We need to hold council to account for rates hike
I SUPPORT Robert Porter (Letters, 15.2.21) concerning the proposed increased rates for people of Dunedin and its effect on retirees and people of fixed income.
I, like many other people of the city, am sick and tired of the extravagance of the council and the irrational changes such as reducing the car parks, painting notes and crosses on the roads, depositing unwanted concrete boxes around Mosgiel, and similar wasteful spending, instead of addressing major issues such as supplying safe drinking water and wastewater upgrades.
I will remember the names of the councillors (I have written them down in case I forget the names in my old age) who are causing this havoc to our city.
Pushing their pet projects to capture a specific voter bank does not wash with me; they are not going to get my votes next time round.
Mathew Zacharias
Mosgiel
Australian politics
I NEVER cease to be amazed at the hypocrisy of Scott Morrison and the Australian Government regarding their actions over exAustralian citizen and passport holder Suhayra Aden, as well as other deportees.
He is quoted: ‘‘Australia’s interest here is that we do not want to see terrorists who’ve fought with terrorist organisations enjoying privileges of citizenship that I think they forfeit the second they engage as an enemy of our country.’’ (ODT,17.2.21).
Some of these privileges they are obviously happy to give to two African terrorists, members of the Hutu militia.
Both men charged and jailed in the United States (although not convicted due to the ineptitude of US security services) for involvement in the rape and murder of eight British, US and New Zealand citizens on the Congo Ugandan border in 1999.
These men have been settled as bona fide immigrants in Australia, having spent the last 12 or so years in jail in the US, as part of a deal between the US and Australian governments.
Obviously, Australia’s interests are secondary when doing deals to assist the US remove a couple of embarrassing liabilities.
John Avis
Oamaru