Peters defends colleagues’ rights

Press, 11 September 1989, Page 1

Peters defends colleagues’ rights

Wellington reporter

The Opposition’s spokesman on Maori affairs, Mr Winston Peters, has defended his colleagues’ right to talk about Maori policy, saying that no spokesman “has a patch into which no other member of Parliament may wander.” He yesterday rejected reports that his Selwyn colleague, Miss Ruth . Richardson, had strayed into his area by making a speech on Friday about race relations. “Ruth Richardson has every right to publicly raise and debate the issues. Any contribution to the debate over future Maori policy is welcome and adds to the sum total of viewpoints.” The reports to which Mr Peters was referring had placed Miss Richardson’s speech in the context of earlier tension between the two when he had entered the finance arena.

But not only did Mr Peters

defend Miss Richardson’s contribution to the Maori policy debate, he also argued that no National spokesperson had a monopoly over their area.

Mr Peters also said that while he and Miss Richardson might quibble over Maori policy details, they shared the same long-term objective — unshackling Maori people from welfare dependence, and uplifting Maori education performance. “Those twin aims will drive National’s Maori policy,” he said. Mr Peters added that other colleagues, including the party Leader, Mr Bolger, and the justice spokesman, Mr East, had aired their race relations views without news media hints about National divisions. “Ruth is an intelligent, resourceful member of Parliament. Her views are worthy of debate and discussion — that’s the es-

sence of a democratic political party,” he said. • The Leader of the Opposition, Mr Bolger, last evening denied any knowledge of a spat between Miss Richardson and Mr Peters. Speaking before the St Bede’s Old Boys’ annual dinner in Christchurch, Mr Bolger said it appeared that only “The Press” had written about the “so-called” spat. He said he had not read about it in the Wellington newspapers. Mr Bolger said he had made inquiries of other reporters. “I was told there was no spat.” Mr Bolger also shrugged off recent poll findings that showed 50 per cent of people polled believed National would stand a better chance of winning with a change in leadership. “Nobody changes leadership when they’re winning,” he said.