September 15, 2015 digital edition.pdf

More documents

Recommendations

Info

VIEWINK Are we prepared for the big bang migration? Are we prepared for the big bang migration? You would never fail to notice the excitement in the eyes of those (especially statisticians, immigration officials and the Party in power) when they exclaim (with pride or prejudice), “We are increasingly becoming multicultural and New Zealand is the most tolerant society in the world and welcomes foreigners with open arms.” Rhetoric and propaganda apart, one question that we always ask in conferences and public debates is, “Are we prepared for the demographic, cultural and most important of all, work place changes that will come about because of a sharp rise in immigration?” No one, including our dear friend, Labour MP and veteran politician (in that order) Phil Goff (who organised an enormously successful ‘Ethnic Communities and the Future of Work Seminar’held on August 29, 2015- read separate story under Homelink) seems to have considered the challenges and problems that such changes will bring to our society, communities, workplaces and our homes. Positive effects There are of course several positive effects of migration and demographic alterations. Imagine, a Hindu arriving at work clad in the traditional shervani and kurta (or in a Rajasthani printed saree with matching blouse and jewellery) on Diwali Day, a Muslim bringing tasty Biryani on the first day of Eid Al Fitr or a Christian narrating the virtues of Retreat – all these men and women will endear themselves to their colleagues and bosses. And yet, the question that looms large is, “Are we prepared to accept these changes?” Immigration, and not just from China or India, has indeed been surge over the past two years. While the recession caused net migration (immigration minus emigration) to tail off towards the end of Labour’s term in November 2008, economic recovery has drawn immigrants back. For the first time ever, net migration to New Zealand reached 47,684 for the year to October 2014. This total has been reached off the back of 107,200 international migrant arrivals, and 59,500 international migrant departures. Britain’s grand failure The previous highest mark for annual net migration was 43,500, set in the year to August 2014, and 42,500 set in the year to May 2003. United Kingdom has set a similar record. The human story of migration A Santa Clara University (a Jesuit Institution in the Silicon Valley of America) study has underscored the inevitability of migration, going as far to say that it is an integral part of life. “People move to survive. They move in search of food. They move away from danger and death. They move towards opportunities for life. Migration is tied to the human spirit, which seeks adventure, pursues dreams, and finds reasons to hope even in the most adverse circumstances. Such movement affects the communities migrants leave and the communities that receive these migrants. This movement also impacts communities along the route of transit,” it said. Hard questions Parliamentarians often harass Immigration Ministers and those in government and seek difficult answers to equally difficult questions. Among them are (a) Is migration inevitable? (b) Is migration necessary for the survival of the human race? (c) Can migration be controlled? (d) Should migration be controlled? By whom? (e) Is migration systematic or is it organic? The latest figures show that net migration was 298,000 in the year ending September 2014, higher than when the Conservative- Liberal Democrat coalition came to power. The figure makes a mockery of Prime Minster David Cameron’s promise (to which he insists he will stick), to reduce net migration to the tens of thousands per year. His government tried. It abolished visas that allowed students to stay after completing their degrees. It squeezed the numbers of highly skilled migrants allowed entry and closed schemes allowing unskilled workers in from outside the EU. It insisted that Britons wanting to bring foreign spouses into the country earn at least £18,600 a year—more if the couple have children. Yet such measures have had little impact on the headline figure because they do not affect EU migrants. The latest to arrive are Romanians and Bulgarians, to whom Britain fully opened its labour market in January 2014. British distaste Britons have long disliked mass immigration. Even in 1995, when net migration was well under 100,000, twothirds wanted it cut. But they worry more about it these days. Since the beginning of 2014 voters have consistently cited immigration as the first or second most important issue facing the country. As the economic outlook has brightened, the shadow of immigration has grown comparatively darker. If elected, the Conservatives vow they would restrict new immigrants’ access to welfare and clamp down further on abuses of the system. Labour would get rid of the overall net-migration target—though it, too, would make EU migrants wait longer for out-of-work benefits. It is likely that few voters will believe either party. Two-thirds tell pollsters that the government has no real control over immigration. Many Britons do, however, like what they hear from the UK Independence Party (UKIP). Its stridency on the subject is the most important factor in its rise—more important even than its hostility to the EU. UKIP says it will allow employers to discriminate on the basis of job applicants’ nationality. It promises to crack down on