Has Nikki Kaye and National Government of 2014 got blood on their hands?
Todd Muller has been in the news after rolling Simon Bridges as National leader in a bruising leadership battle. But he was not very impressive and convincing as he failed to back his allegations on weaknesses of Labour and what he would do better.
Despite being critical of the government about economic recovery, he failed to give even one credible “light bulb” moment of his brilliance. He made himself out as a better salesman for National’s fortune. But the lament was that he turned up with absolutely nothing to sell.
On that “Make America Great “souvenir cap, he came our as a spineless leader who buckled down to insignificant, unwarranted and unsubstantiated criticism from those who themselves have questionable and apparently oppressive headgear.
And despite his claim of not opposing for the sake of opposing, he did exactly that. He failed to give that breath of fresh air to grasp opportunity of a visionary leader to work in collaboration with the government for the best of the country in this crisis. He is no different to Bridges in this respect. But they are issues for another day.
Because, this article is about Muller’s “Maori Hunter” Deputy Leader, Nikki Kaye, who revels in saying she defeated Jacinda Ardern twice. She gleefully adds that Jacinda lacks business background to resurrect New Zealand. But Nikki fails to say what she has achieved after beating Jacinda.
Nikki Kaye seems to have a short memory, and so do many of our readers. They say, in politics, the good or bad you do comes to haunt you. Nikki Kaye’s chooks have now come home to roost. She was accused of having blood on her hand and being a heartless National’s Associate Minister of Immigration in 2014.
Sanil Kumar from my hometown of Ba, Fiji was in New Zealand on a work permit. Unfortunately he suffered from a kidney infection which resulted in kidney failure, needing dialysis and transplant.
Despite assurance that the family had sufficient funds, he would not be a burden on state and assurance that Fiji did not have facilities for his health and wellbeing, he was kicked out of New Zealand to die, despite many pleas. It was akin to passing death sentence on Sanil Kumar.
Dr Rajen Prasad, Fiji Indian former Labour List MP also came on board to plead for mercy. Dr Prasad was fighting for Sanil to stay in NZ. A donor had been located, and there was no costs to taxpayers. Dr Prasad questioned why Sanil was sent to a death sentence and what was the need to have him sent to Fiji when funds had been collected and a donor finalized?
The Associate Immigration Minister, Nikki Kaye was accused of being less than honest, passing the buck and using the privacy provision to escape her incompetency and lackadaisical attitude in handling this case. She blamed bureaucracy and others for her apparent dereliction of Ministerial duties.
Under her watch, Sanil Prasad had to leave NZ after he was given 24 hours to leave in May, 2014. He had been having dialysis in Fiji but unfortunately died on May 26, 2014 in Fiji.
That death could have been avoided if the Minister had a heart and had compassionately allowed him to stay.
The Fiji Indian Association Wellington Inc then was very critical of the Minister in particular and National Government in general. The then President, Salim A Singh had described as “heartless” the decision of the New Zealand Government to send the late Mr Sanil Kumar back to Fiji, despite his proven need for a kidney transplant. He said:
He added that he was confident such a decision would not have been taken by Governments led by compassionate leaders like the late David Lange, Helen Clark and Jim Bolger. Singh observed that the manner in which that matter had been handled by the Government showed a clear departure from normal New Zealand humanitarian values.
Singh said the Minister’s refusal to intervene clearly displayed lack of compassion and human values of the then National Government. He added that the decision to send Sanil Kumar back to Fiji was condemned in the strongest terms possible.
Apart from this particular criticism, people of Ethnic and Pacific Island migrants were called on to elect a Labour Government to ensure they have somebody who do not kill their people. In addition, a government which is more humane and sympathetic to common poor, non-white migrants who feel closer to a Labour Government.
Yours truly, Thakur Ranjit Singh, through media releases had passed a clear message to the then Labour leader David Cunliffe and his team to have a policy in place whereby they would not pass a death sentence on an ethnic migrant like the National Government had done.
Thakur, in a social media message, had accused National Government of having blood on its hands, and he hoped Indian, Asian, Pacific Islander, African and collectively all migrants would elect a more humane government.
They needed a government which treated its neighbours, visitors and people on work-permit with more dignity, compassion, and humanity, especially where it was NOT going to cost them any money.
Sanil was a useful migrant on work permit who added value while he was here. But upon his sickness, he was treated like an empty bottle and empty box, to be confined to a trash-bin.
Are we migrants still being used as scaffoldings, to be abandoned once the building is complete? Migrants were advised to have this in mind when voting in the next election, and elect a migrant - friendly government.
And that is exactly what happened three years later in 2017 when Labour Government came on board, and became a government with a heart and compassion, not only for migrants and ethnic people, but ALL people of New Zealand.
One thing is for sure- a compassionate and humane Jacinda Ardern would not and could never pass death sentence on any other vulnerable Sanil Kumar. Labour Government under her could never be that heartless.
Nikki Kaye need to come down to earth, and tell what she really accomplished after defeating Jacinda twice. Winning an election is one thing, but winning heart of common people is quite the other. She needs to learn from the person she defeated.
At least we are sure of one thing - Jacinda Ardern is too tall to pass death sentence on a vulnerable migrant as Nikki Kaye did in 2014.
Hence, she could never beat Jacinda Ardern – and she needs to wipe that blood off her hands now, as she is supposed to be the deputy to Todd Muller.
[Thakur Ranjit Singh is a media commentator, a journalist and runs his blog FIJI PUNDIT. Extracts from this article are taken from his initial publication in his blog during Sanil’s death in May, 2014]
Thakur Ranjit Singh
Despite being critical of the government about economic recovery, he failed to give even one credible “light bulb” moment of his brilliance. He made himself out as a better salesman for National’s fortune. But the lament was that he turned up with absolutely nothing to sell.
