Embassy of Mexico
MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release
20 October 2009
It was with dismay that I heard a recording of part of a recent Radio Live broadcast in which host John Tamihere made
derogatory references to Mexico. The context was the debacle over the World Cup broadcast rights and the former Cabinet
Minister expressed surprise that the perceived inequitable treatment of the parties by the government could have
happened in this country, though ‘you’d expect this from Mexican politicians, you’d expect it from a banana republic’.
As Radio New Zealand’s Colin Peacock so correctly noted on his Media Watch programme four days later on 18 October, it was ironic that Mr Tamihere was complaining about racism while indulging in
racist commentary of his own. To imply that playing favourites is endemic in Mexican politics and to implicitly equate
the country with a banana republic, which is of course a highly pejorative term, is most offensive to all Mexicans and
especially to the constantly growing number who currently reside in New Zealand.
Mexico’s democracy is now more robust than at any time in its history. The country is New Zealand’s main trading partner
in Latin America and great strides have been made in recent years in the development of the economy. Opportunities
abound in this youthful nation, where the average age is 26. Moreover, the country is moving into a new era of
celebration and festivities with the milestone that will be reached in 2010 when we commemorate the 200th anniversary of
Mexican Independence and the 100th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution.
Fortunately, such gratuitous use of stereotypical references to Mexico which are based on ignorance and a misguided
attempt at humour, rather than on any desire to convey information, are rarely encountered in the New Zealand media, and
for that we are most grateful.
Yours sincerely,
Luis Enrique Franco
Chargé d’Affaires, a.i.
ENDS