I’m heading off to St Kitts and Nevis tonight to lead the international Commonwealth team monitoring their elections.
It’s a real privilege to have been asked to carry out this important work by Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma. I guess it shows how respected New Zealand is in the world! We are one of the oldest democracies on earth, but I think that decisions taken by successive Labour Governments – such as our nuclear free policy and more recently keeping New Zealanders safe and out of the Iraq War – have really raised our global profile as a fair player and a strong defender of human rights.
Many New Zealanders may not have heard a lot about the small Caribbean nation of St Kitts and Nevis. It’s a really beautiful island chain with very friendly people, which I know because I represented New Zealand as Conservation Minister during the International Whaling Commission meeting there in 2006. But the country has suffered from corruption and the results of the last election there were hotly disputed. You can read more about St Kitts and Nevis at the CIA World Factbook.
United Nations Development Programme officials have asked to brief me about recent issues in Caribbean democracy and development before I arrive in the capital Basseterre, which will be really useful. There are some parallels between island-nation development in the Caribbean and closer to home here in our Pacific region.
St Kitts and Nevis is only an hour’s flight from Haiti, so I’m going to be paying a lot of attention to how the small states in the region have been able to respond to the terrible earthquake there. Many readers will remember that last year Luamanuvao Winnie Laban and I boarded the first flight to Samoa immediately following their devastating earthquake. If you ever have to hold a mother as she cries for her missing baby, as I did in Samoa, you’ll probably become as passionate about improving global disaster relief as I am.
I’m really hoping the St Kitts and Nevis election will run smoothly and properly, and that the free and fair will of the people will be expressed in the outcome without my intervention. I’ll look to report back to Red Alert readers after the results are in.
I’m likely to be gone for just under three weeks. My flights are being covered by the Commonwealth and I’ll meet any miscellaneous expenses myself so New Zealand taxpayers won’t foot any of the bill.
Good on you Chris
“It’s a real privilege to have been asked to carry out this important work by Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma.” – Yes, indeed it’s a good thing that we’re part of the Commonwealth so that you could go there. I read the website of Monarchy New Zealand – our Commonwealth is good for democracy.
I hope all goes well for you over there.
p.s. don’t want a debate on monarchies.
I can see this is a good thing. But you have to see how this looks. This good idea will be/has already been appropriated by the Right to demonstrate how out of touch Labour is. I am sure you’ve already worked through the pluses and minuses but from where I am sitting, regardless of the inherent merit of this, Labour has handed the government and its scumbag proxies a free hit at Labour’s credibility. I really hope it’s worth it.
Chris,
Given the importance of what you have been invited to do, I would not have minded one jot if some taxpayer expense was involved. I hope you have a very productive time and get to enjoy the wonderful climate there too.
@Unpleasant
What? How can they complain about a Kiwi being an election watcher? Is it because most Kiwis have never heard of that country? That’s no reason to attack what he’s doing.
What percentage of people could not locate Kabul on a map? Does that mean Kiwis have no interest in what goes on there?
Post #1 Jan 19
Chris, after your terrific job helping out the govt after the recent tsumani in Samoa, I expected you to go to Haiti and continue your fine work over there. To see you are going to St Kitts and Nevis at this time rather than help in Haiti, I am somewhat surprised.
“NZ a strong defender of human rights”. Why then has government, both under Labour and National, appealed every single decision the Human Rights Review Tribunal has made against it since the introduction of Part 1A of the Human Rights Act? Government is considering doing the same in the recent carers case, and has already applied for the declaration (and that’s all it is, a declaration) to be suspended for one year in order to allow “time for the system to be re-designed should this prove necessary.” The government statement misunderstands what the decision means, as well as the legislation. Any changes that may or may not result must be part of the remedy (a separate process) and do not automatically flow from the declaration of discrimination. For example, the cost of paying families may well mean no upfront change at all, but this shouldn’t affect the declaration of discrimination under Part 1A. In any appeal government will no doubt try to say that excluding the payments in question is “justified” because of cost, but this misunderstands the legislation. If government is concerned about cost, it should wait until the Tribunal decides the remedy, then appeal that. It shouldn’t be trying to limit the effectiveness of our human rights protections by limiting the test for discrimination. This is of course prcisely what government will do, either by appealing the declaration, or legislating the effects of the decision away in the 12 months its asking for the declaration to be suspended. NZ a strong defender of human rights? I doubt it, Chris.
Chris you were walking the routeburn track with helen over christmas, why do you have to go to new york to see her just a few weeks later? according to the commonwealth statement its a three person team your leading, not a five person one. making a comparison between haiti and samoa is quite spurious and your clutching for excuses since you’re not going to haiti. if you’re only spending ten days in st kitts and one day in new york where are you spending the other nine days?
hope the weather’s nice in the carribean but its not a good look chris, I thought phil goff might have banned you from travel but obviously not
@Martin
I know someone who is fighting the NZ Law Society over human rights violations. He gets there and find that the Tribunal is headed by an active member of the NZLS whose legal practicing certificate is issued by them. My friend objected to this apparent conflict, and the judge decided to appoint two lay people to sit on a panel with him to help remedy it. Does that mean that a judge in NZ with a conflict simply adds a couple more judges and carries on even with the conflict? Does the word recusal mean nothing here? Strange indeed.
