MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 22, 2011) – Three days away from the elections in New Zealand, Filipino solidarity groups expressed hopes that New Zealand’s future leaders would play a more active role in supporting human rights protection and peace-building efforts in the Philippines.
“We stand proud as the All Blacks emerged champions in the Rugby World Cup. We’d like to stand even prouder that New Zealanders can also be champions in human rights, justice and peace advocacy,” Cameron Walker, Spokesperson of Auckland Philippines Solidarity (APS), said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.
On November 23, 2009, New Zealanders and people around the world were shocked over a horrific crime in the Philippines that claimed the lives of 58 people, including 32 journalists and two women lawyers in a town called Ampatuan, in the province of Maguindanao, Southern Philippines. The Ampatuan massacre is one of the worst single incidents of media killings and election-related violence in the world in recent history.
APS together with the Philippines Solidarity Network of Aotearoa (PSNA) and Wellington Kiwi Pinoy (WKP) sent a letter to the foreign affairs spokespeople of the National, Labour, Green, ACT, Maori, United Future and Mana Parties.
The groups stated in their letter: “Considering that the Philippines is one of New Zealand’s trade and economic partners, we believe that the attainment of political stability and resolution of the human rights crisis in the Philippines should also concern the New Zealand government…If elected, we respectfully ask you to convey a strong message of concern on the Philippine human rights crisis as former PM Helen Clark did in 2007. We specifically ask you to convey to Philippine President Benigno Simeon Aquino III:
– that New Zealand would like the Filipino people to enjoy peaceful elections in the future thus we join calls to dismantle all private armies and to stop the use of all armed forces for electoral fraud;
– that New Zealand would like to see the swift resolution of the Ampatuan massacre and all human rights violations under his predecessor and under his current administration.”
So far the groups got a response from John Minto, Mana Movement Foreign Affairs spokesperson:
“Mana would speak out strongly against human rights abuses in the Philippines and elsewhere in the world. We applaud the work of activists in New Zealand who make these abuses public issues. If I’m elected as an MP I’m personally keen to take the work of I’ve done with Global Peace and Justice Auckland to parliament in defence of human rights and opposition to imperialism.”
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