Beware the Yellow Peril

Baser Instincts

In New Zealand we have had our share of muck racking, venal, xenophobic politicians who pander to the worst instincts of the bitter and twisted.  Immigration seems to hit all the right buttons for these closet racists and the populist politicians who exploit them.

Racism is a strong word--sadly overdone in many quarters.  It is not an epithet to be used lightly.  We struggle to avoid its use here.  It's hard to come to any other conclusion, but we will try.  David Cunliffe, erstwhile leader of the motley crowd of divisives, temporarily coalesced under the Labour party banner, has come out opposing the sale of a large North Island high country farm to a Chinese company.  This is normally the political territory of the one or two populist politicians who can find electoral traction few other ways.  Anti-Chinese sentiment--which is racist insofar as it appears to apply to no other immigrant ethnic group or nation--is the final bolt hole of a desperate, cynical politician or one who is a genuine racist.  Now it has become the resort of the Labour leader. 

We prefer to believe the evidence points to a cynical, desperate politician, rather than a genuine racist.  Surely Cunliffe cannot be that degenerate.  Its his desperation that is leading him to play the race card, and the xenophobe card, and any other card, for that matter.

It turns out that China, the Chinese, and New Zealand have a long history.
  There is evidence that New Zealand was visited by Chinese explorers in 1421, long before Abel Tasman and James Cook.  Chinese gold miners flocked to Otago during the great gold rush in that province in the 1850's and 60's.  Few made it rich; many others settled here and have become valued citizens.  More recently, Chinese investment in New Zealand has been making significant contributions to our well-being and economic development.  For example, Haier bought the iconic Fisher and Paykel appliance company and have helped transform it into a greater commercial power than it was.  F&P, as it is widely known, has expanded some of its business operations  in this country under Chinese stewardship, taking on more staff.

Another recent example has been provided by a Chinese company buying up one of our largest waste disposal companies, Waste Management.  Ironically, Waste Management was a premiere listed New Zealand company bought out firstly by an Australian conglomerate, Trans Pacific Industries.  Recently, the Australian group sought to downsize due to overcommitments.  It sold to a Chinese company, Beijing Capital.  So one of our largest waste management companies is now owned by a Chinese company.    Not a peep of concern or scintilla of objection from one David Cunliffe.

But the Lochinvar Station--a large North Island high country farm--is apparently in a completely different category.  Cunliffe has stupidly come out to say that if elected to govern he would squash the sale by fiat.  We cannot have such iconic New Zealand assets transferring into foreign ownership.  Maybe land is in a different category from highly successful New Zealand businesses, such as Waste Management, or iconic New Zealand companies, such as F&P.  Well, maybe not.

When Canadian film director, James Cameron bought a significant farm in the Wairarapa, David Cunliffe and his raggle taggle Labour Party said nary a word.  When Cameron acted like a rapacious capitalist and bought more farms in the area, Cunliffe's silence was deafening.  And then there is  the "small matter" of Shania Twain--who, of course, along with James Cameron, just happens to be Caucasian, and, along with Cameron, one of the glitterati--buys up a large South Island high country farm, it's nothing at all.  Not a peep from the principled Mr Cunliffe, except, no doubt a behind-the-scenes request for a photo-op.

But a Chinese company buying up New Zealand farmland--that's got to be stopped.  It's wrong.  It's unjust.  It's evil.  It's going to be declared illegal.  

What on earth are we to make of Cunliffe deploying this populist xenophobic bovine scatology?  Either the man is a racist at heart with an abiding dislike of the "yellow-peril" or he is an unprincipled, desperate, base politician.  We believe the latter to be the case--otherwise Cunliffe would have protested long and hard against F&P and Waste Management being sold to the dreaded Chinese.  No, he is just manipulating the baser instincts of some of our residual xenophobes in a venal attempt to get more votes.

Any wonder why politicians are held in such low regard?  Helen Clark at her worst was never so base.  Cunliffe is a sad poster-boy of the degeneracy the Labour Party now represents and seeks to exploit.