World Vision Cleared

I am a supporter of World Vision, and thought that Michele A'Court's article, "Milk biscuit and Bible" in Salient's March 30 issue, presented a distorted image of World Vision, so I did some research of my own, and this letter is an attempt at presenting their side of the story.

First, it is claimed in the article that World Vision is American based. It is true that the idea started with them, but World Vision New Zealand is totally independent of the original American body, with its own Board of Governors, sending its funds not through the US, but directly to the field. In fact NZ has more people in the field than any other country per capita, so it would have been more accurate to say that World Vision International is 'NZ based'!

World Vision's administrative staff here involves about 40 full timers (not 100 as claimed), which compares pretty well with CORSO's 10 when you consider that World Vision dealt with around four times their funds last year.

That "significant percentage" of funds spend by World Vision "propagating hardline Christian views in the Third World", is actually just 2.9%. And it also must be realised that one third of that sum was donated especially for evangelism, and that some of it is spent making films of overseas suffering to be shown in this country.

The article's criticism of World Vision's alleged "milk-biscuit-and-Bible" temporary relief approach, is a very severe one - as severe as it is untrue.

Food handouts are only the initial step in a dire emergency. World Vision is very strong on what they call 'bubble-up' aid, developing the area at a grass roots, community level. They approach the leaders of a community and, with their blessing, start by providing the necessary food, clothing, and medical care. The children (of all the families wishing to participate) have their pictures taken, and these are sent back to NZ, along with the individual case histories, for sponsorship. These children are now put on the education programme, (regardless of whether sponsorship comes through) and meantime their parents too are being trained in new and more productive vocations and methods of agriculture.

It is true that in the early days of World Vision (about 15 years ago), their approach was to concentrate aid on individuals, giving them a privileged education in the hope that they would later return to help their community. But it was soon realised that this was perpetuating the problem, and so the aid approach changed dramatically to the sort of community development outlined above, where there is no chance of creating "a privileged elite ... totally divorced from (the) original community", because it is the whole community which is benefitting. It seems to me that this sort of development aid, aimed at creating self sufficiency in villages, is the only way these people can stand a chance of being released from the shackles of poverty.

Conspicuously, there was no mention of efficiency in the article. This is how World Vision spent its $4 million last year (audited accounts): Childcare, 33.96%; Relief and Development, 38.21%; NZ Education Ministry, 3.03%; Evangelism etc, 2.9% Promotion, 10.17%; and, Administration, 11.73%. This makes the amount World Vision spent on overheads (22%) to be less than half the figure spent by some other organisations. It is not surprising that World Vision has been asked by such others to conduct a conference on 'how to do it' financially - World Vision is in fact the NZ aid agency which puts the highest proportion of its funds into the field (except 'Save the Children', which has its overheads paid for by Britain).

It seems that CORSO, whose sour grapes apparently coloured the opinion they gave Michele, was the main source for her article. I would have thought that a mutually supporting stance by overseas aid organisations, would prove more effective than such back stabbing as this, in the war against poverty and suffering.

Lofty Law Loos Languish in Loneliness

A complaint - the article you printed in the last issue entitled 'A Guide to Lavatory Literature' is incomplete. I do however realise the possible reason for this and wish to inform you that, contrary to popular journalistic belief, the reporting of Law Faculty toilet graffitti is not sub-judice and therefore will not render your intrepid reporter liable to prosecution for Contempt of Court.

Please remedy this ommission in future issues. The Law faculty loos are conveniently located on the sixth floor of Rankine Brown and provide an interesting insight into the legal system of this country. (I am pleased to inform you that David Stormer and his felt pen have not reached our lofty loos yet).

Fear Not!

Ve haff ventured from our offerseas business, viz a slight akksentt und ze assured zupport of ze Utbah (ze Yugoslav Zecret Police).

Vive la Take-Over! Comrades, ve are bakk in your midst!

A Chocolate Fish to the First Person who can work out What this Person would Actually do with the NF.

