Sending a leader who can’t remember what side of the Springbok Tour debate he was on is an insult to NZ and Nelson Mandela.
Minto fought the fight, he deserves to represent NZ far more than Key does!
Sign the petition for him to accompany Key to Mandela’s funeral.
I am astonished that the delegation Key is taking is so unrepresentative of NZ and the fight against Apartheid. How come there are no women going?
Nelson Mandela was a once in a generation leader for all that is decent in humanity and his passing is one of the great sorrows, his funeral requires us to put forward our best delegation, and leaving out voices crucial to the fight in this country is beneath the dignity of the moment.
Thanks, I have signed up and forwarded this to lots of others
I expect I am just one of many people outraged to see the list of MEN who are going to represent our country at Nelson Mandela’s funeral. One of these as a 20 year old student can’t remember what he thought about the ’81 tour. It is just not believable given this was an event that tore our nation apart. Two are ex National Party members of parliament men who supported the tour and all links with the apartheid regime. Shame on them – are they going to the funeral to apologise to the people of South Africa? I look forward to reading the comments from Hansard that McKinnon and Bolger will have made at the time. Where are the women? I marched with many and there were a higher proportion of women than men opposed to the tour. And just why, given it is a cross party group, is Hone Harawira, the leader of a current parliamentary political party and a man who was on the front line and the Green Party MP, Kevin Hague, also very active in 1981 not included?
I think this is a very worthy petition and I hope that it gets a lot of signatures – if it was not for well organized activists all around the world, many of whom risked considerable harassment for doing the right thing (including our very own John Minto), Mandela may never have gotten to leave prison.
But one plea. The text in the petition is very badly written. I hate to be so pedantic about something that is so well-intentioned, but could someone please, please edit it so that it at least well written. It wil have a lot more credibility if it is, and it will be harder for the political right to dismiss it effort as the effort of illiterates….
I have edited the petition text, below. It didn’t need a lot of work, mainly just tidying up. I have not changed the meaning in any way. Could someone please forward it to the petition organisers. Thank you.
For Mr Key to attend Nelson Mandela’s funeral, and for him to honour a man who he would have called a terrorist, does dishonour not only to Mandela’s name and his fight for freedom, but also to us the people of Aotearoa New Zealand who fought in 1981. I would like to remind this government that when John Key was asked, where were you around the time of the tour, he was not only vague but dismissive in his response.
John Minto is considered one of Mandela’s friends and he certainly is understood to be the public face of the 1981 anti-Springbok Tour movement, with special acknowledgement of his role by Nelson Mandela on behalf of the people of South Africa.
In 1981 many in this country marched alongside John Minto to help bring about the end of apartheid in South Africa. The then National Party not only fully endorsed the Tour, but also used extreme force against its own people, labelling us stirrers and troublemakers.
John Minto was labelled a criminal, arrested numerous times and faced court action for his commitment. Today the 1981 anti-Springbok Tour protests are hailed (here and worldwide) as one of this nation’s greatest moments. We are asking the government on behalf of the citizens of this country to ensure John Minto be included in the delegation attending Mandela’s funeral.
Done.
And shared via FB and Twitter!
Just how keen is John Minto himself? I admire his principled stand – not so long ago he turned down the offer of going to South Africa to receive an award on the grounds that he did not spend all that time and effort fighting Apartheid only to see the poor in South Africa equally badly off under the current regime. For that alone I respect John Minto far more than I do John Key.
Has he been asked about this?
And can there be a petition to stop bolger from going ? If he can’t be stopped I hope someone goes through his pockets for any state owned asset he might try smuggling out of the country .
Better yet . How about we just export him . To Liberia , since he’s in the neighbourhood .
General Butt Naked would love his company . A spit roasted don mckinnon could be the entree .
Cannibal Warlords of Liberia . http://youtu.be/ZRuSS0iiFyo
David Cunliffe should give his invitation over to John Minto.
This would be a magnanimous gesture of solidarity to the credit of the Labour Leader, and the Labour Party.
Showing Labour’s commitment to justice and fairness.
John Key should accept John Minto as an act of reconciliation.
Anything less from John Key is a slap in the face of all those who protested against apartheid in this country, and in South Africa. Indeed a slap in the face of Nelson Mandela himself.
