When your political opponents have to resort to calling your policy “fascism” you know that they don’t have a strong counter-argument. Who was the idiot that thought it would be a good idea to give criminals the right to vote anyway? If they are incarcerated then clearly society has taken away their freedom. The right to vote is a freedom that they rightly lose when they go behind bars.
Taking away prisoners’ rights to vote was part of a “fascist” culture the National-led Government fostered against criminals, Justice Minister Andrew Little said on Monday.
ACT Leader David Seymour has responded to Little’s non-argument by saying that it just goes to show that “Labour is soft on crime”.
ACT’s three strikes law was introduced in 2010 and it progressively increases the consequences for recidivist violent and sexual offenders. In August last year, the first ‘third striker’ was ordered to serve the maximum sentence without parole.
Hayze Waitokia had 14 previous convictions, including six for violent offending. Waitokia’s three strikes included a vicious assault using a piece of wood, stalking and sexually assaulting a 17 year-old girl, and stabbing another man.
Very few people would believe that giving Waitokia the maximum sentence without parole is ‘fascism’. Waitokia has a high risk of reoffending, and the public need to be protected from him. Prior to 2010, he would have received a jail sentence of two years and three months. ACT’s three strikes law means that he will now have to serve the full seven-year sentence.
The Government’s primary duty is to protect people from physical harm. But Labour’s plan to get rid of ACT’s three strikes law would let some of the worst criminals in New Zealand out onto the streets. The Government must put the interests of the community ahead of the interests of violent offenders.
ACT believes the worst recidivist offenders should be held responsible for their actions and be kept away from the public.
ACT leader David Seymour