I've just read the National Front Article and all I can say to them is if you kiss the 'Marxist toadies' they'll turn into the handsome prince and you can live together happily ever after. This may sound like a fairytale but they sound like a nightmare. As a student at VUW I'm against the National Front affiliating, but not against them having their say, so all can see what they are. Secondly to deny them the right to voice their opinion is to sink to their level ie oppresors. Freedom of speech and of ideas is vital to any democracy. As Voltaire said "I disagree with what you say but I would defend your right to say it with my life". Let us not become hysterical about them but consider them as annoying warts (the type you get from kissing toads) and treat them as a lunatic fringe but keep in mind Hitler started in a small way also.

What do Dead Animals, Vegetables and God have in Common?

Would the gormless, swivel eyed flathead who reared his ugly head to cast doubts on the utility of the vegetarian restaurant kindly stick his head up a dead bear's bum. There exist many establishments that sell the kind of merchandise he is interested in (greasy lamb blocks, lard sandwiches, scummy pork soup, etc). On the other hand, few places exist for the nourishment of those who enjoy vegetarian food. So fuck off.

NF Faces Further Flak

I wish to take up points raised by the member of the National Front in last week's Salient which were not covered in the replies.

The NF member speaks of the whites in South Africa 'protecting' the blacks in Azania by establishing "six independent nations and homelands for these people (the nine tribes) who are traditionally at emnity with one another." "Inaccuracy" was the word politely used in the editorial reply; blatant lies is what I'd call the NF member's ravings.

The South African government uses the word "Homelands" to describe the less than 13% of the country's land set aside for the black majority. The demarcation is something imposed by the white government, encompassing some of the most barren and infertile areas in South Africa, and is factually nonsense since the majority of black people reside in white areas.

Reserves is a more fitting description of these areas since they are used as a reserve pool of cheap labour and as a dumping ground for so called unproductive members of the black community - the old, the sick, children, and women who bear the burden of having to scratch out a living for these people.

In 1961 Verwoerd, the then PM of South Africa frankly stated to his white friends that "in the light of the pressure being exerted on South Africa", the government would institute its 'homelands' policy as "a form of fragmentation ... thereby buying the white man his freedom and the right to retain domination."

After world war II South Africa's very blatant form of racial discrimination had become unacceptable to the rest of the world, so the South African government had to come up with some sort of mask for its inhumane policies in order to avoid international isolation. Hence the official apartheid ideology as spouted by the NF member.

Blacks, the whites argued in their propoganda, are not one race but nine. The country of South Africa is not one, but ten separate nations.

They separated blacks into their nine different 'nations' largely on the basis of language, coming up with the Xhosa nation, the Zulu nation, the Swazi nation, etc. The government claims that the separation of these nine nations is necessary in order to preserve each race's traditional culture. This is laughable coming from a government which, in the colonial period, sought vigorously to stamp out the indigenous culture.

Now, as for the tenth nation - well that's the glorious white nation totally defined on the basis of skin colour. It doesn't matter what language they speak (English or Afrikaans) or where they come from in the world (there are many recent settlers from Greece, Italy, Germany and Portugal), they are supposed to, unlike the supposedly barbaric blacks, exist in harmony together. Maybe its got something to do with their common interests as oppressors.

The white rulers' deliberate attempts to split the blacks of Azania (the old divide and rule tactic) can be seen in the way companies encourage tribal differences through promoting sports competitions on a tribal basis. They recognise that unity of the blacks of Azania would pose a massive threat to white minority rule.

Apartheid is not simply a name for separate development, but a policy of brutal exploitation and repression practised on the black majority. I hope all of you who are reading this will be marching on May 1 against apartheid and against the racism of the National Front fascists. In itself, the calling off of the Springbok tour won't destroy apartheid, but it is something the blacks of Azania have asked us to do. Isolating the South African fascist regime can be our contribution (however small) to support the liberation struggle of the blacks in Azania and the rest of Southern Africa.

Noisy Students Persecuted

On April 6 I attended a talk on Amnesty International in the Union Hall. Amnesty International is an organisation you hear a lot about on the media but doesn't advertise much so I was very pleased to be able to have the opportunity to hear how I could join. Unfortunately, although the speaker was excellent, the audience was about the rudest I have ever encountered so far in my university career. It was embarrassing to me as a student to have to listen to (or should I say endure) fellow students making so much noise in the background that even though the speaker was speaking loudly and I was near the front, it was hard to hear. Even though the Union Hall is a social place at lunch times the level of noise was totally unaccaptable and it was just down right rudeness to the speaker. Luckily the speaker persevered and actually intends to give another talk later on in the year. I sincerely hope that next time he will be given a fair hearing.

