Ryall pursues partisan agenda

new-zealand-labour-party

Thu Jan 29 2009 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)

Ryall pursues partisan agenda

Thursday, 29 January 2009, 12:53 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party

Hon Pete Hodgson
MP for Dunedin North

29 January 2009 Media Statement

If Health Minister Tony Ryall sacks the chair of the Otago District Health Board Richard Thomson he would effectively be making the public health system a political tool for himself, says Dunedin North MP Pete Hodgson.

“Sacking the guy who helped catch the crook is nonsensical; therefore the conclusion must be that Mr Ryall wishes to install his own person to the job. Most people in Otago will immediately see that Mr Ryall is using the fraud case as a pretext.

“Mr Thomson’s public standing was tested in the October 2007 DHB elections when I was Minister of Health. At that time all of the key facts of the fraud case were already well in the public arena. Mr Thomson informed me that he would not accept a Ministerial appointment as Chair unless he was first elected by the public.

“In the event the public spoke loudly, all six board members seeking re-election were successful, and Mr Thomson was amongst the top polling candidates.

“Mr Ryall seems poised to act in defiance of that democratic outcome. Should he do so he would stand accused of using raw politics to pursue a partisan agenda.”

ENDS

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

a.supporter:hover {background:#EC4438!important;} @media screen and (max-width: 480px) { #byline-block div.byline-block {padding-right:16px;}}

Using Scoop for work?

Scoop is free for personal use, but you’ll need a licence for work use. This is part of our Ethical Paywall and how we fund Scoop. Join today with plans starting from less than $3 per week, plus gain access to exclusive Pro features.

Join Pro Individual Find out more

Find more from New Zealand Labour Party on InfoPages.