Home James?

James Movick is the International Vice-President of the New Zealand University Students' Association (NZUSA). He was elected to this position in August of last year by a vote vote of forty to nil with two abstentions — an overwhelming vote of confidence. Since he took up office at the beginning of this year he has rewarded this confidence and proved himself an effective spokesperson on the affairs of Overseas Students and in NZUSA's international relations. He is the first overseas student to hold office with the Association. Now he has been given until March 9th to leave the country or he will be declared an illegal immigrant, arrested and deported.

James Movick comes from Fiji. Last year he was the Overseas Students Officer of the Victoria University Students' Association (VUWSA) (VUWSA), and National Coordinator of the National Overseas Students' Action Committee (NOSAC). In these positions he has also enjoyed wide support. However Frank Gill, the Minister of Immigration, has decided that James is not a "suitable person" to be allowed the "privilege" of holding office. The reason given is that James' academic record is not considered satisfactory.

In a letter to Lisa Sacksen, President of NZUSA, the Secretary of Labour quoted Gill as saying, "it is important that any overseas student should have made a reasonable standard of progress as required under the normal formula for extension to student permits." James has indeed applied for a permit to stay in the country, but it is not a student permit. He will not be a student this year, so has applied for a special work permit.

Until recently, this fact seems to have been overlooked by Gill. But now he has ruled that overseas students will be allowed to take up office in NZUSA and will receive a special permit to do so. However, they must still have a "satisfactory" academic record, and the ruling has been made separate from and will not apply to the Movick case.

This attempt at compromise means nothing at all and completely ignores the two main principles at stake:

Firstly, whether all students should enjoy the same rights in the associations, including the right to stand as officers; and secondly, whether the government can be allowed to get away with blatant interference in an association's internal affairs.

James was democratically elected to do his job. His academic record is irrelevant. Gill does not have a vote in NZUSA elections, but now he has apportioned to himself both the casting vote and made his own rules about how he will use it.

Mr. Gill's behaviour in this case has an ominously familiar ring about it. Over the last three years the Government has passed legislation allowing it to interfere in the most blatantly undemocratic fashion in the internal affairs of trade unions. These laws included penalties against union officials for carrying out their unions policies. At one stage the Government even talked about debarring officials from office and there have also been ugly suggestions about deporting union officials who are not New Zealand born. NZUSA supported the trade union movement in opposing these moves and it is clear that James Movick may be the victim of the same type of thinking.

There have been some unpleasant side effects, notably the release to the press of James' academic record by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Brian Talboys. This action ignored the confidentiality traditionally associated with students' academic results, and high-lighted the very aspect of the case which should not be at issue. The press also reported that the Fiji Government had asked that James' scholarship be terminated, but they did not mention that the Fiji Government had also recommended that James be allowed to stay under a private permit.

It is quite clear that if we are to sit back and allow the New Zealand Government to carry out its intentions NZUSA, which includes all of us, will not only have let James and all overseas students down, but will have destroyed any claim to democratic freedom. Said James at a recent meeting of the NZUSA National Executive, "If we do not fight this issue we will have lost all credibility. We might as well pack up and go home." Ironies aside, he does speak for all of us.

Furthermore, a precedent will be set whereby no representative organisation would be safe to employ people from overseas without the Government finding some means to interfere. It is James now .... who will be next?

There will be a forum on James' case on Monday 6th March, at lunchtime in the Union Hall. Come along and hear the full story and proposals for action, which include a demonstration outside the Government Buildings complex in Bowen Street.

Simon Wilson