

Currently released so far... 12404 / 251,287
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/10
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
2011/02/12
2011/02/13
2011/02/14
2011/02/15
2011/02/16
2011/02/17
2011/02/18
2011/02/19
2011/02/20
2011/02/21
2011/02/22
2011/02/23
2011/02/24
2011/02/25
2011/02/26
2011/02/27
2011/02/28
2011/03/01
2011/03/02
2011/03/03
2011/03/04
2011/03/05
2011/03/06
2011/03/07
2011/03/08
2011/03/09
2011/03/10
2011/03/11
2011/03/13
2011/03/14
2011/03/15
2011/03/16
2011/03/17
2011/03/18
2011/03/19
2011/03/20
2011/03/21
2011/03/22
2011/03/23
2011/03/24
2011/03/25
2011/03/26
2011/03/27
2011/03/28
2011/03/29
2011/03/30
2011/03/31
2011/04/01
2011/04/02
2011/04/03
2011/04/04
2011/04/05
2011/04/06
2011/04/07
2011/04/08
2011/04/09
2011/04/10
2011/04/11
2011/04/12
2011/04/13
2011/04/14
2011/04/15
2011/04/16
2011/04/17
2011/04/18
2011/04/19
2011/04/20
2011/04/21
2011/04/22
2011/04/23
2011/04/24
2011/04/25
2011/04/26
2011/04/27
2011/04/28
2011/04/29
2011/04/30
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Apia
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Auckland
Consulate Amsterdam
Consulate Adana
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belmopan
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Ciudad Juarez
Consulate Chennai
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dili
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
Consulate Dubai
Embassy Helsinki
Embassy Harare
Embassy Hanoi
Consulate Ho Chi Minh City
Consulate Hermosillo
Consulate Hamilton
Consulate Hamburg
Consulate Halifax
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kingston
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kathmandu
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Consulate Kolkata
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Ljubljana
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Lahore
Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE
Mission USNATO
Mission UNESCO
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Mbabane
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manila
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Mumbai
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Consulate Melbourne
Embassy Nicosia
Embassy New Delhi
Embassy Ndjamena
Embassy Nassau
Embassy Nairobi
Consulate Naples
Consulate Naha
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Of Spain
Embassy Port Louis
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Suva
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate St Petersburg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
Consulate Toronto
Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York
USEU Brussels
US Office Almaty
US Mission Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius
Embassy Vienna
Embassy Vatican
Embassy Valletta
Consulate Vladivostok
Consulate Vancouver
