Labour MP Gaurav Sharma has launched another broadside against his party and the Prime Minister, after breaking his silence to media as an expulsion from caucus hangs over his head.
He was put on notice on Tuesday after the caucus unanimously suspended him over a lack of trust, according to the Prime Minister.
"That sense of trust has been broken through repeated breaches of our caucus rules over the last five days and that made the decision very clear," Ardern said.
1News spoke to several senior ministers and they're rallying behind her and calling for the suspended MP to front up to caucus on Tuesday. (Source: 1News)
However, he now claims about six MPs came forward to him this week in support. He has not yet provided any evidence to these claims.
Sharma had not made public comment since Tuesday, after texting media about a meeting held the previous evening.
Sharma is set to face an expulsion motion on Tuesday. (Source: 1News)
"Members of her caucus are still messaging me and saying that there is a bullying problem in Parliament, in the Labour Party, and thank you for raising it," he told 1News' Kim Baker Wilson this morning.
He would not name them because "they're so scared".
Jacinda Ardern says Sharma failed to attend a Zoom meeting to discuss his future. (Source: 1News)
"They're scared because, look at me, in the last week alone I've been made an example (of). If you speak up in the Labour Party, if you speak up against the Prime Minister's office, you will be made an example. Why would other people come out?
"The people who have contacted me are completely all over the range."
The Labour Party has repeatedly disputed and rejected the bullying allegations levelled by Sharma.
On Wednesday, Jacinda Ardern said there was "performance management issues, issues being raised by staff on more than one occasion in Gaurav Sharma's office".
Sharma said in December there had been "at least six people who had been in discussion with me about the bullying that was going on at that point".
"Now, heaps of people have messaged me in support - not just how are you doing and what's going on - specifically saying that they have been bullied by the Labour Party, they are active members of the caucus, and there is an issue with bullying and thank you for speaking up."
"I'm just trying to stand up for myself. If I can't stand up for myself, how will I ever be able to stand up for my constituents?"
Sharma contacted media minutes after Tuesday's caucus meeting began, saying there had been a meeting with all the Labour MPs the previous evening "and the decision was predetermined".
Sharma then claimed he recorded a 55 minute conversation with a Labour MP after the meeting and told 1News, "if you were to hear this 55 minute audio conversations, you would hear the word predetermined so many times".
Sharma would not provide this interview.
Sharma said the person who he recorded "understood" and claimed they told him they appreciated "what's going on and you've still got my backing".
When asked who was telling the truth, Sharma said, "is it me who is lying here to the caucus, or is it the Prime Minister who is lying to her caucus and saying there isn't a problem with bullying, is it the Prime Minister who is lying to five million New Zealanders everyday when she talks about kindness on TV when she goes to an Ivy League University and she talks about transparency."
Jacinda Ardern has repeatedly denied any decisions were predetermined to suspend Sharma from caucus, and Labour has denied all bullying claims.
"That meeting was convened in order for them to do that in a safe space," Ardern said on Tuesday. "This does not constitute a formal caucus meeting; secondly, we will not predetermine an outcome here—that is not a fair process of natural justice."
On Thursday evening, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister said "this latest example of releasing and misrepresenting conversations with his colleagues reinforces that decision and will be discussed by caucus".
"As the Prime Minister said on Tuesday we anticipated Gaurav would continue re-litigating matters in this way. He has still not responded to our communications about entering into mediation, instead using the media to make his points."
Expulsion
A spokesperson for the Labour leader said the caucus will meet on Tuesday "to consider a motion to expel Gaurav Sharma from the caucus".
“Gaurav has repeatedly breached his colleagues' trust, and caucus was clear that should there be further breaches such as this then further steps would be taken.”
When asked what he would do next, Sharma said, "that is something I haven't actively been looking at".
"I haven't planned out and mapped out a career plan, what I want is justice and a fair trial."
