A healthy civil and democratic society depends on citizens’ ability to weigh up diverse views, to re-frame issues and to consider the dangers when powerful people make claims without any obvious evidence.

NSW MP Shaoquett Moselmane has served communities, selflessly, generously and with distinction.

An atmosphere of xenophobia and Cold War tactics is being compounded by what seems to be scapegoating this MP, and by the cowardice of some members of major parties who have joined the “sack him from parliament” chorus. Their behaviour contains an obvious irony and lesson. They display the same intolerance of dissent common in Communist China.  

Serious commentators, including some News Corporation newspapers, acknowledge that Shaoquett has not been accused of any wrongdoing, in which case we seek a return to openness and fairness before we are all consumed by this dangerous rush to judgement. Fair process is required and if there is any substantive evidence produced it needs to be tested.

We the undersigned call on NSW MPs to desist from their attempts to hound Shaoquett out of the NSW parliament. We still live in a democracy. The integrity of the NSW parliament should be upheld.