Comments on dam ‘highly offensive’

Press, 5 July 1982, Page 6

Comments on dam ‘highly offensive’

PA Invercargill The Minister of Foreign Affairs (Mr Cooper) said yesterday that comments by the former High Court judge, Mr Peter Mahon, on the proposed Clutha legislation were “highly offensive.” New Zealanders had always believed that judges-,of the Court were virtually infallible, Mr Cooper saidHowever, experience Had shown that they were just as fallible as most other professions, and it was time that New Zealanders recognised this. Even when judges retired they remained fallible, Mr Cooper said. He accused Mr Mahon of using “typically extravagant language” in saying that the Government’s proposed legislation for the Clutha was “a

process which savoured of fascism rather than democracy.” "Mr Mahon is outspoken and uses colourful language with relish,” the Minister said. “I think he produced the w'ords ‘orchestrated litany of lies’ in his report on the Erebus disaster.” He said that Mr Mahon’s previous use of extravagant language, which, might be good for a film or television series, was totally unnecessary for a judge. Mr Cooper said Mr Mahon was telling him that he was a fascist in his outlook as a member of the Government caucus. But, the Minister said, in New Zealand there was a good democracy. Parliament sat often and members were elected every

three years by secret ballot. For GFz years the Government had been trying to get through the obstacle course of planning consent to get the scheme for the Clutha going. Today the Government was no closer to getting consent, although every piece of planning possible to build a high dam had been done. Mr Cooper said that the Government did not want to put 300 or 400 people out of work. New Zealand had to have a growth strategy so that its young people could stay in New Zealand with jobs.

As far as he was concerned, the democratic system working in New Zealand was the best democracy the country could have, Mr Cooper said.