A regular reader asked us why we had not posted on the New Zealand Olympic Committee's attempt to restrict what NZ olympic team members are able to talk about while at the Olympics in China this year. The Green Party (supporters of the Electoral Finance Act) think that this is bad, but the Government is relaxed about this. Clearly this is a voluntary act by the NZOC because it seems that only New Zealand and Belgium have been so draconian (in the western world anyway).
So what do we think about this?
We praise the New Zealand Government for its consistency in opposing freedom of expression and we condemn the Green Party for being willing to suppress expression in New Zealand but be insistent that everyone be able to express political views on issues relating to China while participating in the Olympics (we have posted in the past about the deep resentment within parts of the Green Party over China's embrace of the market and dumping of Marxist/Lenninist/Mao Zedong thought).
We also wonder whether the NZOC would be trying to stop NZ athletes speaking in negative tones about about the Australian Government (should the Olympics be held in Australia) or the US Government (should the US be host)? We doubt it very much.
Why the sensitivity about China? Because we are shit scared of China.
When was the New Zealand Government last prepared to be really critical of China - on human rights, or of its role in the Pacific, or in its role in Darfur, or its threats to invade democratic Taiwan?
Yet it wasn't too long ago that the PM really pissed Bush off with comments about Iraq. We anger the Japanese over whales. We have a long history of being willing to beat up on the French. And likewise Australia has been fair game.
This fear of Chinese retaliation extends beyond Government. The Auckland Chamber of Commerce bans the Falun Gong from its Santa Parade. Wellington City Council does the same over its Chinese New Year parade. What the hell is China going to do to hurt the Auckland Chamber of Commerce or the Wellington City Council?
Wellington's newspaper is prepared to launch a major campaign against Japanese whaling. We challenge them to be equally active on the lack of democracy, and media restrictions in China. Will they dare?
And now we have the NZOC.
Would the Chinese really retaliate in some way if we allowed the Falun Gong to be in our parades?
Would the Chinese really retaliate if we called for more freedom of expression in China (something we can't really do as a nation right now because we would be as hypocritical as the Green Party is being over this Olympics gag)? (On this note will New Zealand be joining the EU in its case against Chinese restrictions on foreign media? Or will the FTA give The Hive and other media organisations unrestricted access to the Chinese market - we hope so.)
What will China do if we publicly or privately admonish them for bribing politicians in Pacific countries?
Why not tell the Chinese in the UN what we really think of their role in Darfur? What are they actually going to do about it?
Rip up the soon to be signed FTA? Stop buying wool or milk powder from us?
The Hive's view is that China's bark is actually worse than its bite. You never know, if we start standing up to China on the things that really matter, we might just earn more respect, in China and around the world.