Browse by tag
ASEC
AE
AF
AM
AR
AJ
AU
AORC
AG
AEMR
AMGT
APER
AGMT
AL
AFIN
AO
AMED
ADCO
AS
ABUD
ABLD
ASUP
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
APECO
AID
AND
AMBASSADOR
AN
ARM
AY
AODE
AMG
ASCH
AMCHAMS
ARF
APCS
APEC
ASEAN
AGAO
ANET
ADPM
ACOA
ACABQ
AORL
AFFAIRS
ATRN
ACS
AFSI
AFSN
ADANA
ASIG
AA
AX
AUC
AC
AECL
AADP
AGRICULTURE
AMEX
ACAO
ACBAQ
AQ
AORG
ADM
AINF
AIT
ASEX
AGR
AROC
ATFN
AFGHANISTAN
AFU
AER
ALOW
AZ
AVERY
BA
BY
BU
BR
BE
BL
BO
BK
BM
BILAT
BH
BEXP
BF
BTIO
BC
BBSR
BMGT
BTIU
BG
BWC
BB
BD
BX
BP
BRUSSELS
BN
BIDEN
BT
CW
CH
CF
CD
CV
CVIS
CM
CE
CA
CJAN
CLINTON
CIA
CU
CASC
CI
CO
CACM
CDB
CN
CMGT
CS
CG
CBW
CIS
CR
CONDOLEEZZA
CPAS
CAN
CWC
CY
COUNTER
CDG
CL
CT
CIC
CIDA
CSW
CHR
CB
CODEL
COUNTERTERRORISM
CTR
COM
CICTE
CFED
CJUS
CKGR
CBSA
CEUDA
CARSON
CONS
CITEL
CLMT
CROS
CITT
CAC
CVR
CDC
CAPC
COPUOS
CBC
CBE
CARICOM
COE
COUNTRY
CLEARANCE
CACS
CTM
CNARC
ECON
EFIN
ETRD
EUN
EFIS
EG
ETTC
EZ
EPET
EAID
EAGR
ENRG
ECUN
EU
ELAB
ECPS
EAIR
EINV
ELTN
EWWT
EIND
EMIN
EI
ECIN
ENVR
ELECTIONS
EINVEFIN
EN
ES
ER
EC
EUC
EINT
EINVETC
ENGR
ET
EK
ENIV
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
ECONOMY
EAP
EFTA
EUR
EUMEM
EXIM
ERD
ENERG
EUREM
ESA
ERNG
EXTERNAL
EPA
EINVECONSENVCSJA
ECONOMICS
ELN
EINN
EFINECONCS
ENNP
EEPET
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ENVI
ETRO
ESENV
ECINECONCS
ECONOMIC
EAIDS
EDU
ETRA
ETRN
EFIM
EIAR
ETRC
EAIG
EXBS
EURN
ECIP
EREL
ECA
ENGY
ECONCS
ECONEFIN
ETC
ETRDECONWTOCS
EUNCH
EINDETRD
IR
IZ
IS
IAEA
INRB
IRAJ
IQ
IN
IT
IMO
INTERPOL
ICAO
IO
IC
ITALY
ITALIAN
IRAQI
ICTY
ID
IPR
IWC
ILC
INTELSAT
IL
IBRD
IMF
IA
IRC
ICRC
ILO
ITU
ITRA
IV
IDA
IAHRC
ICJ
ISRAELI
IRS
INMARSAT
ISRAEL
ISLAMISTS
INDO
IZPREL
ITPHUM
ITPGOV
ITF
IBET
IEFIN
INR
IACI
INTERNAL
IDP
IGAD
IEA
ICTR
IIP
INRA
INRO
IF
KJUS
KSCA
KNNP
KU
KCOR
KCRM
KDEM
KTFN
KHLS
KPAL
KWBG
KACT
KGHG
KPAO
KTIA
KIRF
KWMN
KS
KG
KZ
KN
KMDR
KISL
KSPR
KHIV
KPRP
KAWK
KR
KUNR
KDRG
KCIP
KGCC
KTIP
KSUM
KPKO
KVIR
KAWC
KPIN
KGIC
KRAD
KIPR
KOLY
KCFE
KMCA
KE
KV
KICC
KNPP
KBCT
KSEP
KFRD
KFLU
KVPR
KOCI
KBIO
KSTH
KMPI
KCRS
KOMC
KTBT
KPLS
KIRC
KREL
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KFLO
KBTS
KSTC
KTDB
KFSC
KX
KFTFN
KNEI
KIDE
KREC
KMRS
KICA
KPAONZ
KCGC
KSAF
KRGY
KCMR
KRVC
KVRP
KSEO
KCOM
KAID
KTEX
KNUC
KNAR
KNUP
KNNPMNUC
KLIG
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KCRCM
KHDP
KGIT
KNSD
KOMS
KWMM
KPAI
KHSA
KTLA
KO
KMFO
KRCM
KCSY
KSAC
KTRD
KPWR
KID
KWNM
KRIM
KPOA
KCHG
KOM
KSCI
KFIN
KMOC
KESS
KWAC
KMIG
KSEC
KIFR
KDEMAF
KPRV
KBTR
KERG
KTER
KDDG
KPAK
KRFD
KHUM
KDEV
KCFC
KWWMN
KWMNCS
KJUST
MARR
MOPS
MU
MTCRE
MNUC
MY
MASS
MCAP
MOPPS
MAR
MPOS
MO
ML
MR
MASC
MX
MD
MP
MA
MTRE
MIL
MCC
MZ
MK
MDC
MRCRE
MAPS
MV
MI
MEPN
MAPP
MEETINGS
MAS
MTS
MLS
MILI
MTCR
MG
MC
MARAD
MIK
MILITARY
MEDIA
MEPI
MUCN
MEPP
MT
MERCOSUR
MW
MASSMNUC
MQADHAFI
NZ
NATO
NG
NI
NO
NATIONAL
NU
NPT
NIPP
NL
NPG
NS
NA
NGO
NP
NSG
NDP
NAFTA
NR
NC
NH
NE
NSF
NPA
NK
NSSP
NRR
NATOPREL
NSC
NT
NW