"What I have been focused on is getting a fair trial. I was still hoping for a fair trial on Friday, I was still hoping for a fair trial on Monday when the Prime Minister was on a podium saying there will be no predetermined conclusions and I will get a free and fair trial.
"It wasn't until Monday night where I was advised of the meeting and what had happened in that whole meeting, that was the final sort of point where I realised that even that caucus meeting wasn't going to be where I able to get a free and fair trial."
"It's not about a legacy, I actually want a change."
The Prime Minister has repeatedly denied the decision to suspend Sharma was predetermined.
"To be very clear, when caucus members, team members, came together, I made it very clear a formal caucus meeting must always be open to all caucus members. That meeting was not a formal meeting, and I was also clear we would not have any predetermined outcome. Natural justice is very important to our team."
Investigation
Sharma said an independent investigation should take place.
"A lot of the cards have actually been in the Prime Minister's court."
When asked on Wednesday about an independent investigation, Ardern said that "a number of the facts here are actually not in dispute".
"There were performance management issues, issues being raised by staff on more than one occasion in Gaurav Sharma's office.
"What is being disputed is what the best way possible to have dealt with those, we stand by making sure that our MPs create a working environment that supports staff.
"That's why those interventions were made," Ardern said.
"What this situation needs is not a declaration, but mediation, that is, in any employment situation, the kind of tool that would be used and that is what we are suggesting and offering."
"We wouldn't have used a suspension unless we believed there was a pathway back."
Sharma also made an allegation against the Parliamentary Service around employment issues in his office.
On Friday, Parliamentary Service chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero said in a statement that it "takes allegations of misinformation seriously, refutes this claim, and welcomes any evidence that can support it".
"We consider all reports of employment matters carefully and engage with a variety of processes and interventions when considering disputes ranging from informal to formal. Staff situations can change for many different reasons and it would be inappropriate for the Service to comment on individual situations or release details.
"The safety, security, and privacy of staff is of the utmost importance to us, and we will continue to handle all workplace situations with care and respect."
Parliamentary Service previously said a claim by Sharma of misuse of tax payers' money involving an MP and a staff member was actually "normal practice" and for parliamentary business.
Labour’s Kieran McAnulty, who had been at the centre of allegations by Sharma, said on Tuesday the bullying claims are "absolutely" not true, describing it as a "sad, sad situation".
"At the heart of this is an employment matter and when you're a Whip, you've got staff raising concerns about an MP, you've got to step in.
"It is pretty upsetting to be accused of these things, but it's not stacking up."
Sharma has disputed the bullying claims from former staff.
Sharma claims he has "got lots of evidence", but questioned "why should I be the one having to provide evidence every time?"
Sharma posted screenshots of messages on Monday, but no names or dates were attached for verification. No other MPs have come forward. He also provided a transcript of what he says is the 55 minute phone conversation to Newshub, but has not provided that to 1News.
"If this was a regular work place and I said somebody is bullying me, you would just do a normal investigation and would you know try to find out what the facts are," Sharma said.
"But the problem is at every step I'm the one who gets asked. Can you provide the evidence? When I do provide the evidence gets, you know, spun around a different way and said, oh, this guy can't be trusted so you know you can't have it both ways."
Timeline
August 11: The first-term MP for Hamilton West released an opinion piece published in NZHerald, and wrote that the constituents who elected MPs "would be appalled if they saw even half of what their elected representatives have to bear in terms of harassment from inside the Parliament”.
August 12: The MP published a 2600-word Facebook post detailing more grievances and other allegations about his time in Parliament.
August 15: Sharma posted new allegations and images on Facebook at the time Ardern was holding her weekly media conference.
August 16: Minutes after the caucus meeting over Sharma began, he text media saying Labour met without him. The Prime Minister announced Sharma's suspension from caucus.
August 17: The Prime Minister said she and Sharma had not spoken since his suspension. When asked if she or anyone in the party knew his whereabouts, Ardern said that "without disclosing details that will be private to members of the team.. we certainly have made every effort to make sure there is support there and of course we're available".
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