By Mark O’Brien
Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Political observers in New Zealand say the future of Richard Prosser does not look promising after an anti-Muslim rant has mired him in a national controversy.

Prosser, who is a House of Representatives member for the NZ First party, recently wrote in a magazine column that all young men “who are Muslim, look like Muslims, or come from a Muslim country” should be banned from flying “Western airlines,” according to TV NZ.  The New Zealand Herald also reported that the rant referred to Muslims as “troglodytes” and that Islam was a “stone-age religion.”

“He’s [upset] the party [to] no end,” an anonymous source familiar with the party told the Herald.  “The biggest issue is his total lack of judgment.”

So far, the NZ First party leader Winston Peters has said he does not believe Prosser should resign.  But criticism has been widespread, and the feeling around parliament is that Prosser may serve only one term.

“He’ll be so far down the list next time, you won’t see the top of his head,” the Herald’s source said, discussing Prosser’s future party standing if he survives the next election.

Prosser, who joined Parliament in 2011 fourth on the NZ First party list, has apologized for the comments.  He told the Herald that he believes his willingness to acknowledge he was wrong would go over well with voters.

“I think New Zealanders are essentially fair people,” Prosser said.  “[I]f you make a mistake but admit it, undertake not to do it again, and undertake to correct some of them . . . people will give you a fair go.”

Most people, however, do not appear to share that sentiment.  The Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand lodged a formal complaint against Prosser with the Human Rights Commission.  Association leaders called Prosser ignorant and undeserving of being an MP.

“You can maybe excuse it on a street corner on a drunken night, but not from a Member of Parliament,” said the association’s Jamal Green.  “This was not just an outburst.”

Judith Collins, who is New Zealand’s minister for both Ethnic Affairs and Human Rights, called Prosser’s comments “appalling and irresponsible.”  She called on the party to “avoid causing further embarrassment to New Zealand.”

Prosser’s rant was reportedly sparked by a recent incident when he was stopped from carrying his pocketknife on a flight to Christchurch.  This also is not Prosser’s first bought with controversy.  He previously called for a ban on burqas in public, mandatory army training for all citizens, and New Zealand’s South Island to become a separate state.

For further information, please see:

New Zealand Herald — MP Richard Prosser’s Future Looks Shaky — 16 February 2013

MSN NZ — Richard Prosser Faces a Bleak Future — 15 February 2013

TV NZ — Prosser to Be Reported to Human Rights Commission — 14 February 2013

3 News — Collins Slams Richard Prosser’s ‘Anti-Islamic Rant’ — 12 February 2013