Michael Laws - Governor-General Controversy

Governor-General Controversy

In 2010, Laws became the second broadcaster from New Zealand (after Paul Henry) to be accused of making "racist" remarks against Governor-General Anand Satyanand. In an October 2010 broadcast, Laws compared the governor-general to an obese Monty Python character and said that Satyanand's weight seemed "incongruous on an Indian. I mean, we don't all expect Indians to be begging on the streets of New Delhi, but it's like Anand discovered the buffet table at 20 and he's never really left it."

The comments were followed by outrage and condemnations from New Zealand politicians. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, who said "I find Michael Laws' comments offensive because they're deeply personal and they're aimed at the governor-general in a way that I don't think is appropriate for that office,". Key also said that Satyanand (who is of Indo-Fijian ethnicity) was doing a good job as Queen Elizabeth II's representative in New Zealand and that should be the only standard on which he was judged. "I don't rate people on their physical weight, their height or their religious beliefs, and I don't think it's appropriate to take pot shots at the governor-general on that basis,"

Initially, Laws refused to apologize for his remarks, telling the New Zealand Herald: "I just said he's a fat Indian man, which is true. He's a fat Indian.". However, Laws backed down from his position following the resignation of Paul Henry over his hostile remarks and racial slurs against Indian politician Sheila Dikshit., saying "I apologise to the governor-general for comments which were, upon reflection, uncharitable and inappropriate.". He also said that while he reserved "the right to be controversial and outspoken", his "off-air comments, in particular, crossed the line from puckish to insulting."

Radio Live management publicly backed Laws for his on-air comments, saying that they were made in jest.