Labour’s Views On Help For Vietnam

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31020, 28 March 1966, Page 16

Labour’s Views On Help For Vietnam

Because the Labour Party’ believed it to be imperative that greater emphasis should be placed on improving the social and economic condition of the Vietnamese people, it welcomed the announced intention to increase civilian aid to that country, said the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Kirk) in a statement on Saturday.

“Though not as great an increase in civilian aid as we would like to see and believe necessary, the proposed increase in medical staff and health teams is a step in the right direction,” Mr Kirk said. “The surgical team at Qui-Nhon has done magnificent work and the supplementing of this group is useful and very welcome. “The dispatch of 27 soldiers does not alter the fact that the New Zealand unit is a token force which, viewed in relationship to the over-all situation, is of limited military significance. “It is the view of the Labour Party that New Zealand

can make a more significant and better contribution through constructive measures of civilian aid and that this contribution could and should be more than token in its extent,” said Mr Kirk.

“Labour will continue to advocate and support wholeheartedly increased constructive aid and would as a Government bring this about.

“Distorted”

“It is disturbing that the manner in which some of my remarks have been related to an abridged report and summary of Mr Mathison’s statement has given a distorted impression of Labour’s position,” he said.

“I reiterate that Labour has not committed itself to a withdrawal from Vietnam. But it has held strongly that greater emphasis should be placed on constructive measures and is ready and willing to support any step in this direction. “As was stated on February 11, Labour reaffirms that New Zealand’s effort should be concentrated on reconstruction even before the cessation of hostilities. Defensive Role

“In such circumstances New Zealand troops could be limited to a defensive role protecting medical, technical, educational and other civilian aid groups. “Such a change in role could mean the replacement of the present artillery unit by a unit more suitable for this purpose. “We share the view expressed by President Johnson in May, 1965, when he said, speaking on Vietnam, that ‘a nation cannot be built by armed power or by political agreement. It must rest on the expectation by individual men and women that their future must be better than their past,’ and we are prepared to play a constructive part in helping to make this expectation a reality,” Mr Kirk concluded.