Govt Attacked On Foreign Affairs

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32007, 6 June 1969, Page 10

Govt Attacked On Foreign Affairs

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, June 5. Any suggestion of a bipartisan approach to external affairs appeared to fade away in Parliament tonight.

During the resumed foreign affairs debate, the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Kirk) said there was a time when a bipartisan approach might have been possible, but the proposition moved by the Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake), when he initiated the debate last night, showed that he was “merely fishing in troubled waters for petty party advantage.”

Liter the Minister of Finance (Mr Muldoon) said the Government and the Labour Opposition had had a twoparty policy on S.E.A.T.O—to support it The Labour Party had deserted this policy. There would be no peace in Asia, while there was poverty, said Mr Kirk. Asian peoples would turn freely to democratic processes only if those processes demonstrated they could lead to economic betterment more quickly than other ideologies. Mr Kirk, still showing signs of a heavy cold which prevented him from speaking in the House last night attacked the Government for its “foolish platitudes” on foreign affairs. “I nearly boiled in my bed as I listened on the radio. I’ve never heard so much claptrap.” Mr Kirk said Government members had quoted from the “Bangkok Post” which had criticised his views on S.EJLT.O.

“Do you know how big the

‘Bangkok Post’ is?” he asked. "It has a circulation of 8000 in a country of 30 million people.” “Bieck” On Vietnam The Government suffered from the “block” of not being able to see beyond Vietnam. “Where was the slightest glimmer of evidence that they are looking 10 years ahead? Where are the new plans, methods and designs?” Mr Kirk said he did not intend to retract one word of a speech he recently made at Hamilton when he said there was no foreseeable future for S.E.A.T.O. Never once had S.E.A.T.O. been engaged militarily in combating aggression, and never once, since it had been formed, had any country asked to join S.E-A.T.O. Two countries, Pakistan and France, were virtually out of the organisation; a third, Britain, was “itching” to go; and it was likely that the United States future role would be more verbal than active.

“If it is valid for the Prime Minister of New Zealand to doubt British assurances on Malaysia and Singapore, surely he must equally doubt the capabilities of Britain with regard to 5.E.A.T.0.,” said Mr Kirk. Naked Aggression

It was not poverty that had caused the rape of Hungary and Czechoslovakia, said Mr Muldoon. It was naked Communist aggression. While he knew that the Opposition claimed it did not support communism, said Mr Muldoon, “no speech on Vietnam in this House by the Opposition has done other than give comfort to Communists both inside and outside New Zealand.”

He quoted Dr A. M. Finlay (Lab., Waitakere) as telling Auckland students that if the Labour Party withdrew troops from Vietnam it would be welching on its allies. Later in the debate Dr Finlay, saying he had been misquoted, was allowed to make an explanation to the House. He said he had told students that if the Labour Party withdrew troops from Vietnam without substituting them with aid it would be welching on its allies. “F.O.L. Line”

Mr Muldoon said the Labour Party knew its policy to withdraw troops from Vietnam was wrong but “their friends in the Federation of Labour wan to follow this line.”

Mr J. Mathison (Lab., Avon) referred to the statement last night by Mr Holy-

oake that S.E.A.T.O. could not be ineffective because the United States had more than half a million men there.

“The United States is not in Vietnam because of S.J.A.T.O. but because of United States policy at that particular time,” he said. United States intervention in Vietnam in terms of international law was illegal and in terms of the Geneva Pact was immoral. N.Z. and Malaysia Mr W. E. Rowling (Lab., Buller) said he had thought the Prime Minister might have taken the opportunity of the debate to have clearly defined New Zealand’s position in Malaysia. He had failed miserably. "We have the presence of New Zealand troops in Malaysia in a steadily worsening domestic situation. The Prime Minister gave no clear idea what will happen should the position worsen further,” Mr Rowling said.