There has been no replacement for Susan Devoy for more than a year now. I think that if we can get along for more than a year without the role being filled then it clearly is not an important role. In fact, I think that it is a pretty good hint that the entire Human Rights Commission is a waste of time and money that we don’t actually need.
All it is, in reality, is a mouthpiece for virtue signalling. An expensive way to lecture the plebs on how racist and terrible they are and a figurehead to push the agendas of activist minorities.
An article by Newsroom confirmed my suspicions. Check out these quotes from the article and then ask yourself what they tell you about the role of the commissioner.
The role of race relations commissioner has remained empty for over a year, and members of New Zealand’s ethnic communities are desperate to have the position filled.
Narayanan said it took strong community leadership, by mostly volunteers, to achieve a message of peace and solidarity, when the affected communities could easily have resorted to rioting or protesting.
Translation: The commissioner is needed because communities affected by the terror attack might have taken out their anger on innocent members of other communities.
Reading the pulse in New Zealand’s multi-cultural communities, Narayanan said he expected there to be a backlash against government, in the coming months.
Translation: By not providing a Race Relations Commissioner to act on behalf of multi-cultural communities the government have angered the communities affected by the terror attack.
Narayanan said it was impossible to know whether having a commissioner in the role earlier would have altered the events of March 15. But their presence would have made the country more aware of the tensions and problems of discrimination and racism.
Translation: The best way to prevent a terror attack like the one in Christchurch is to have someone constantly telling Kiwis that they are racist bigots and white supremacists.
In the fallout from the attack, it was important to have someone to constructively guide conversations, he said.
Translation: Majority communities need to be told how to think and what is and isn’t acceptable by a Race Relations Commissioner.
In a post-March 15 environment, and a debate over free speech and hate speech, it was important to have the right person leading the conversation, in order to help find solutions for the next generation, Narayanan said.
Translation: We need someone to advocate for Hate Speech laws to be passed.
The letter listed high-profile incidents of racist and xenophobic behaviour that had taken place since Devoy stepped down.
The list included the deaths of 51 Muslims who were gunned down in the March 15 terror attack, but it also included the visit from far-right-wing Canadians Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneaux, racist speeches given by Don Brash, calls from ACT and New Zealand First to make migrants take a test on ‘Kiwi values’, the UN Migrant Compact protest rally, and a backlash over calls to include the voices of people of colour in the Pride Parade Board.
These incidents showed the role of the race relations commissioner was vital, the letter said.
Translation: The role of the Race Relations Commissioner is to get Hate speech laws passed, to censor and deplatform speakers we don’t like and to attack political figures and parties who have views we don’t like.
A forum spokesperson said March 15 had highlighted there was always a level of racism and xenophobia in New Zealand that had gone unpunished.
Translation: The role of the Race Relations Commissioner is to ensure that people are punished for not having views that we agree with.
A race relations commissioner was the person who could keep these issues on the agenda, and advocate for multicultural communities at the top levels.
They were also the person who should be working with the Government on the current review of hate speech law, the spokesperson said.
Now was the time to appoint a person of colour, with lived experience, and passion, who would advocate strongly for new Zealand’s multi-cultural communities, she said.
newsroom
Translation: We want a racist race-based appointment to ensure that only the races that we consider important are advocated for and to ensure that that hate speech laws are passed.