NORAD
NEW
NV
NSFO
NAR
NASA
NZUS
OTRA
OVIP
OPRC
OPDC
OSCE
OAS
ODIP
OIIP
OFDP
OVP
OREP
OFFICIALS
OSAC
OEXC
OPCW
OIE
OIC
OFDA
OSCI
OPIC
OBSP
OECD
ON
OCII
OHUM
OES
OCS
OMIG
OPAD
OTR
PGOV
PREL
PHUM
PINR
PTER
PSOE
PINS
PARM
PK
PBTS
PEPR
PM
POLITICAL
PARTIES
PREF
PBIO
PROP
PA
PSI
PINT
PO
PKFK
PL
PAK
PE
POLITICS
PINL
POL
PHSA
PU
PF
POV
PFOR
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PARMS
PRGOV
PNAT
POLINT
PRAM
PMAR
PG
PAO
PROG
PRELP
PPA
PCUL
PSEPC
PSA
PREO
PAHO
PGIV
PREFA
PALESTINIAN
PAIGH
POSTS
PTBS
PGOVLO
PORG
PGOVE
PLN
PINF
PAS
PUNE
POLICY
PDEM
PDOV
PCI
PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA
PBT
PHUMPGOV
PMIL
PNG
PP
PS
PHUH
PECON
POGOV
PY
PHUMPREL
PHUS
PRL
PGOC
PNR
PGGV
PROV
PTERE
PGOF
PHUMBA
PEL
RS
RU
RW
REGION
RP
RICE
ROBERT
RSP
RUPREL
RM
RO
RCMP
RSO
RELATIONS
REACTION
REPORT
RIGHTS
ROOD
RF
RFE
RIGHTSPOLMIL
SP
SA
SY
SF
SYR
SENV
SCUL
SOCI
SNAR
SO
SU
SG
STEINBERG
SHUM
SW
SMIG
SR
SZ
SIPRS
SI
SAARC
SPCE
SARS
SN
SYRIA
SANC
SL
SCRS
SC
SENVKGHG
SAN
SNARCS
SHI
SWE
SNARIZ
SIPDIS
SEN
SNARN
SPCVIS
SEVN
SSA
SH
SOFA
SK
ST
TPHY
TU
TRGY
TI
TX
TS
TW
TC
TFIN
TD
TSPA
TH
TT
TIP
TBIO
TSPL
TZ
TERRORISM
TRSY
TN
THPY
TINT
TF
TL
TV
TK
TO
TP
TURKEY
TNGD
TBID
TAGS
TR
UP
US
UNSC
UK
UZ
UE
UNESCO
UV
UNGA
UN
UNMIK
UNO
UY
UAE
UNEP
UG
UNHCR
UNHRC
USUN
UNAUS
USTR
USNC
USOAS
UNCHR
UNCSD
UNDP
USEU
USPS
UNDC
UNDESCO
UNCHC
UNFICYP
UNC
UNODC
UNPUOS
UNCND
UNICEF
UNCHS
UNVIE
USAID
UNIDROIT
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 08WELLINGTON295, NEW ZEALAND ELECTION 2008 - THE CHINESE VOTE
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #08WELLINGTON295.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
08WELLINGTON295 | 2008-09-12 05:05 | 2011-04-28 00:12 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Wellington |
VZCZCXYZ0003
PP RUEHWEB
DE RUEHWL #0295/01 2560504
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 120504Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5424
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 0438
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 5253
RUEHKL/AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR PRIORITY 0199
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 0186
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY 0305
RUEHGP/AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE PRIORITY 0535
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG PRIORITY 0161
RUEHIN/AIT TAIPEI PRIORITY 0113
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JCS WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
C O N F I D E N T I A L WELLINGTON 000295
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EAP/ANP
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/12/2028
TAGS: PGOV KDEM NZ
SUBJECT: NEW ZEALAND ELECTION 2008 - THE CHINESE VOTE
Classified By: Consul General John Desrocher for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d
).
