Lee Melissa: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeLee Melissa: General Debate[Sitting date: 18 September 2013. Volume:693;Page:13476. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]MELISSA LEE (National): I would like to begin by acknowledging previous speakers Jan Logie and Minister Parata for mentioning the women’s suffrage celebrations. It is indeed 120 years and 120 years ago there were no members of Parliament who were women; now we have 34 percent. Sixty years ago I think it was about 5 percent of parliamentarians who were women. Now 56 percent of tertiary graduates are women; back 120 years ago I think we had only about 30 percent. So we have actually seen increases in women’s participation and I celebrate that.Earlier this year I took part in the Global Summit of Women in Kuala Lumpur. Although many in the Opposition actually talk about how badly we do in terms of pay equity and the gender pay gap it was nice to note that in a global sense New Zealand was up there with the best in the world and we were seen as a role model. So I would like just to note that.I would like just to reflect on the very public and very elaborate sort of election campaign that the Labour Party put on to choose its new leader. I begin by wishing David Shearer well. I am sure that now there are not people sharpening their knives to stab him in the back he can actually sleep better. I wish David Parker congratulations on his new leadership—oh sorry David Cunliffe. There are quite a fewDavids—sorry. I send David Cunliffe my best wishes for his leadership. It is very confusing because there are so many potential leaders out there and we do not quite know how long this one will last.I have been acquainted with Mr Cunliffe for quite a few years in my former career as a television producer meeting him at many ethnic events. I always enjoyed our conversations. I always thought of him as a pretty decent bloke. Why would he not be? He has diplomacy as one of his credentials having actually been a former diplomat. But I hope his leadership lasts longer than the one enjoyed by Mr Shearer. As I understand two-thirds of his caucus are ABCs—“Anyone But Cunliffe”—and they did not support him. To be frank I was a little surprised that he did not actually choose Mr Robertson as his deputy in a gesture of goodwill and harmony. But perhaps as Gerry Brownlee mentioned when the call went out for deputy nominations nobody actually put their hand up. Maybe Mr Parker just got it by accident. But anyway congratulations and I hope you actually last a little while longer than Mr Shearer’s leadership.One of the things that is certain is that Mr Cunliffe cannot run his own party—so far anyway. So he certainly cannot run the country. It is that simple. If you cannot control your party you cannot run the country. The New Zealand public are not simpletons. They recognise that the Labour Opposition lacks the ability through its backstabbing factionalised division within its own party which is so obvious to all of us.Having said that I was a little taken aback last Sunday. I think all of us were waiting to see who was going to be the new leader of the Labour Party. While watching the television news I was a little bit shocked—I think it was Carmel Sepuloni a former member of Parliament who went to put a lei around DavidCunliffe’s neck and he basically put up his hand to say no. I think there was also another Indian man who actually went to put a lei on him and it was very clear that he put his hand up to say no. I am not a lip reader but I could surely see him going “No”. I thought that was very very shocking. How embarrassing for those people going there to congratulate him. And they were not some strangers; they were all wearing Labour rosettes. Obviously they were party members well-known to him and he said no. I felt so bad for someone who should know diplomacy and who should be aware of cultural sensitivities. I thought that putting a lei on somebody was actually—Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga: It’s an honour.MELISSA LEE: —a sign of honour a symbolism of honour and he refused that.So that is a sure sign that this is a party that does not understand cultural sensitivities and it goes to the policies it has introduced including banning foreign homebuyers. I know Opposition members have said that it does not mean New Zealanders who happen to be Asian. But it is not about Americans buying here; it is about Asian people buying here. But how are you going to tell the difference? If I walk around with a passport will you be able to tell whether I am foreign or a New Zealander? Can you not tell that I am a Kiwi? Do I have to keep on explaining that? That is the kind of xenophobic policy that Labour puts forward and then the xenophobic people the racist people will come out of the woodwork and actually make the lives of Asian New Zealanders hell in this country.Labour does not support Asian people in this country and I am ashamed that all Labour members would support a policy like that. The way that Labour behaves is actually shameful. But I congratulate the new leader. I hope he actually lasts longer than David Shearer.