Robson's outpourings over Zaoui rankle with Government

By KEVIN TAYLOR, Political Reporter


Progressive MP Matt Robson is increasingly being seen as an irritant by Labour - especially after backing a Sri Lankan challenger to take over from New Zealander Don McKinnon as Commonwealth Secretary-General.

The backbench MP is now regularly attacking Labour, including over the continued detention of asylum-seeker Ahmed Zaoui whose court case he attended in Auckland yesterday.

One of two MPs in the party formed by Jim Anderton after his split with the Alliance in 2002, Mr Robson appears to be increasing his efforts to differentiate between the low-polling Progressives and Labour, its senior coalition partner.

But Robson, a Cabinet minister in the last Labour-Alliance Government, has raised hackles in Labour over recent comments on Tonga, the American attitude to New Zealand's anti-nuclear law and Mr McKinnon's job.

Early last month in a speech to parliamentarians in Canada he accused the United States, visiting diplomats and ambassador Charles Swindells of "daily berating" New Zealand for "exercising its sovereign right" to remain nuclear free.

He has also been critical of Tonga's domestic policies and has questioned continued aid for that country.

At the weekend he said Sri Lankan challenger Lakshman Kadirgamar would be a better Commonwealth Secretary General than Don McKinnon, and complained Labour was not consulting his party on the issue.

"He is actually a better candidate than Don McKinnon," Mr Robson reportedly said. "His candidacy shows that there are countries in the Commonwealth who don't want it run by the old club."

Yesterday Mr Robson told the Herald what he meant to say was he did not rate Mr McKinnon and the fact that he was a New Zealander should not be a significant factor in whether the Government backed him for the job.

Mr Robson said he felt disappointed at being regarded as an irritant, pointing out that the Progressives were Labour's junior partner in a coalition Government.

"The Progressives are an independent party in government. That means we can have our own thought processes."

But he denied he was putting more energy into attacking Government policies.

One of Mr Robson's successes this year has been his campaign for four weeks annual leave, which the Government plans to introduce in April 2007.

But he will make an attempt in Parliament when the Holidays Bill is considered to get the provision brought into force two years earlier.