illegal immigration and boost the border agency. Migrants would only be eligible for unemployment benefits and for Britain’s generous in-work benefits after spending some years in the country. UKIP also wants Britain to leave the EU, which would allow the country to regulate European immigration much more strictly. Describing the ethics of migration as ‘complex,’ the Study said, “There are many perspectives on why people migrate, how people migrate, what impact migration has on receiving, transit and sending countries, and whether countries should encourage, discourage, or limit migration.Our Study raises some issues and questions in order to encourage a thoughtful, in-depth discussion of the ethics of migration.” The Economist of London said that research by academics Christian Dustmann and Tommaso Frattini suggested that immigrants have boosted Britain’s public finances. “They are young, healthy and (whatever the politicians imply) less likely than Britons to claim benefits. Immigrants from Eastern Europe are the best of the bunch. Labour and the Tories are thus lamenting, and UKIP is promising to stop, something that has made Britain richer.” In New Zealand too, there is an endless debate on the benefits and otherwise of immigration. The recent issue of refugee intake from Syria has enhanced that debate. We will analyse them in our ensuing issues. Published By Indian Newslink Limited P.O.Box 82338, Highland Park, Auckland 2143 Ph: (09) 533 6377 Mob: (021) 836528 email: info@indiannewslink.co.nz w: www.indiannewslink.co.nz Indian Newslink © Reports and articles do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Indian Newslink. All rights reserved. Indian Newslink is not responsible for claims made in advertisements. Publisher & MD Jacob Mannothra│Editor & General Manager Venkat Raman Sales Manager Deepak Madhur │Graphics & Production Manager Mahes Perera│Printed By Horton Media Ltd NVR Swami Just under four months away for the New Year,India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi may look at various options to give a nudge to make the Indian economy tick faster. He has put or readied almost all the ingredients in place since he came to power with a massive popular mandate in May last year. But heavy opposition political pinpricks have chased him and have derailed Parliament sessions. No Upper Hand The Goods and Services Tax (GST), an essential input in economic reforms, is, for instance a casualty and is held up in Rajya Sabha or the Upper House where the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is a poor second to the opposition Congress party in numbers. There is an element of dismay across the country on the disruption of Parliament. Mr Modi has been in constant touch with trade and industry on a host of issues affecting the people. Their discussions have also taken place against the background of a slump in Chinese economy and the turbulence it whipped up in global markets. China normal At the G20 meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors held in Ankara earlier this month, Chinese Finance Minister Lou Jiwei presented the state of his nation and said that the Chinese economy had entered a ‘near normal’ phase. Chinese troubles can have worldwide repercussions because as one of the main drivers in the world economy, it is the biggest trader in goods and a key market for commodities. There is no indication from Mr Modi as to what his plans are but he may float some signals as the winds blow from the forthcoming Dussera and Deepavali celebrations. He is the typical Gujarati icon who with millions of Indians, at home and around the world, holds the two festivities dear to heart. Positive vibes are a must. Resilient economy The industrialised West looks up to him to deliver results. Manycritics believe that he may have a magical Mantra or two. Rating agency Moody’s Investors What sort of a country do you want New Zealand to be in the future? What opportunities do you hope will exist for your children and grandchildren here? These are the questions that every politician should keep in mind. I want New Zealand to be known internationally as clean, green and smart – a place where everyone has an equal chance to achieve their dreams. Equal opportunity It used to be that way. Our education system was among the most egalitarian in the world: it did not matter whether you came from Remuera or South Auckland as I did; you received a world-class education. This was demonstrated to me a few years ago, when I was leading Service has lowered India’s growth rate forecast from 7.5% to 7% for 2015 because of a 7% drier than average monsoon, although rainfall was not as low as feared at the start of the rainy season. In its Global Macro Outlook for 2015-16, the agency said that India’s growth was resilient beyond shortterm monsoon effects. It has, however, retained the growth forecast at 7.5% for 2016. Moody’s said: “One main task to our forecast is the pace of reforms slows significantly as consensus behind the need for reform weakens once the least controversial aspects of the government’s plan have been implemented.” Optimistic view As a net importer of commodities, India’s growth outlook benefits from the fall in commodity prices over the past year. Also the country was “little affected” by demand from China and more generally slower global trade growth. Economic activity, it said, would continue to strengthen on the back of a gradual implementation of reforms that foster domestic and foreign