This message was drafted by ConGen Auckland and approved by
Embassy Wellington.
¶1. (C) Summary. Asians make up nearly 10% of New Zealand's
population, and most of them are Chinese. Chinese are
underrepresented in national politics, with only one member
of parliament. While Asian representation in parliament may
improve this year because parties are diversifying their
lists, New Zealand is likely to have only one more
parliamentarian of Chinese heritage after November's
election. End summary.
-----------------------
Two Chinese Communities
-----------------------
¶2. (SBU) Asians have surpassed Pacific Islanders to become
New Zealand's third-largest ethnic group, after Pakeha
(Europeans) and Maori. They make up 9.7% of the country's
population, expected to grow to 16% in twenty years.
Two-thirds of New Zealand's Asians live in the Auckland
region; more than half identify themselves as Chinese.
¶3. (SBU) New Zealand's Chinese can be divided between those
with deep roots in the country and more recent arrivals.
Members of the first group trace their ancestry to the market
gardeners and Otago gold miners that arrived in New Zealand
as far back as the mid-19th century. Their forebears
suffered overt racism and often toiled in poverty on the
margins of society.
¶4. (SBU) Members of this group to this day often keep a low
political profile. While many enjoy a standard of living
their grandparents could not have dreamed of, they often stay
loyal to the Labour Party. They remember Labour as the
social welfare party that was most ready to help the working
class and as the most racially tolerant party. This loyalty
is weakening as Chinese Kiwis grow wealthier and as the
National Party leaves race-baiting in its past.
¶5. (C) The 70% of Chinese who arrived in New Zealand after
1991 make up the second group. Auckland University Professor
Manying Ip calls this group "the 1.5 generation." They were
brought to New Zealand as children or young adults or were
born here of recent immigrant parents. Very often they come
from families with means. Many are professionals and live
well. While they too want to settle and raise families, they
are less concerned than the first group with blending in. Ip
describes them as "well-educated...and highly aware of their
rights." It was this group that swelled the pro-China
demonstration in Auckland during the controversy earlier this
year over the Olympic torch relay.
-------------------------------
Few Chinese Faces in Parliament
-------------------------------
¶6. (SBU) While Asians, and Chinese particularly, are well
represented in local politics, they are poorly represented at
the national level. Only one of New Zealand's 120 members of
parliament is of Chinese heritage. MPs and party leaders
(particularly in the Labour Party) tend to be veterans of the
party going back to their university days who went to
Wellington and starting climbing the party ladder not long
after their studies were finished. Most of New Zealand's
Chinese are recent arrivals who haven't had time to get very
far up the ladder.
¶7. (SBU) The introduction of proportional representation
(MMP) in parliamentary elections in 1996 increased
politicians' interest in minority communities. That year the
lone current Chinese MP, National's Pansy Wong, was plucked
from Christchurch local politics and put on the National
Party list. Asians were sufficiently emboldened by MMP to
launch a pair of ethnic parties for the 1996 election, but
neither gained significant support. Both quickly disbanded
and no strictly Asian parties have been launched since.
¶8. (SBU) Wong remains New Zealand's best known Chinese
politician. She will battle for an electorate seat in the
2008 election in the Auckland constituency of Botany. In
2005, Wong failed to unseat Labour MP Judith Tizard from the
Auckland Central electorate. Wong entered parliament as a
list, rather than as an electorate, MP. (No Asian candidate
has ever successfully contested an electorate seat.)
