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Issue Number 23, November 2003
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Kapatiran Issue
No. 23, November 2003
THE
STRUGGLE TO KEEP LAND OUT OF FOREIGNERS’ HANDS
- Murray Horton
Wearing my other hat (Campaign Against Foreign Control of
Aotearoa – CAFCA), I am regularly asked by the media
to comment on the seemingly endless procession of sales
of prime New Zealand rural land to foreigners. They
always ask me how do our laissez faire policies on land
sales compare with other countries.
So it’s instructive to look at the Philippines. It
has a national patrimony clause in its Constitution.
There is a campaign being waged by certain politicians,
backed by American and European business interests, to
remove that. Resistance is fierce.
“The provision bans foreigners from owning land in
the Philippines; limits participation by foreigners in
enterprises engaged in the exploitation of natural
resources to 40% (60% must be owned by Filipinos); bans
foreigners from owning mass media companies; limits
foreign equity in public utility companies. It was this
provision that prevented the sale of the Manila Hotel to
a Malaysian corporation. It is this constitutional
provision that prevents foreigners from owning vast
tracts of land, digging up our mountains to extract
mineral ores, and plundering our seas. It is this
provision that prevents foreigners from practically
owning our country and making us Filipino serfs and
servants in our own land.
“Remove that provision in the Constitution and we
would be like the biblical Hebrews in Egypt, mere slaves
of the Egyptians. The only difference is that the Hebrews
were in the land of Egypt, whereas we would be in our own
land but lorded over by foreigners.
“…I know there would be gullible and
colonial-minded Filipinos who would welcome an American
takeover of the Philippines, because then we would have
snow and white Christmases, apple and orange and chestnut
trees would grow in our backyards, we would all be
American citizens and speak slang English and receive our
pay in dollars, but most of us won’t be owning the
residential lots and homes we live in. The foreigners
will. We couldn’t afford to buy them as prices soar,
because the whole country would be open to foreign
buyers. Most of us would be mere employees working for
the foreigners or, worse, probably squatters in our own
land. Will we allow that to happen?”… (Philippine
Daily Inquirer, 31/7/03; Neal H Cruz, Opinion).
The Constitution was amended to allow foreigners to lease
(but not own) land, and that was only achieved after a
fierce struggle. New Zealand has no equivalent of the
national patrimony clause, and there are no restrictions
on foreigners owning up to 100% of mass media companies
or public utility companies. There are some restrictions
on enterprises engaged in the exploitation of natural
resources (fisheries is the specific restricted sector).
There are virtually no restrictions on foreigners owning
land in New Zealand. We would do well to learn from the
Philippines.
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