Simon Power's UN Trip A Truth Test

If Justice Minister Simon Power intends to tell the whole truth to the United Nations Human Rights Committee next week he will have difficulty to justify his reported statement that, “New Zealand could be proud of its history in Human Rights and efforts to protect societies vulnerable…..”

As the Minister of Commerce Mr. Power is currently on notice that the Chief Human Rights Commissioner has identified serious nonfeasance of his officials to comply with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights by failing to provide “fully accurate information” to select committees in relation to a citizens petition.

While the Government and/or Parliamentary process has failed to ensure that the non-deliverance of human rights caused was remedied.

From Tauranga Suzanne Edmonds stated today “We (EUFA) have given Mr. Power written proof that his officials have given him totally false information in relation to serious complaints we have made to the Commerce Commission - Clearly no Minister of the crown can do their job if the truth is being withheld or manipulated by their staff.”

Under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights the State has a clear obligation to ensure compliance enforcement of the law and that effective remedies are available to the public when laws are broken or when disputes arise.

In the cases involving the non-compliance within the Finance Industry, the Government Agencies with the statutory mandate to enforce compliance have failed to uphold the Government’s international common law responsibilities.

With many thousand New Zealanders having lost all or much of their savings to crooked practices their faith in New Zealand’s justice/law enforcement has been lost.

To which Mrs. Edmonds said, “We sincerely hope Mr. Power’s officials haven’t let him down in his briefing for his New York exposure, because thousands of New Zealanders are still waiting for their basic rights to be delivered. They are watching . Accordingly Mr. Power will need to be very careful as to what he tells the United Nations Human Rights Committee in New York next week if his integrity is to be preserved”.

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