National expects the Botany electorate to prove friendly
ground for Wong. It is a new electorate without an
incumbent, and it has the second-largest Asian population of
any electorate (and 80% of those Asians are Chinese).
¶9. (C) Until recently, it appeared that both of the major
parties would choose Chinese candidates to contest the Botany
electorate. As noted, National would run Wong, and the
Labour Party was expected to reach beyond its core and tap
lawyer and radio personality Raymond Huo, a Beijing native,
as its candidate for Botany. The ACT Party, New Zealand's
equivalent of a European liberal democratic party, is also
likely to run a Chinese candidate in Botany, former MP
Kenneth Wang. In a last minute switch, however, Labour chose
a little-known Auckland University professor named Koro Tawa
over Huo to contest the Botany electorate.
¶10. (C) Huo nonetheless remains Labour's most important
Chinese candidate. Despite not getting the nod to run in
Botany, Huo was given a far higher place on the party list
than Tawa. Indeed, Huo placed higher on the list than a
number of veteran Labour MPs. In a meeting with the CG,
Huo's lack of partisan passion was notable. While paying lip
service to Labour policies, his remarks suggested he was
drawn into politics not to support a particular ideology, but
because the Chinese community's voice "was not being heard."
Huo argued that National's Wong "does not connect well" with
most Chinese New Zealanders because she's from Hong Kong and
speaks Cantonese rather than Mandarin.
¶11. (C) Wang served as a list MP for ACT from 2002 from
2005, but lost his seat when ACT's poor performance in 2005
left it with only two seats. Wang argues that ACT, because
of its emphasis on free market principles, draws well from
the business-oriented Chinese community. Also, like Huo,
Wang told the CG that Wong is "not Chinese enough" and that
Botany's Chinese would prefer a Mandarin speaker like himself
to a Cantonese speaker like Wong.
-------------
Law and Order
-------------
¶12. (C) Wong's chances will be boosted by a spate of crimes
against Asians in South Auckland. Over the span of a few
days in June, an Indian liquor store owner was shot to death
in his shop, an elderly Chinese woman was murdered in her
home by an intruder, and another Chinese woman was killed
during a purse-snatching. Labour's Huo confirmed that New
Zealand Asians believe themselves to be particularly
vulnerable to crime. Many run small retail businesses and,
added Huo, ethnic stereotypes come into play: criminals
believe that Asians carry lots of cash and will respond
passively if attacked. Huo admitted that Labour's emphasis
on rehabilitation of criminals over punishment goes down
poorly in the Chinese community. New Chinese immigrants come
from cultures - China, Singapore - where criminals are dealt
with much more harshly than in New Zealand, Huo said.
---------------------------------
Comment: A Little More Diversity
---------------------------------
¶13. (C) Wong's experience and name recognition, National's
momentum, and the Chinese community's concern about crime
will probably win the day for Wong. Certainly, Labour's
decision to run Tawa in Botany instead of Huo suggests Labour
has concluded it can't beat Wong. Thus it will run an
unknown against Wong so that Huo can enter parliament as a
list candidate untainted by a defeat in the Botany
electorate. Botany is likely the only electorate an Asian
will win, but other Asians are likely to enter parliament as
party list candidates. National has put two new Asians
(Indian Kanwal Bakshi and Korean Melissa Lee) high enough on
its list that they will get seats if National performs well.
As noted, Huo has been given a high enough place on Labour's
list to virtually assure his entry to parliament, as has a
new Indian candidate, Rajen Prasad. Current Labour list MP
Ahmed Chaudhry, despite an unimpressive record, has also
maintained a place on the party list high enough to ensure
his return to parliament. So, if the results unfold as
currently expected, the new parliament will have six Asian
members (two Chinese), vice the two Asian MPs in parliament
today. End comment.
McCORMICK