Any fair-minded New Zealander should not disregard the distribution of anti-Asian pamphlets in letterboxes in areas where Asians live in Auckland and Christchurch.
Kyle Chapman of the Right Wing Resistance Group and former National Front Member is up to his old tricks, trying to drive a wedge between Asian communities and other New Zealanders.
I dealt with a number of similar attempts by the National Front when I was Race Relations Conciliator and here he is again effectively painting the Asian and migrant communities as unwanted in New Zealand.
The fact is that Asian and migrant communities make a solid and positive economic, social and cultural contribution to New Zealand.
They have strengthened New Zealand’s citizenship of the global community of the 21st Century. They are a conduit through which New Zealand reaches international markets and takes advantage of trade, tourism and other opportunities.
This directly enables New Zealand to maintain and enhance its way of life and provide the environment demanded by citizens of an advanced market economy and a respected global player like New Zealand.
Chapman and his small band of white supremacists are incapable of appreciating the fact that we live in a globalised world.
He wants to return to some mythical “white” society in which his type will remain pure and untainted. These fascists, racists and separatists are effectively globalisation deniers.
He wants to forego the advantages that all New Zealanders derive from the globalised world so that he may live amongst people like him exclusively. Chapman and his small band need to realise that they are a tiny minority.
Most fair-thinking New Zealanders place a high value on our ethnic diversity.
It has given them access to new experiences, products, and relationships that enrich their lives enormously.
In return, they have contributed to the never-ending patterns of acculturation through the ages, which will continue well after Chapman and his ilk have left this world.
While we all need to engage more as a society to fulfil the many promises of a culturally diverse society, no one wants to go back to the mono-culturalism of the past – except Chapman, of course.
Many members of the Asian community as well as other migrants will be seriously concerned about Chapman’s statements that can only be taken as racist. When he judges a group of people by their race or ethnic background negatively, he is effectively being racist.
While the right to free speech saves the Right Wing Resistance Group from prosecution, their brand of nationalism must be criticised by every fair thinking New Zealander.
He is but a very small step away from being prosecuted and will be if he incites anyone to take action against Asians and other ethnic communities.
Chapman knows that.
Asian New Zealanders as well as other migrant groups have nothing to apologise. They are highly valued New Zealanders and their contributions benefit the society as a whole.
New Zealand effectively has a passport to new trade, cultural and social relations with the countries of origin of our Asian and other migrants.
Our Free Trade Agreement with China would not have been possible without a sizable Asian presence in New Zealand.
The same will be true when the FTA with India is signed in due course.
The recent debates in Germany, France and Britain about multiculturalism may be giving the Right Wing Resistance Group and former National Front members some confidence in raising their objections about Asians and other ethnic groups in New Zealand.
They fail to realise that New Zealand has a much more sophisticated attitude to its growing diversity than is currently evident in Germany, France and Britain.
Any discussion about race relations matters must be carefully conducted. While it is relatively easy to raise concerns about our growing diversity, it takes a lot of maturity, vision and experience to engage in constructive dialogue that builds on our collective strengths and projects an exciting and vibrant New Zealand that we will bequeath to our children and grandchildren.
Chapman’s small band has no such interests.
We all have a significant role to play in developing the New Zealand of the future. We are privileged to live in a society with a strong indigenous identity, a majority European tradition, a special Pacific identity and a growing Asian/New Zealand, African New Zealand, Indian/New Zealand, and Middle Eastern/New Zealand identity.
The future shape of New Zealand is in all our hands.
Let us build that together through dialogue, understanding, forbearance and commitment rather than the divisiveness of Chapman and his fascist friends. While I would not advise over-reaction to his diatribe, we should nevertheless have a new resolve to function in a manner that gives no space for the divisiveness of Chapman to prevail.
It will not because New Zealand would not allow it.
That in itself is endearing and encouraging.
Dr Rajen Prasad is Member of Parliament on Labour List and the Party’s Spokesperson for Ethnic Affairs. He was previously Race Relations Conciliator and Chief Families Commissioner.
