So National Party leader, Todd Muller reckons “Hamish Walker paid the ultimate price for leaking private COVID-19 patient information”. Muller went on to call it “a serious error of judgement that cost him his career.

Of course it’s sad that a young man, filled with so much passion and blessed with immense opportunities had to fall on his sword so early in his political career.

But here’s my beef with Muller, Walker and the National Party. Walker’s bosses quite rightly sacked him ( ok he jumped) for breaching the privacy of Covid-19 patients. An absolute sackable offence. Tick. However, the higher crime against humanity I.e. Walker’s disgraceful dog whistle against New Zealanders returning from India, Pakistan and Korea got swept under the carpet.

Walker said he wanted to use the private information to support his case of thousands of people (11 000) coming from Asian countries, to invade the South Island. Given that the majority of returning New Zealanders had returned from Australia, America and the United Kingdom his case was never going to be proven. And New Zealanders returning from Australia, United Kingdom and America weren’t a problem.

I wish the evidence supported his case in order to bring to a head the racist views that New Zealanders returning from Pakistan, India and Korea were lesser human beings not worthy of gracing the Deep South. That is the real crime. That continues to be greeted with silence.

Leaking confidential health information breaches our privacy laws, but racist dog whistles are disgraceful crimes against humanity. Until Todd Muller and his all white front bench call out racism and white arrogance ethnic leaders like myself will continue to hold them to account.

Thankfully the majority of New Zealanders are better than that. They are welcoming of people of all races and creeds.

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