Ordia slated by P.M.

Press, 15 August 1978, Page 1

Ordia slated by P.M.

PA Wellington * The Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon), yesterday described the president of the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa, Mr Abraham Ordia, as paranoid. “It’s obvious this man’s quite paranoid,” he told a news conference. Mr Muldoon was answering questions about the Interview with Mr Ordia shown on television on Sunday evening. “I think Mr Ordia spoke for himself last night,” he said. He thought the average New Zealander would come to his own conclusions after watching the interview.

“I am very glad he doesn’t have responsibility for New Zealand’s sport,” he commented.

After saying Mr Ordia was paranoid, Mr Muldoon commented: “He’s accepted what he’s been told by these people in New Zealand in spite of the fact that it’s been a distorted view. There’s no way we could get these thoughts out of his mind.” Mr Muldoon said he had received a personal letter from the British Prime Minister (Mr Callaghan) saying that his Government accepted that ail Commonwealth Governments had adhered to their obligations under the Gleneagles Agreement. “That to me is the complete answer,” Mr Muldoon said.

He had sent messages to Mr Callaghan and other Commonwealth leaders after Nigeria announced its withdrawal from the Commonwealth Games. The fact that Mr Ordia did not agree with Mr Callaghan, the Commonwealth Secretary-General (Mr Ramphal) and the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Rowling) that the Gleneagles Agreement had been complied with was “his problem, not ours,” Mr Muldoon said. Asked if he saw any point in trying to get on to a better relationship with Mr Ordia, he replied: “I’ve said before and I repeat, 1 would leave the public who saw the interview to be the judge of whether we should try.”