GUEST BLOG: Arthur Taylor – If Kelvin Davis won’t protect prisoners, why won’t he allow other MPs?
Corrections minister breaking law with prison restrictions, ACT leader claims
Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis is asking all MPs to check with his office before they visit a prison.The request comes in a letter sent this week to all MPs, in which Davis asks for any requests to go through his private secretary.
Davis says he’s trying to ease pressure on Corrections staff.
But the demand has incensed ACT leader David Seymour, who says Davis is “unlawfully restricting prisoners’ rights”.
Is this the same Kelvin Davis who said he “doesn’t get involved in operational issues” as his excuse for not viewing video of me being assaulted by Auckland Prison staff while being transferred to Waikeria last Xmas ?
Kelvin Davis wants MP’s to register with him before using their right to inspect a prison . David Seymour put the Minister in his place…
“…the Corrections Act 2004 is very clear – and MP’s can’t hold the Government to account “if we need their permission to do it”.
“Minister Davis was a lion for prisoner rights in Opposition. Now he is a lamb who’s unlawfully restricting prisoner’s rights,” he said.
“The right of MPs to inspect the Government’s imprisonment of citizens is a centuries old safeguard in our democracy.”
Arthur Taylor is TDBs Prisoner Rights blogger currently inside prison.
Arthur, you are on the mark here with the slackness of our elected politicians here.
Since labour came into power all our Labour MP’s have stepped back from being our “advocates” for our public community issues, as we see the same thing here in HB where the Labur MP’s are now not interested in being “active with the community now.
Their excuse now is, “we cant get involved with these issues as they are outside our control” .and it is now endemic and used very frequently by Labour MP’s.
So Jacinda needs to take control of her MP’s as they are making trouble for her by not being interested in helping our community’s around NZ who voted for them and may not vote again for them come 2020.
Before Labour took over in 2017 they were very active with the community and promised a “new kinder, gentler, inclusive, caring responsive, transparent transformational government and today we see everything but this, and it is not a good look for labour at all now.
They re a bloody disaster frankly I fear now and better wake up shortly.
Even the Minister of Transport is missing in action here, and is not interested in meeting the public over transport issues, as his PA always says, “Phil Twyford is to busy”.
We are very disappointed in labour now.
Davis is a tosser. Just like ‘old people’s homes’, ‘pre school places’. Prisons should be able to be visited at any time by MPs. All that happens when any of these places are visited on a specific schedule then things are covered up. I look at all the petty little things that guards have done that Arthur has mentioned and they should be pulled into line for these.