New Zealand’s First Deputy Leader Shane Jones recently appeared in an interview with RCR Radio to talk about the country’s high levels of immigration. He claimed that immigration was overwhelming infrastructure and social services, and was putting pressure on wages to be lowered.However, Jones condemned people who believed immigration was going to somehow deliver a massive growth dividend. He claimed the consistent influx of immigrants will drive down the value of wages, “clog up our roads” and “overwhelm our health and other frontline services.”“And I don’t care how much criticism we get, I am just never going to agree with a sort of butter chicken tsunami coming to New Zealand,” he added.
In a press conference conducted later, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was asked about Jones’ comments on the Indian community. Luxon said the comment was “unacceptable” while adding that the Indian community has made a “tremendous contribution” to New Zealand. “They have come here and worked incredibly hard, taken one, two or three jobs, in order to get a deposit for a house or business. They are an outstanding role model for the rest of New Zealand to follow because they have ambition, aspiration and they work really hard,” he said.
Not just the PM, citizens online also condemned Jones’ comment on the Indian community in New Zealand.“This bloke is based” one user wrote on X.“1,700 people are not unfettered immigration. Jones is doing this for votes…..simple as that,” claimed another.“I agree with western politicians regarding strict immigration policies. It’s a reasonable point of view. But normalising the usage of racist slurs like curry ” and” butter chicken” is criminal.
There are NZ citizens of indian race who will face the blunt of this racism,” one wrote.However, there were others who echoed the MP’s sentiment. “We don’t need these butter chicken samosas with a side of diseases. We don’t need their cow dung with a side of cow urine,” one user wrote.“Isn’t it fantastic to hear somebody who has the guts to say what the majority are thinking. Good One,” added another.No matter what the public thinks Jones refuses to back out. According to him, no one is going to “cancel” him for being a voice of New Zealanders and highlighting how the country cannot cope with the surges of immigration.
