Young Labour Vice President Jordan Carter has reacted with bemusement (and not a little laughter) to yet another
personal attack from the National Party's youth vice president Daniel Gordon on him regarding the discriminatory
Under-25 sticker scheme from Christchurch today.
"I find it funny that an organisation that pretends to have the interests of young people at heart is supporting a form
of policing which discriminates against young people. I also find it bizarre that Daniel Gordon has chosen to respond to
a letter from me in the Christchurch Press yesterday with a media release.
"If Daniel Gordon can't understand that the scheme is discriminatory, perhaps he doesn't understand what discrimination
is. When a scheme is in place that will lead to car thieves targeting young people's cars, which can't have one of these
stickers attached, then that is discrimination, pure and simple.
"It is all too easy to write concern off for people's rights as `political correctness gone mad'. My view is that such
an argument means the person making it simply doesn't have a clue. The Yellow Triangle Prevention Project, launched by
Yani Johanson and others today, has a host of good reasons why this scheme is wrong and needs to go. Perhaps Daniel
Gordon should contact Yani Johanson and have the issue explained to him in simple terms."
"Further evidence of Daniel Gordon's lack of understanding on this issue is shown by his attempt to draw parallels with
security cameras in shops. I don't know if Daniel has realised it yet, but cameras record everyone - they don't
discriminate based on age, or gender, or race, or any other characteristic.
"The police have an obligation to protect everyone's property - regardless of age, or gender, or anything else. Young
people don't deserve inferior protection - or outright discrimination against them - by selective policing methods that
don't address the issue over the whole scale.
"It is claimed the scheme works; other evidence (of which Daniel Gordon presented none) says otherwise. With the success
of the scheme far from clear, and with better methods available which would protect everyone's property (more police on
the beat, for example, as the Government promised at the last election), this ridiculous and discriminatory scheme needs
to stop - now."
"Young people can also know from this sorry saga that the Young Nats clearly don't support the interests of young
people. Young Nats are old fogies, if this is the best they can come up with," concluded Jordan Carter.
ends