Political rally: Did Jacinda Ardern drop the Nauru refugees?

One of the main images of the Pacific Islands Forum in Nauru was the president of the island and the locals who were performing a song for Premier Jacinda Ardern and her baby, entitled "Jacinda New Star in the Sky ". You can watch the full performance above.

Not everyone was as delighted as the Prime Minister's performance of the authoritarian president. Australian refugee advocate Ian Rintoul said in RNZ's Morning Report that he was disgusted by the scene: "When I saw the representation of Nauru's president, singing Jacinda Ardern, in fact, he has a lot exchange. baby, but does not say anything about new babies being threatened every day in Nauru – refugee babies who are not getting the care they need. Mothers are not getting the health care they need. honestly, it was a shocking performance "- see:" Disappointing "Ardern did not meet the refugees Nauru – Rintoul.

In the same interview, Rintoul talks about the impression he had at the beginning when Ardern expressed his intention to meet refugees: "At first, it was so encouraging that she insisted that she meet the refugees. this showed that she was ready to push the envelope ".

Rintoul "said the meeting with the refugees would have been an opportunity to cut off the propaganda of the Nauru government". Instead, while reflecting on what Arrern said this morning on RNZ, Rintoul says that Arnern "seems to be ready to accept the Australian government and Nauru – as if the refugees had been integrated into the "Just not true." You can read and hear these statements from Ardern here: Nauru Refugees: The NZ is doing everything it can, says the Prime Minister.

Ardern now claims that the refugees in Nauru "have integrated into the community", although she confirms in this interview that she has met no refugees and relies on officials for her information.

The prime minister also explains why she chose not to speak to any refugee, arguing that she wanted to protect them from an unfair increase in their hopes, saying, "I was afraid to raise those expectations."

For a complete picture of the real life of the refugees, the Prime Minister would be well advised to read the account of James Harris published on The Spinoff. Harris is responsible for community involvement in World Vision NZ, who spent two years in Nauru "providing social services to asylum seekers" and came to the conclusion that "the detention of Children in Nauru Australian and Nauruan Governments "- See: In a few days, New Zealand has a chance to save the betrayed children of Nauru.

He writes that a 13-year-old Iranian girl smiled at her and offered her the words "kia kaha" – she learned about the rehabilitation of a New Zealand security guard.

But here's Harris's main point: "Despite their poignant circumstances, some of the friendliest and most welcoming people I've met are detained in Nauru. Although they have nothing, they would always find a way to show generosity. All countries would be lucky to have them, but they are trapped in a brutal system that not only does not recognize their generosity. , their warm nature or their hospitality, but deny their humanity: these people are essentially trapped and live in non-human conditions. , not to mention the child, should have to bear. "

These evaluations are very much in line with a report just released by the Refugee Council of Australia, which explains in detail how refugees suffer from extreme mental health problems because of their appalling situation. Many become catatonic, some run out of gas and try to commit suicide – including 7-year-olds.

Should Jacinda Ardern have met refugees?

Before leaving for Nauru, the prime minister also justified his decision not to speak to any refugee saying, "But if I meet individual refugees, how do we decide who they will be?

Radio NZ offered a possibility – Ahmed, a 24-year-old Syrian, who had been on the island for five years and wanted to meet Ardern – see: A Nauru refugee tells Peters: "I want to have a better life" .

The refugee also conveyed a message to Winston Peters: "help us save ourselves". Peters' answer to the question is also reported: "He said that he does not want the forum to be hijacked by the refugee problem, but also said that he could meet some refugees on the island." 39; island ".

Another candidate for a meeting is identified by Chris Bramwell: "An Iranian detainee in Nauru wrote to Jacinda Ardern earlier this month asking him if he could meet her during his visit to Nauru. Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting "- see: Prime Minister softens speech on meeting with refugees in Nauru.

Otherwise, the prime minister could have asked World Vision to organize a meeting, as Barbara Dreaver of TVNZ did. The Herald reports that "World Vision New Zealand has helped TVNZ correspondent Barbara Dreaver connect with refugees in Nauru as she covers the Pacific Islands Forum" – see: Barbara Dreaver, Pacific News correspondent , released

This report on the detention of Dreaver by the Nauru police also quotes the World Vision New Zealand national director, Grant Bayldon, pleading with the various leaders to take a stand on the refugee crisis: what the forum is about same represents. "

Should Jacinda Ardern have pushed the refugee problem further?

Grant Bayldon was clear on the need for New Zealand to do more on the issue, explaining to the Forum that "This is an emergency" – see: Prime Minister, evacuate children from Nauru. He asked Ardern to bypass Australia and negotiate directly with Nauru.

The New Zealand Herald endorsed this approach and argued that the absence of Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison's forum made the task easier – see the editorial, Jacinda Ardern is forced to raise refugees with a host of the Pacific Islands Forum.

The paper notes that Ardern seemed ambivalent about the refugee issue, but concluded: "Whether it does or not, the problem will haunt the rally." The island is tiny, the Refugees must be careful to make sure we are better informed. "

Now that the Nauru forum is over, the press has expressed its disappointment in an editorial by Philip Matthews, who said it was "a wasted opportunity for New Zealand to post its principles globally." "- see a lost opportunity on Nauru. According to him, "political realism" meant that "an ongoing human rights crisis is no closer to the end and that politics will always be a priority".

The blogger No Right Turn also expressed his deep disappointment at the Prime Minister's lack of action in the face of the refugee crisis: "Every New Zealand Prime Minister should have taken a stand, denounced it and remedied it: saving refugee children in the country. Australians' hands drove them to suicide, offered them free seats on the 757 that transported it there, at least met them.But of course, Ardern did nothing of the sort "- see: Disappointed.

Finally, while the current government of Nauru has been widely condemned, it is important to remember that the island of Micronesia has suffered in many ways from Australia and New Zealand, and has shaped the country's politics. today. . Therefore, it should read the recent article by Anne Davies and Ben Doherty's Guardian, Corruption, Incompetence and a Musical: The Accursed History of Nauru.