John Key should welcome John Minto onto his delegation as an act of healing for this country, over the scars (some physical) that his party inflicted on this country in 1981.
David Cunliffe needs to step down, John Minto needs to step up. And John Key needs to forgive and welcome the antiapartheid leader onto his delegation.
Such a delegation would be representative of the very best of this country.
Absolutely shameful when one looks at some of the delegation New Zealand is sending to the funeral given that the leader can’t even remember what his stance was on aparthied and another member who ,openly and publicly referred to Mandela as a terrorist. They completely demean the man and all he stood for and the sacrifices he made with this junket just for a bit of TV exposure. In no way is a large part of this delegation representive of the people of New Zealand, nor of their beliefs and may I for one apologise to the people of South Africa and around the world who fought this evil, for the final insult we now bestow upon them. Please, however be assured that there are still “Many rays of sunshine” here in New Zealand that still carry empathy with the cause and convey our sympathy, not only in your lose but in a lose we all share. Sad indeed that some politicians and former politicians will stoop to this level in an attempt to garner political favour without one thought about the hypocracy they embrace. Nelson the fight is not over yet and may we continue it for you and all you stood for and finally rid the world of double standards and the self seeking that care little about equality and ethical standards for all.
Why doesnt John Minto just pay for himself to go? I expect John Key is going as say, an elected official. When was the last time John Minto was elected through a popular vote?
Don’t make inane uninformed comments, read up about this stuff first, why would we want all men going and why would we want 2 men who openly supported the ’81 tour, they are the ones that should look in the mirror and think to themselves do I really deserve to be there. Absolutely not!i
Then how do you justify Bolger [ who publically called Mandela a terrorist ] and who is NOT an elected official and who was against the anti aparthied movement, going on this taxpayer funded junket???? Answer please!
I’m not astonished at all and quite pleased, in a way, that John Key is consistently annoying. He hasn’t realised yet that if he did the right thing on these symbolicly significant moments that don’t really affect New Zealanders’ lives, he’d still be able to trash the environment, attack workers rights, etc and yet appear to the uninformed to be a moderate centre-right leader which would make it easier for him to win a third term – So thanks John!
Signed by this household. Thanks for the opportunity to do so.
If I may, I’d like to refer back to the shameful practices of the NZRU in the 1960s, through to the early 1980s approx. I remember when not only were the Springbok team selected on race, but also so were the All Blacks when they went to South Africa to play. “Whites only” was the rule to play the Springboks in SA and the NZRU made sure it kept to it! It was the topic of discussion in our household at the time. We were appalled!
Over many years I recall the ABs were mainly all pakeha, when selected to play SA on their home territory! Kiwis protested about it, just as much as they did during the 1981 tour. I guess a lot of the younger generation aren’t aware of the fact the NZRU was also guilty of practising apartheid in sport!
One All Black Chris Laidlaw, who did play the Springboks, eventually stood up and made a public apology about his participation not only playing against a racially selected team, but also being part of the same himself!
All coming back to me now, through the death of Nelson Mandela.
WTF is the use of a petition?????..the funeral is this Tues..makes me spit blood, this so called delegation that is going to represent our country OMG, it is such an insult…and for Keys to have the bloody cheek to spout such disingenuous bullshit …“This distinguished delegation reflects the mana of Mr Mandela, and the highest regard in which New Zealand held him,” says Mr Key.
How the Fuck did Bolger come to be included as well ?? ..how is this justified in deed??????????? geez, just when I think things can’t get any worse.
Lets have a huge out pouring of letters to the editor people ..
It has started. The more astute of those on the Prime Minister’s delegation are starting to realise and already started making weak shamefaced justifications for their attendance above those more deserving than themselves.
The dawning realisation is that this delegation is an embarrassment to this country.
The best the attendees can hope for is that this debacle will all quietly be forgotten. And the lingering discredit doesn’t attach to their names.
How awful, when it could have been an occasion that coul,d and should have been remembered forever.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11169703
Unfortunately for John Key and his team, it seems that the New Zealand media are going to give his delegation excruciating detailed coverage just as they are starting to realise that it might be best quietly forgotten.
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