6 days ago
When New Zealand's this minister insulted Indians... her name is..., 'I don't reply to emails from Indians, I consider it spam'
When New Zealand's this minister insulted Indians... her name is..., 'I don't reply to emails from Indians, I consider it spam'
At a time when Indian are being considered very important and the world is all ears when an Indian speaks, there is a minister in New Zealand who has courted controversy by her statements. New Zealand's Immigration Minister Erica Stanford is facing criticism. The reason behind this is her attitude towards India. In fact, Erica Stanford, while defending the use of her personal Gmail account for official correspondence during the parliamentary session on May 6, said that she never answers emails from Indians because she considers them to be spam.
'I get a lot of unsolicited emails, like from people in India asking for immigration advice, which I never respond to. I treat them like spam,' Stanford said.
Debate sparked
Indian-origin Labour MP Priyanka Radhakrishnan strongly criticised the comment, calling it insensitive and discriminatory.
Speaking to Indian Weekender, Radhakrishnan said, 'Such comments reinforce negative stereotypes about an entire community. It is unacceptable for a minister to target a particular ethnic group.'
He said that ministers receive unsolicited emails every day, so there is no justification to differentiate the emails coming from Indians. Priyanka Radhakrishnan said, 'Especially given New Zealand's special relationship with India, such comments serve to reinforce negative stereotypes against an entire community of people.'
Minister clarifies
Erica Stanford later clarified the matter. She said that her statement was misunderstood. She clarified, 'I did not say that I consider them spam. I only said that I consider them the same as spam.'
