The Government is sending all the wrong signals to ethnic communities by its decision to downgrade the Office for Ethnic Affairs in the current restructuring of the Department of Internal Affairs.
This was only a proposal a few months ago when the Government called for submissions. There was no announcement from the then Ethnic Affairs Minister Pansy Wong specifically to ethnic communities to consider the proposals and make submissions. There has been no general debate or informed consultation by the Minister or her officials on this downgrade.
However, ethnic communities learnt about the proposals and made submissions.
The overwhelming view was that the proposal downgraded the Office for Ethnic Affairs. They also believed that the location of the Office would restrict their access to the Minister. Internal Affairs staff also generally had the same belief.
I agree with the leaders of the ethnic communities that the new location of the Office at tier three within Internal Affairs was a retrograde step.
With the growing presence and influence of ethnic communities, this is the right time to recast their interests in a more powerful institutional framework.
It is the wrong time to signal an effective downgrade of the institutional location of the Office set up to champion and address their interests.
The ethnic sector demands stronger advocacy. That will not be achieved in a subordinate unit within a very large Internal Affairs Department.
Further, the Office will now be located in the policy stream of the Department, with the Director reporting to a Policy Group Manager, thereby losing the direct link with the Minister.
There are many questions that remain unanswered.
Does this change limit the role of the Office to policy matters only? Does this reflect the needs of ethnic communities at this time in New Zealand? Does this reflect the contemporary aspirations of ethnic communities?
Most importantly, this change demonstrates how duplicitous the Government is with ethnic communities. Week after week, the Prime Minister, Ministers and Government Members of Parliament attend ethnic events and functions, where they speak about the importance of this sector and thank the communities for their contribution to New Zealand.
If they see this sector in this light, how can they justify this downgrade?
The Internal Affairs Minister said in an answer to my oral question in Parliament that I should not be hung up on “levels” and that he expected no change in the functions of the Office of Ethnic Affairs.
If the Internal Affairs Minister, the former Ethnic Affairs Minister and the Acting Ethnic Affairs Minister appreciated the aspirations of this sector, they would not have made this unnecessary change. Instead they would have upgraded the Office, given it additional roles that reflect the importance of the sector.
Dr Rajen Prasad is Member of Parliament on Labour List.
