The thousands of people who marched in protest of a new bill that would grant the New Zealand’s government sweeping spy powers, were misinformed, Prime Minister John Key has said playing down the nationwide protests.
The surveillance bill, which is expected to be passed in
parliament, would allow New Zealand’s Government Communications
Security Bureau (GCSB) free rein to listen in on citizens’ phone
conversations.
Kiwis took to the streets on Saturday in 11 cities and towns in
what has been dubbed as an “uphill battle” to stop the bill from
going through.
Key, however, argued on Sunday that the turnout was “quite
light” and insisting that those involved in the mass
demonstrations were ill-informed or had a political agenda.
"At the risk of encouraging them to have more protests, I would
have actually said those numbers were quite light – it wasn't
anything like what we saw for mining or anything else," he
told TVNZ's Q&A program on Sunday.
"Secondly, a lot of people that would go along would be either
A, politically aligned, or B, with the greatest of respect,
misinformed,” he stressed.
A number of prominent figures in New Zealand society have spoken
out against the bill, including MegaUpload founder Kim Dotcom.
The internet tycoon was found to be the victim of GCSB snooping
last year – the snooping was later ruled as being illegal. This
prompted Key to then propose the new legislation which he claims
is in the best interests of New Zealanders.
"I accept there are some that will always feel a bit nervous
about privacy and their own rights, but I can give you the best
assurance I can that we're very careful and cautious about what
we do as a state,” he said during a visit to South Korea.
Dotcom spoke out during the rally in the city of Auckland,
telling the New Zealand public "if they can do that to me they
can do that to any of you."
The internet mogul has also alleged that the GCSB collaborated
with the US government in a bid to comply with the extradition
order issued by Washington. Dotcom is wanted in the US on charges
of racketeering, fraud, money laundering and copyright theft in
connection with his file streaming site MegaUpload.
Last January New Zealand police stormed Dotcom’s mansion, seizing
assets and digital material. A judge later condemned the raid as
illegal and ruled law enforcement to return items that were
seized that were not directly linked the case against Dotcom. The
judge’s decision also led to an official apology from Key to
Dotcom.