By Kate West and Lloyd Burr
The youth division of the ACT Party is calling for the Otago University Students’ Association (OUSA) president to resign after he told ACT MP Sir Roger Douglas to “get f***ed” on facebook.
OUSA president Logan Edgar messaged Sir Roger about ACT’s Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill which would see membership of all students’ associations become voluntary rather than universal as they are now.
Mr Edgar posted on Sir Roger’s facebook page last week saying:
"Get f***ed you dinosaur…just trying to give yourself a legacy because you know you’re getting too old. You should actually debate the Bill with Pete [Hodgson-Labour MP] or Grant [Robertson- Labour MP]… you’d get torn to shreds. C**t"
ACT on Campus president Peter McCaffrey, who is based at Wellington’s Victoria University, says he was “flooded with calls” from “angry students” who feel they were misrepresented by the comments.
“These personal attacks and hateful messages…are completely inappropriate and Mr Edgar should resign from his position of responsibility immediately.”
Mr Edgar apologised after the comment:
“Dear Roger, apologies for my inappropriate wallpost last night, it was when VSM was being debated and I got fired up and upset about the yarns some politicians were spinning. I read it again straight after posting and realised it was a dick thing to say - I know we disagree but I shouldn't have used that language.”
And Sir Roger’s reply was civil, saying “All good. I've been called worse”.
Mr McCaffrey says “I received a couple of dozen emails and comments from friends down there complaining about the comment. They were students from our own organisation, Young Nats (the youth arm of the National Party) and other non-political people,” Mr McCaffrey says.
But New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations co-president David Do says ACT on Campus does not have a clean slate themselves.
“This stuff just reminds me of what they did to Logan [Edgar] before his 72-hour anti-VSM cage protest last month when one of their members allegedly assaulted him.
“There have been other examples of behaviour from ACT on Campus that have been more inappropriate than just a facebook post.
Mr Do says Mr Edgar’s comment last week “shows some of the anger that many students have for this Bill. It will be destructive to many of the things that student need, use, value and enjoy.
“Personally I would use different language but it shouldn’t detract from the broader issue that he is campaigning for and his view is supported by the vast majority of students in both Otago and nationwide,” Mr Do says.
Labour’s Dunedin North MP Pete Hodgson says although he in no way condones Mr Edgar's comment, he stresses the need for the wider issue to be explored.
“The National Party has broken a promise not to change this, it’s called a lie,” he says.
“The actions of political parties should hold more weight than a 20 year old and his actions need to be measured up against these.”
Labour MP Grant Robertson, a former OUSA president, also says the importance behind the issue of voluntary student membership should override individual action.
“I encourage students to go out and stand up for their services, I don’t think there is a strong mandate for voluntary student membership and I predict that students will continue to protest. I believe Mr Edgar has apologised for the language used.”
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