Labour demands stand down due to Minister’s brother!!!
3 News reports:
Prime Minister John Key must stand down a Cabinet minister whose brother has been charged with sexual offending against a child if there’s any chance of a conflict of interest, Labour says.
This is bottom of the barrel stuff, attacking Ministers over what a sibling may have done.
You do not stand down a Minister because an adult sibling has been charged with something. At the most, you would make sure they have no involvement in any discussions or decisions on that case (if that even applied).
Would Andrew Little stand down as Leader of the Labour Party, if one of his siblings was charged with a crime? Of course not.
Labour leader Andrew Little says Mr Key must uphold the highest standards of government.
“If there is any chance of a conflict of interest in the portfolio of this Cabinet minister and the charges a family member is reportedly facing, then they should be stood down,” he said.
The use of the words “any chance” is equivalent to asking someone to prove a negative. The reality is the Police have operational independence, so it doesn’t matter who the accused’s brother is.
Politics should be about what an MP or Minister has done, not about what their sibling has done.
I recall President Obama had an uncle arrested for drunk driving and facing deportation. By Andrew Little’s logic, Obama should have stood down as President while the case was being heard!
Just a desperate attempt at publicity.