The big problem is that NZ law itself sets up that problem, because the chair is required to hold a certificate from the NZLS. The law never contemplated someone suing the NZLS for doing something wrong.
But there are improvements any society can make. Pointing out where the flaws are does not lessen the truthfulness of NZ supporting human rights overseas. It does. And Chris does.
As a person with a disability, I do *really* appreciate the leadership NZ put forth in the UN convention. That leadership will affect disabled people all over the world. Now it is time for John Key’s government to get off its duff and implement it fully here at home.
You can’t just point to the flaws and judge the whole system. You recognize what is right and what wrong, and try to do something about it.
Post #2 Jan 19
Ratification of the UNCRPD was fantastic and NZ played a valuable role in helping make that happen. Without saying that ratification is a waste of time (because it wasn’t) all the rhetoric in the world about “rights” and “equality” have the potential to mean nothing if government actively opposes anything that brings the experiences of disabled people closer to what we may call “equal”, “fair”, “rights-based” and so on. This is precisely what government is doing whenever its own acts or omissions are successfully challenged before the domestic tribunal charged with checking whether government activity complies with human rights principles. Part of the problem is that government sees anything that goes before the tribunal as something to defend against, regardless of the unfairness involved for the plaintiff, and ignoring Part 1A’s policy guidance role. What’s worse though, is that the arguments government puts up, through its Crown Law Office, are not just spurious, but are often clearly contrary to the words in the statute. Then of course, our judiciary, which is fast becoming a playground for ex-Crown Law lackies, issues judgments agreeing with their buddies, then off they go down to the Wellington Club to celebrate. My point is that government can espouse all it wants the “protection of human rights”, but this certainly isn’t reflected in its behaviour.
Like much on this post this is way off thread. Deleted. Trevor
Oh for gods sake, someone reign Carter in, he is an embarrassment.
I hope it all goes well Chris. Will be interesting to hear how it went.
Good luck.
Chris, I hate to be a killjoy but while we are on the subject of “rights” and democracy you do know the local laws?
I thought it was an error and the “other” Carter was going when I read the headline.
http://asianinvasion2006.blogspot.com/2010/01/chris-carter-illegal-in-st-kitts-nevis.html
Isn’t it merely endorsing their backward nature regarding rights of the people you represent as an open and honestly gay MP, that you are attending in an official capacity?
Who is NZ Labour? If it is politically affiliated? If it is, then the big picture must be looked at… Labour party is in power in St.Kitts and they are the one that sent the invitation; It should have been sent to a Neutral entity.
Kittitian
Kate , the laws in Samoa are no different .
@Trevor
Mr. Koyama made some good and interesting points about NZ human rights with respect to the Law Society. He sent his comment to me in an email. His comparison of NZ’s law with UK and EU human rights law was for me, a lawyer, interesting indeed. And he has some direct, personal experience on the topic, which is often missing when people comment here.
It would be good if you would explain how things are off post/thread. You know, give us some guidance. Chris invites comments on human rights when he goes off to another country to monitor theirs during an election. It was not we the commenters who claimed, “strong defender of human rights.”
If someone has a bad time in our Human Rights Review Tribunal, that reflects on the status of human rights protections here.
Post #1 Jan 20
The allegations Mr Koyama was making in the Tribunal included forged documents, false statements, hiding documents and resisting requests for these defamatory documents, and other inappropriate actions by NZ lawyers. All of this happened in the context of his application to the NZ Law Society to be a lawyer here.
I saw the recommendation letter a NZ law professor wrote for him, and it was glowing. This man deserved to be admitted.
If the legal system is riddled with unfairness and cheating by officials holding the keys to the profession of law, what does that say about the legal profession in New Zealand? If I were a NZ lawyer (mine is a US licence), I would be outraged by this, and demand action to fix it.
Lawyers are the core, the bedrock of legal protections (human rights and any other rights) in a society. The way they are licenced needs to be pure as the driven snow.
Post #2 Jan 20
Can someone explain to Carter what the phrase “not a good look” means?
GWW
Carter isn’t overseeing their democractic process is he? When in Samoa he was merely providing humanitarian support.
I’ve spent plenty of time in both countries and Samoa has a large and reasonably open LGBT community right down to the wider acceptance of Fa’afafine.
St Kitts & Nevis I can tell you does not.
I personally met Hon. Chris Carter while he was Minister of DOC in the Beehive. I have received some letters from him as well. I think he should erase my comment. This really shows about the culture of New Zealand.
Talk about walking into a fire storm. Whatever next?
Mr Carter – I note that there has been no reporting back on this – regardless of your promise to do so – either here on Red Alert or on the website.
Any reason for this – there have been plenty of other reports published – just none from you. Can you tell us why?
[...] As reported earlier the Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma asked me to lead a Commonwealth election observer team to monitor the general election in St Kitts and Nevis on 25 January 2010. I was honoured to be approached for this mission and was happy to donate 2 weeks of my summer break to assist. [...]