investment. Consumption growth will continue to be supported by large income gains as inflation has fallen to relatively low levels by the country’s past standards and favourable demographics. a team in West Africa, advising the Sierra Leonean government on its elections. We were sitting around a table one day when someone asked,“What schools did you go to?” As people started to answer, I realised that everyone else in the team had attended incredibly prestigious schools: Eton, Harrow and private schools in the US. When it came to my turn, I said “Papatoetoe High School.” Then I sat back and thought,“You might have all gone to flash schools - but I’m your boss.” The New Zealand education system had done very well by me. Unfortunately these days we’re seeing greater inequality:bigger gaps between rich and poor.It is no longer the case that our children have a more-or-less equal start in life. Indian Newslink September 15, 2015 Modi Mantra begins to chant across the world India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivering the keynote address at the ‘Global Call to Action Summit’ 2015 in New Delhi on August 27, 2015 (Picture by Press Information Bureau, Government of India) You deserve to be in a better country David Shearer 12 “Barring a large shock to commodity prices or food inflation we think that the central bank’s inflation targets are achievable,” the agency said. Containing inflation Maintaining inflation at lower levels than in the past will support real incomes and spending. As long as the central bank’s objective is credible it will also foster investment by providing more visibility about the future revenue growth and margins. Growth in 2015-16 will also be supported by an accommodative fiscal policy stance and the budget focuses on sustained economic growth as a driver of narrower deficits. Administrative pundits believe that with better political acumen Mr Modi’s ruling BJP can work diligently, overcome legislative snags, have institutional and regulatory reforms while the Prime Minister himself can have a better team of advisers and ministers with a comprehensive plan for all-round recovery and development. NVR Swami Diverse economy I am in politics with the aim of reversing that. Another thing that strikes me as very important for New Zealand’s future is diversifying the economy. Our economy still operates the same way as it did in the 1960s – we send largely unprocessed goods overseas. value.It is not one or the other, it’s both. A world-class education system, and exciting modern economy,that is the future I want for our children and grandchildren.
BUSINESSLINK Research points to sex-selective abortion Pallavi Jain Some sections of the Chinese and Indian communities in Australia may be engaged in sex-selective abortion to avoid female children, according to a recent research. An SBS Radio investigation has indicated the above based on information which suggested that the number of female children born to Indian and Chinese children were down by 1395 during the ten-year period covering 2003 and 2013. The Radio Station commissioned Australia Bureau of Statistics to investigate the birth pattern in the two communities. The Research study indicated “an unusually high number of males born to Australian parents who were both born in either China or both born in India, far exceeding the norm, with109.5 males born for every 100 females with Chinese born parents and 108.2 males born for every 100 females with Indian born parents.” Significant deviation According to an official of SBS Radio, the figures represent a significant deviation from the norm when considering the standard biological sex birth ratio at birth ranges from 102 to 106 males for every 100 females born. In the same period, in all Australia, there were 105.7 males born for every 100 females born. It quoted Macquarie University Associate Professor in Demography Dr Nick Parr as saying that the Research showed a preference for sons amongst some members of the China born and India born communities. “There is some form of pre-natal intervention to ensure that there are sons that are born as opposed to daughters. In my opinion the most plausible explanation is that there is sexselective abortion occurring.” Gender influence Dr Christophe Guilmoto, a Demographer at the French Research Institute for Development in Paris and one of the authors of the 2012 United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report on sex selection in Asia, agreed. “I think there is no other explanation. Once we have run statistical test on this data and they show that the gap between the sex ratio at birth among these two communities…is not random, then we know there is something. There are very few ways to influence the sex of your child so the most common is to resort to sex selective abortion,” he said. According UNFPA, the practice is widespread throughout the worldand that there were 117 million more women in Asia alone if the gender preference was not in place. Deadly example SBS Radio spoke to Diya (not real name) who lives in Western Sydney with her husband and parents-in-law. Soon after the family learned that Diya was expecting the first child, they began to pressure her to find out the gender. She resisted, fearing they could force her into terminating the pregnancy if the baby was a girl. “They kept forcing me so bad – ‘find out the sex - find out the sex!’