National Front Analysed

It's good to see Salient publicising the presence and activities of the National Front on campus. However, I doubt whether your description of them as "deadshits" and "nutters" will do a great deal to discredit them in the eyes of the student community. This, I believe, ignores the lessons of history which shows that such people, if it is established that they are fascists, should be treated with contempt, but in a serious way.

I have seen their toilet graffitti which adorns the men's toilets in the Von Zedlitz building and I seeth with resentment that such people are allowed to spread racism and bigotry under the guise of "free speech for everyone". That these same people are allowed to become an affiliate of the Students' Association is intolerable, but that shouldn't stop students thinking about the issues at stake.

When the economy runs into trouble and conflict between groups and classes takes a more open and sometimes violent character, like the arrest of the Auckland and Ravensborne picketers, all sorts of weird and wonderful ideas about society and solutions to the problems make their appearance.

It's not only the blatant racism and pro-colonial, pro-apartheid stance of the NF that makes me bring up bile but the nauseating show of patriotism that attains some support in the community (eg Harris march) but which only covers up the yawning inequalities, the rip-offs, the hypocrisy that makes NZ capitalism tick over.

They use people's correct hostility toward Soviet expansionism to construct a plot of communist takeover on a world scale. The black people of Azania want the Soviet Union like they want a hole in the head - but they mainly want freedom from their enslavement from the concentration camp that South Africa is for them. Mugabe, and today the PAC in Azania don't receive any aid from the SU precisely because the Russians know that they are fiercely independent from both superpowers. But it is they who are genuine socialists and not the Soviet Union.

What's socialist or communist about invading and occupying countries like Afghanistan, bullying and threatening the workers in Poland or subverting and dividing liberation movements as they do in southern Africa? We shouldn't be distracted by the red herrings of communist world plots, but we should stand squarely on the side of the Afghans, the Poles and the Azanians for self determination and national independence, free from any kind of outside interference.

And for those who support the NF's right to free speech - just remember what happened to free speech and those who attempted it in Germany, Italy and Spain in the 1930s.

More Anti-Negative Thoughts

In your reply to my letter in the last issue you pointed to the numbers of the RFU Anti-apartheid march as a measure of student interest. I was there and even if it was 200 (which I doubt) it was not good. My point is that students are not being motivated by their Exec and so the Exec can begin to expect fewer and fewer at these marches.

The articles I spoke of last week from NZUSA and their friends here, are I feel, precisely the reason for growing student apathy. People are alienated by their own policy making body, they feel frustrated and form a massive backlash that topples the mighty from their presidencies. Why are joesoap students alienated? First there is a clique - just look at the treatment of SAPP candidates in the Handbook, and consider the implications of the question put to by-election candidates recently; "will you be able to get on with current members of the Exec". The clique isn't impenetrable just very daunting.

The other point is that the activities of NZUSA seem completely negative. Look at this put down of Tania Harris, seen no doubt as the great bourgeois threat. I have a little secret for some - this whole goddam country is crawling with the bourgeois. But the whole point of Tania's march was that it was positive - "Kiwis Care" not "Screw the Workers." Our marches were strong when they were positive. NZUSA is riding for more falls as the anti-negative backlash and alienated backlash mount. The real shame is that these backlash movements -tired of the negative hectoring tirade - will turn against the worthy causes NZUSA supports so badly.

Finally a request to the editor. Could we have more encouragement to write letters, this column must be about the only medium in which students can air their views and inspire others to reflect on their otherwise unchallenged beliefs.

Judgement Judged Lacking

I take issue with Gay Cusack's review of Songs to the Judges She seems to have gone to the show expecting a serious, didactic play which would analyse and develop the problem of Maori/Pakeha relations. Having been presented with a rich diversity of variations on this theme she complains of lack of focus, "fragmentation of material" and inconsistency of acting styles.

Had the reviewer been less set on what she wanted to see and concentrated on what Thompson and his cast were giving, she would have seen a powerful and moving statement of oppression. Viewed from whatever political standpoint, this was a piece of theatre with a vitality, passion and commitment all too rare.