood (aff.) came to some interesting conclusions, among them that "all dialectic discussion is now useless." He may have qualified this; meet of what he said was lost in a barrage of interjection. His frequently reppeated "if Malaya goes . . ." was greeted with joyous shouts of where?"
From the floor came feet Thomas (neg.), who as a' now speaker, was heard without interruption. He sounded much better by comparison with the speakers before, and was much more convincing. His point, made well, was whether the Malays or the New Zealanders had the right to determine Malaya's future.
From Whitta (aff.). quiet and confident, came the fact that the terrorists formed a very small proportion of Malaya's population, and Beagiehoie (neg.) countered that because we are making such a mess in this matter we are driving many people to terrorism.
Dawick (neg.) in "cosy flreside-chat style" called the proposed N.Z. help a "mere political postcard to the West to let them know we support their policy." New Zealand may further alienate the people of Asia who are already grouping us as colonial exploiters. Shaw (neg.) presented a special "economic" intervention (akin to the Colombo Plan) as more useful than military intervention to keep back Communism. Lersen (aff.) made a determined and not unsuccessful attempt to expose some of the legion inconsistencies from the speakers of the negative. He was not so happy when it came to making a better case for his side.
Striking a Grecian pose (?) and apparently undisturbed by lion-like growls (the British lion) from Elwood, or shocked reproof ("Miss Munro questions ray morality!") from Hubbard, Miss Munro (neg.) proceeded from faux-pas to faux-pas with gay abandonment—"How can there be as many terrorists today as threre were ten years ago? Where do they all come from? (Cries of "the facts of life!". "You go and you'll find out"). Cruden (aff.) was. I feel, the best speaker. He defended the motion vigorously. To clear out of Malaya would leave a varcm only to be filled by the Communists. If we give Malaya internal peace first, then we can make it independent.
Other speakers were Redet (aff.) and Mummery, Doogur, and Powles (neg.) The motion was lost on a vote of the whole house (14 for, 27 against) and lost on a vote of the Club (12 for. 24 against) Mr. Milburn, who judged, gave the first three placings to Bollinger, Cruden and Thomas.—Keith Walker.