. If it did not matter to them they wouldn’t have forced me that much...” After months of trying to find out the gender, Diya’s mother-in-law eventually asked the doctor herself during Diya’s ultrasound. But at that advance stage of her pregnancy an abortion was out of the question. Two months after the baby was born, Diya and her daughter found themselves out of the family home. “I definitely think if it was a son; they would not have been so hard with my daughter that they kicked a two month old baby on the streets at night.” Two more cases A doctor based in Australia also told SBS, exclusively on the condition of anonymity, that female foeticide is happening in Australia. SBS Radio also spoke with Melbourne based GP Dr Gurdeep Aurora. He cited two more cases in which the Indian-Australian parents wanted to find out the sex of the child because they were not keen to have a daughter. Dr Aurora said that he had to advise these couples against terminating the pregnancies. “They were saying that if it was going to be a daughter they would like to have it terminated. In the second case, the couple had three girls and they were very keen to find out the sex of the foetus because they did not want to have the fourth child as a daughter.When I saw them about eight months later, I asked them about the pregnancy and they told me that they had gone to India on a holiday and unfortunately the lady miscarried. Now it is quite possible that she miscarried but I had a very strong suspicion that that pregnancy was terminated because it could have been a girl,” he said. Dr Seng-Chai Chua, Obstetrician from Westmead hospital in Sydney told SBS Radio that parents from more traditional Chinese cultural background tell him that they are under pressure to have a boy, and that most often this kind of pressure comes from the grandparents. There is no alternative to Amanah KiwiSaver Third and final part Brian Henry The success of the Amanah KiwiSaver Plan is important to the whole New Zealand community. The establishment of a successful superannuation future for ourselves and our children based on real ethical values that will ensure it is self-sustaining is the key to our families’ future wealth and health. First step Amanah KiwiSaver Plan is the first step to creating an Islamic financial principles based finance industry in New Zealand providing all ranges of financial products including the ability to fund a house purchase in a Halal manner. Amanah has been invited to provide a speaker at the Fourth Global Forum on Islamic Finance to be held in Lahore next year. I was pleasantly surprised to receive the invitation as I did not appreciate the work we are doing here in New Zealand was being watched from afar. It is a huge honour for a new boutique fund manager to be invited as the presenters are always very serious scholars in the world of Islamic Finance. Success critical Pallavi Jain is a journalist at SBS Radio based in Canberra. Above is an edited version of the investigative report produced by her with her colleagues Nila Liu and Jitarth Bharadwaj. Please read our editorial, ‘The crushing burden of female foeticide’ under Viewlink in this issue. Amanah KiwiSaver Plan is New Zealand’s only Sharia compliant KiwiSaver scheme; all other schemes currently available, including the default schemes, are haram (not compliant with Islamic law) as they deal in interest (riba) and other activities contrary to Sharia law. Amanah Growth Fund, the sole investment fund of Amanah KiwiSaver Plan, invests only in the units of AmanahNZ, a Sharia compliant unit trust also managed by Amanah Ethical. All investments of AmanahNZ are listed on the Amanah Ethical websiteto allow investors to see exactly where their money is being invested(www. amanahnz.com). For more information on Amanah KiwiSaver Plan, please contact Amanah Ethical on 0508- 262624. Email: info@amanahnz.com; PO Box 4070, Shortland Street, Auckland 1140. Indian Newslink September 15, 2015 SENDING MONEY TO A BANK ACCOUNT FROM $10 * PLUS NO RECEIVER’S FEE* VISIT YOUR LOCAL POSTSHOP TODAY moving money for better *Fees subject to change (local taxes and service charges may apply). Western Union also makes money from currency exchange. Subject to terms and conditions of service. Funds may be delayed or services unavailable based on certain conditions, including amount sent, destination country, currency availability, regulatory and foreign exchange issues, required receiver action(s), identification requirements, Agent locations hours, difference in time zones or selection of delayed options. Additional restrictions may apply. See Western Union Send Form and Terms and Conditions for details. Western Union transaction limits do apply. 13
Page 1 and 2: MKT099_03_2 IN DEGREES THAT WORK. E
Page 3 and 4: HOMELINK Getting to know Islam bett
Page 5 and 6: HOMELINK Immigration officials scof
Page 7 and 8: EDUCATIONLINK Trust promotes Hindi
Page 9 and 10: BUSINESSLINK The secret about how T
Page 11: BUSINESSLINK Indian Newslink Septem
Page 15 and 16: BUSINESSLINK Indian Newslink Septem
Page 17 and 18: OUR YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS Rahul Sirig
Page 19 and 20: BUSINESSLINK Indian Newslink Septem
Page 21 and 22: COMMUNITYLINK Indian Newslink Septe
Page 23 and 24: COMMUNITYLINK Islam lifts dignity a
Page 25 and 26: COMMUNITYLINK Indian Newslink Septe
Page 27 and 28: ARTLINK- with Ratna Venkat Model of
Page 29 and 30: ARTLINK- with Ratna Venkat Indian N
Page 31 and 32: ARTLINK- with Ratna Venkat Indian N

September 15, 2015 digital edition.pdf

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?