INDEPENDENT NEWS

Skyhawk sale done and dusted – yeah, right

Published: Thu 13 Dec 2007 02:13 PM
Wayne Mapp MP
National Party Defence Spokesman
13 December 2007
Skyhawk sale done and dusted – yeah, right
The ongoing Skyhawk sale fiasco looks set to make history as one of the most embarrassing and costly blunders of this Labour Government, says National’s Defence spokesman, Wayne Mapp.
“After all the hoopla surrounding the announcement of the sale by then Defence Minister Mark Burton prior to the 2005 election, all we’ve seen is delay after delay, and a ‘deal’ mired in obfuscation.
“Labour wants to forget that it has spent around $1.5 million of taxpayers’ money on sales agents and lawyers for a sale which still hasn’t occurred, and that $12 million has been spent on housing and maintaining the aircraft.
“The only recent development in this sorry saga is the fleet’s $94,000 latex coating to enable it to be shifted outside Woodbourne air base to free up hangar space.
“Helen Clark proclaimed in September 2005 that ‘negotiations have gone very well and that officials have been able to conclude a heads of agreement’, and after announcing the Government had a buyer prepared to pay $155 million, Mark Burton said ‘it’s not a bad price for planes that were beyond any operational capability’.
“Both gave the clear impression the sale was done and dusted, but it is becoming increasingly evident that is far from the truth.
“Labour can’t keep placing the blame for this shambles at the feet of the US State Department. There are clearly other issues swirling around preventing the deal being closed.
“It’s time the Government revealed what’s really going on and admitted this debacle is of its own doing.”
ENDS

Next in New Zealand politics

Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
By: New Zealand Government
Parliamentary Network Breached By The PRC
By: New Zealand Government
GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan
By: New Zealand Government
Tax Cuts Now Even More Irresponsible
By: New Zealand Labour Party
New Zealand Provides Further Humanitarian Support To Gaza And The West Bank
By: New Zealand Government
High Court Judge Appointed
By: New Zealand Government
View as: DESKTOP | MOBILE © Scoop Media