On that “Make America Great “souvenir cap, he came our as a spineless leader who buckled down to insignificant, unwarranted and unsubstantiated criticism from those who themselves have questionable and apparently oppressive headgear.
And despite his claim of not opposing for the sake of opposing, he did exactly that. He failed to give that breath of fresh air to grasp opportunity of a visionary leader to work in collaboration with the government for the best of the country in this crisis. He is no different to Bridges in this respect. But they are issues for another day.
Because, this article is about Muller’s “Maori Hunter” Deputy Leader, Nikki Kaye, who revels in saying she defeated Jacinda Ardern twice. She gleefully adds that Jacinda lacks business background to resurrect New Zealand. But Nikki fails to say what she has achieved after beating Jacinda.
 |
| SANIL KUMAR, Fiji Indian, who was "sentenced to death" by being given 24 hours to clear -off from New Zealand by NZ Immigration under brief of Associate Minister, Nikki Kaye in 2014. The question that needs to be asked is would he have been "sentenced to death" if Jacinda Ardern was in leadership? Nikki Kay's action was deemed heartless , lacking conscience and human values. |
Sanil Kumar from my hometown of Ba, Fiji was in New Zealand on a work permit. Unfortunately he suffered from a kidney infection which resulted in kidney failure, needing dialysis and transplant.
Despite assurance that the family had sufficient funds, he would not be a burden on state and assurance that Fiji did not have facilities for his health and wellbeing, he was kicked out of New Zealand to die, despite many pleas. It was akin to passing death sentence on Sanil Kumar.
Dr Rajen Prasad, Fiji Indian former Labour List MP also came on board to plead for mercy. Dr Prasad was fighting for Sanil to stay in NZ. A donor had been located, and there was no costs to taxpayers. Dr Prasad questioned why Sanil was sent to a death sentence and what was the need to have him sent to Fiji when funds had been collected and a donor finalized?
The Associate Immigration Minister, Nikki Kaye was accused of being less than honest, passing the buck and using the privacy provision to escape her incompetency and lackadaisical attitude in handling this case. She blamed bureaucracy and others for her apparent dereliction of Ministerial duties.
Under her watch, Sanil Prasad had to leave NZ after he was given 24 hours to leave in May, 2014. He had been having dialysis in Fiji but unfortunately died on May 26, 2014 in Fiji.
That death could have been avoided if the Minister had a heart and had compassionately allowed him to stay.
 |
| Salim Ashwin Singh, President of Wellington Indian Association, Wellington in 2014. He condemned in the strongest terms the government's decision to send Sanil Kumar to "death sentence" in Fiji, and"Mr Kumar’s demise should be on the collective conscience of the current Government." |
By refusing to allow him to remain in New Zealand, the Associate Minister of Immigration, Nikki Kaye actually imposed a death sentence on this young man. New Zealand Government decision was heartless and Mr Kumar’s demise should be on the collective conscience of current Government.
He added that he was confident such a decision would not have been taken by Governments led by compassionate leaders like the late David Lange, Helen Clark and Jim Bolger. Singh observed that the manner in which that matter had been handled by the Government showed a clear departure from normal New Zealand humanitarian values.
Singh said the Minister’s refusal to intervene clearly displayed lack of compassion and human values of the then National Government. He added that the decision to send Sanil Kumar back to Fiji was condemned in the strongest terms possible.
Apart from this particular criticism, people of Ethnic and Pacific Island migrants were called on to elect a Labour Government to ensure they have somebody who do not kill their people. In addition, a government which is more humane and sympathetic to common poor, non-white migrants who feel closer to a Labour Government.
Yours truly, Thakur Ranjit Singh, through media releases had passed a clear message to the then Labour leader David Cunliffe and his team to have a policy in place whereby they would not pass a death sentence on an ethnic migrant like the National Government had done.
Thakur, in a social media message, had accused National Government of having blood on its hands, and he hoped Indian, Asian, Pacific Islander, African and collectively all migrants would elect a more humane government.
They needed a government which treated its neighbours, visitors and people on work-permit with more dignity, compassion, and humanity, especially where it was NOT going to cost them any money.
 |
| Nikki Kaye's photo of 2014 when she was Associate Minister of Immigration in National Government. Now she is Deputy Leader of Opposition under leadership of Todd Muller in National Party. |
Sanil was a useful migrant on work permit who added value while he was here. But upon his sickness, he was treated like an empty bottle and empty box, to be confined to a trash-bin.
Are we migrants still being used as scaffoldings, to be abandoned once the building is complete? Migrants were advised to have this in mind when voting in the next election, and elect a migrant - friendly government.
And that is exactly what happened three years later in 2017 when Labour Government came on board, and became a government with a heart and compassion, not only for migrants and ethnic people, but ALL people of New Zealand.
One thing is for sure- a compassionate and humane Jacinda Ardern would not and could never pass death sentence on any other vulnerable Sanil Kumar. Labour Government under her could never be that heartless.
Nikki Kaye need to come down to earth, and tell what she really accomplished after defeating Jacinda twice. Winning an election is one thing, but winning heart of common people is quite the other. She needs to learn from the person she defeated.
 |
| Nikki Kaye has blood on her hands for death of this young man, SANIL KUMAR, for the way he was treated by Immigration NZ. |
At least we are sure of one thing - Jacinda Ardern is too tall to pass death sentence on a vulnerable migrant as Nikki Kaye did in 2014.
Hence, she could never beat Jacinda Ardern – and she needs to wipe that blood off her hands now, as she is supposed to be the deputy to Todd Muller.
[Thakur Ranjit Singh is a media commentator, a journalist and runs his blog FIJI PUNDIT. Extracts from this article are taken from his initial publication in his blog during Sanil’s death in May, 2014]
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