Kun trapped on Nauru due to witness role in bribery probe

Transcript

The former Nauru opposition MP Roland Kun says he was prevented from leaving Nauru partly because of his role in a bribery investigation involving a government minister.

Mr Kun fled to New Zealand this week after being granted a New Zealand passport which was issued on humanitarian grounds.

He'd been trapped on Nauru for a year after the government confiscated his passport accusing him of taking part in anti-government protests which he denies..

Mr Kun told Don Wiseman the government also feared the likelihood he was going to be a key witness in an Australian police investigation which embroiled the Nauruan Justice Minister David Adeang.

ROLAND KUN: For him he had more than one reason to not let me leave Nauru. He knew at the time that there was an investigation into a company in Australia, an Australian company. That was buying phosphate from Nauru and that story was covered by ABC Australia. He knew that that investigation on foot, he knew that if I was off island then there would be an opportunity that I might become a key witness to that investigation. It would not be in his favour to have that investigation progress with a co-operating witness who was in previous governments.

DON WISEMAN: Had you been approached by Australian Police?

RK: I have been approached by Australian Federal Police a couple of months in advance of my travel to Nauru. They've asked me if I'd be willing to give evidence with a possibility of being a witness. I had agreed to that. But decided that I would do that, or make contact with them to finalise the details of how I was to do that, after I'd made my travel to Nauru for my four day, what I thought was going to be a four day sojourn, that turned into over a year.  

DW: And is that investigation still underway?

RK: I do not know I will be availing myself to the Australia Federal Police if that investigation continues. I still want to be presenting evidence and I am more than willing to be a witness in that matter.

DW: Why do you think it was that they did so well in that election, that the suspended MPs, the three that have lost their seats, why did they not get backing?

RK: In the lead up to the election it was undeniable that there's millions of dollars flying around which were effectively from Nauru treasury.

DW: And this is money which has come effectively because of the asylum seeker camps?

RK: Well yes unfortunately so. There's this thing we call, the government calls, the housing scheme, whereby members of Parliament have direct access to cash from Treasury and they dish it out as they see appropriate and they account for it as they see appropriate.
We call it the housing scam which is a government slush fund for the elections. The reality is the funds and they've never contested what we've put that these funds are not properly accountable. Members of government and their supporting MPs have full discretion over how these funds are utilised and we're talking in the millions. So there's an exorbitant amount of money in a population of 12 thousand being thrown around by members of Parliament who are in support of the government. That distorts election outcomes. It is unfortunate that money can distort election outcomes in this way. We can always talk about the influence of such things as slush funds, but it would have been better if people had rejected or not voted on the basis of the favours that they perceived to be receiving from government officials

DW: Well, Nauruans are behaving like voters do everywhere, aren't they? Another thing that intrigues me as someone who has watched Nauru for many years is that there was an estimated just shy of 8 thousand voters in that election which seems awfully high given the population is, did you say 12 thousand?

RK:Yes.

DW:Is that a high number?

RK: The voting population?

DW: Yes I mean did that surprise you that there are so many voters. I think the median age on Nauru is in the teens isn't it? So one would have thought it would be lower than that?

RK: Yeah see that surprised me. We do have a lot of voters that live outside Nauru. My understanding is that in the last election there was a lot of people who were granted citizenship. We have new citizens who now have voting rights, a lot of them don't even live on the island. But they've been granted citizenship.

DW: This happened just in a matter of months?

RK: This just happened in a matter of months. Government is saying they're doing the humanitarian thing and they're recognising those who are entitled to citizenship. Well, my wife is entitled to Nauruan citizenship by the constitution of Nauru, and they've rejected her application or have ignored her application for citizenship. So they're very selective on their version of granting citizenship on humanitarian grounds.

DW: As you say your focus is going to be on New Zealand and on your family, but are you going to be thinking in terms of some time in the future getting back, perhaps getting back into Parliament in Nauru is that going to be something sitting in the back of your mind?

RK: Well even as a normal citizen, and normal person who is not a member of Parliament I'll still be involved in political discussions. I think that everyone should be involved in political discussions. That's healthy for political systems and democratic systems, I don't intend on not having an opinion or keeping my opinions to myself, especially in terms of governance and what government is doing. I'm going to be vocal and I'm going to continue to have an opinion on what these guys are doing as to exactly what I'll be doing in a couple years' time I do not know, I'm focussing on my family, right now, and that is enough to fill my life and make me happy.