My Opinion: Henry’s word | Issue 17

My Opinion: Henry’s word | Issue 17

Lotu-liga Needs to Go

Sam Lotu-liga should be sacked as a minister. That statement sounds like something you might read on Whaleoil, but it’s the truth.

Last week a video emerged on YouTube, which showed a number of organised fights happening in Mt Eden prison as part of an inmate-run fight club. Following the video, claims were made that 25-year-old Nick Evans died as a result of injuries sustained while fighting in an organised fight club last month.

Evans was injured at Mt Eden Prison before being transferred an hour north to Ngawha Prison and then transferred again to Whangerei Hospital. Here, he reportedly died from a ruptured lung.

Sam Lotu-liga is the Minister of Corrections. He is responsible for every prison in New Zealand, including the privately managed Mt Eden Prison.

The incompetence shown by Lotu-liga is outstanding, even without posing the question of whether a deeper malice could be lurking within Mt Eden Prison, which the minister could very well know about.

This opinion was written last Wednesday, a few hours after Sam Lotu-liga was interviewed by Sean Plunket on Radio Live. That interview alone holds the reason why the minister should be asked to resign.

The National Party are the masters of the communications game. They are the most effective and efficient party at navigating the New Zealand media. Sam Lotu-liga makes a laughing stock of that reputation.

Lotu-liga was asked a number of simple questions by Sean Plunket, the likes of “What have you been told officially about the death of Nick Evans?”… “Did he puncture his lung in Ngawha Prison or Mt Eden Prison?” and “Have you been told what happened to Nick Evans?”

After attempting and failing to hide behind a coronial inquiry as his reason for silence, Lotu-liga’s replies were “I don’t know” and “I don’t have the details”.

It seems hard to believe that the Minister of Corrections wouldn’t have been informed about the death of an inmate resulting from a fight club that became public knowledge last week.

One potential but abhorrent explanation is that the death wasn’t important enough. However, that begs a distinctly relevant and obvious question: Why didn’t Lotu-liga find out the facts of Nick Evan’s death before being interviewed about it? The only possible answers are either that he did ask and lied or that he is so incompetent he didn’t see the value in having the facts before an interview.

Either way, more is expected from the person responsible for our prisons, and National should expect more from a minister in cabinet. John Key should wait until this quietens down and then sack him.

This article first appeared in Issue 17, 2015.
Posted 12:20pm Sunday 26th July 2015 by Henry Napier.