How Nicole McKee picked new firearms group members in Paul Goldsmith’s name
Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee shoulder-tapped two people for the Government’s firearms advisory group before delegating the process to Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith “to avoid any potential conflicts of interest”.
Goldsmith has defended the process, calling it “appropriate”.
But Gun Control NZ co-founder Philippa Yasbek – who is no longer in the Ministerial Arms Advisory Group (MAAG) after her term expired and McKee didn’t reappoint her – has accused the Government of cronyism.
“It’s basically jobs for your mates,” Yasbek told the Herald.
“New Zealand has a long tradition of doing merit-based appointments, not a crony-based system where appointments are who you know rather than what your abilities are.”
The Gun Freaks that Nicole McKee represents want to capture control of the process so that the system helps the gun nuts NOT wider society.
The firearms advisory group must serve the interest of the community, not the nutters who want more guns, yet what McKee has done is reward the gun community AT THE EXPENSE of the wider society.
She doesn’t see her responsibility as protecting society from guns, she sees her responsibility as protecting the property rights of the gun owners!
It’s like being a Minister of Health more concerned about Big Tobacco profits than cancer rates in smokers!
The naked, venal self interest for issues that have enormous impact on wider society is outrageous but totally normal for this Government to embark upon.
This is Cronyism at its worst.
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