25 March 2009 Media Statement
Pansy Wong has some explaining to do

Ethnic Affairs Minister Pansy Wong should come clean over her use of the Office of Ethnic Affairs to drum up support for National’s Law and Order legislation within the Chinese community, Labour’s Ethnic Affairs Chris Carter said today.

“The Office of Ethnic Affairs has invited the Chinese community to a session on how to make a submission to a Select Committee. But curiously the invitation specifically sets out four Law and Order bills that National has prioritised since it came to power,” Chris Carter said.

“Labour has no problem with people being educated about their democratic rights in the law making process, but it smells like Pansy Wong is using a politically neutral office to skew the Select Committee process.

“Pansy Wong needs to explain the very strange set of coincidences around this invitation. Why is a particular section of society being targeted to speak out on specific National party policies? And why is taxpayer money being used to do that?

“It looks suspiciously like Pansy Wong has seconded the Office of Ethnic Affairs to do her public relations work for her. Either she has done that off her own back or someone much higher in the Government ranks has given her a directive to drum up support on law and order within the Chinese community.

“The Office of Ethnic Affairs is not vehicle for Pansy Wong to promote National’s pet projects to her Chinese constituents, but it very much smells like that might be the case.

“John Key has called for accountability from his ministers, he might want to give Pansy Wong a call,” Chris Carter said.

Select Committee Workshop Invitation

ENDS

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