No place for racism in response

Fear of other races and fear of contagion have long gone hand in hand. The most notorious examples from New Zealand history came during the leprosy outbreak early in the 20th century, when populist politicians and media linked the disease to the country’s tiny Chinese community.

The newspaper celebrated the destruction of a Chinatown in California after a ‘‘putrid leper’’ was found there, and wondered if any were ‘‘hidden in Wellington’’. Premier Richard Seddon, who was noted for his anti-Chinese rhetoric, said the Chinese were ‘‘like a cancer’’, and he would rather see ‘‘a case of the plague here’’ than 100 Chinese.

A press release from National MP Hamish Walker is less overt but seems to play on the same racist fears of contamination and invasion. Walker, a first-term MP for the vast Clutha-Southland electorate, warned that up to 11,000 people from overseas could be destined to quarantine in the south, ‘‘possibly heading for Dunedin, Invercargill and Queenstown’’. They would be coming, he said, ‘‘from India, Pakistan and Korea’’.

When pressed about the details, Walker claimed, much like his colleague Michael Woodhouse, to have relied upon a well-placed but unnamed source. When contacted by the source said officials in the south had been told to expect 11,000 people in isolation, although not all at the same time.

First, was Walker’s claim factual? Housing Minister Megan Woods stressed no decisions have been made about putting quarantine facilities in Walker’s part of the country and the figure of 11,000 is significantly higher than the 6000 now in isolation all over New Zealand. Second, was Walker’s claim racist? Woods and other Labour MPs think so. It is hard to see it as anything other than ‘‘dog-whistle racism at best’’, as new Health Minister Chris Hipkins put it.

Try a simple thought experiment. If Walker believed that 11,000 people were coming from the UK, US and Australia to isolate in local hotels, would he have bothered mentioning the countries of origin?

His use of the word ‘‘people’’ in his press release obscures the point that these are New Zealanders returning. They are citizens and permanent residents who are being isolated for the greater good. They have a right to return, and other New Zealanders welcome them back.

Defenders of Walker might argue that he was simply pointing out where ‘‘live cases’’ are coming from, and both India and Pakistan have rising rates of Covid-19 infection. Although both countries do have a significant number of cases, they should be measured against their large populations. India has had 454 cases per million people, and Pakistan has had 986 per million.

By comparison, the US has had 8562 cases per million and the UK has had 4180 per million. And while Pakistan and India have high numbers of new Covid-19 cases, Korea’s numbers are relatively tiny.

Dunedin Mayor Aaron Hawkins joined the condemnation of Walker’s comments, saying that ‘‘people can draw their own conclusions’’ as to why Walker highlighted the three Asian countries.

There is no question that the enforced isolation and quarantine of returning New Zealanders risks putting serious pressure on our health and accommodation infrastructure. Adding racism to the mix helps no-one.

It was telling that National MPs were not rushing to Walker’s defence yesterday and that the usually talkative southern MP suddenly went quiet. National’s new leader, Todd Muller, has done the right thing in reprimanding Walker.

It was telling that National MPs were not rushing to Walker’s defence ...