Speech has Parliament on its feet
New Labour MP Ibrahim Omer has recounted the harrowing story of how he became just New Zealand’s second refugee MP.
Omer came to New Zealand after fleeing the small East African nation of Eritrea as a teenager.
He worked as a cleaner at Victoria University while earning a degree there, working his way up through the trade union movement before being elected to Parliament on Labour’s list in October. Omer gave the second maiden speech of the term to a silent and packed House, and finished to a standing ovation.
‘‘I am an Eritrean. I am a former refugee. I am a Muslim. I am a trade unionist and a living wage advocate. But most importantly I stand here before you today as a Kiwi bursting with pride,’’ he began.
He said his story was the story of every refugee – someone forced from their home in hopes of safety.
Omer recounted a mostly happy childhood in Eritrea that turned dark during a civil war for independence, which eventually resulted in a totalitarian state he fled.
He said he dreamed of being a football player or politician but left these dreams behind when he fled the country as a young adult, fearing forced national service.
‘‘Nearly all my life in Eritrea there was a war. For 30 years my country was locked in a war for independence.
‘‘I vividly remember the fighting. There was no power, we had very little food.
‘‘We believed Eritrea could be a shining star for Africa. But my country was betrayed by the same people who fought for independence.’’
He went to Sudan. ‘‘I left behind everything I loved. My country, my family, my friends, and my dreams ... The chances of getting to Sudan were about 50-50.’’
After five years in Sudan, he was granted refugee status to New Zealand through the United Nations – somewhere he had ‘‘never heard of’’.
‘‘But I heard it was one of the most peaceful counties in the world. That was OK with me, because I was sick and tired of looking over my shoulder.’’ Omer worked as a security guard, a fruit picker, and eventually as a cleaner at Victoria University, working 80-hour weeks to send money back home.
‘‘All I did was clean, clean, clean, day and night. I did not have time to think, I did not have time to meet people or be a part of a community,’’ he told the House.
He became involved in the union movement, got a pay rise, and began to study at Victoria University, going to his first lecture in a theatre he had cleaned the night prior. He promised to continue to fight for low-paid workers and for refugees. ‘‘I see you, I feel you, I will be by your side and fight alongside you.’’
‘‘I see you, I feel you, I will be by your side and fight alongside you.’’ Ibrahim Omer