Yesterday our Parliament gave party leaders an opportunity to offer their words to the Philippines in relation to the typhoon Haiyan tragedy that has crippled that nation – a tragedy the organisation I work for, TEAR Fund, and many others are responding to thanks to the generosity of so many New Zealanders.

During that time in Parliament the usual and meaningful words of charity and condolence were offered by party leaders. Dr Russel Norman, co-leader of the Green Party, did something different and many people have criticised him for it. Here’s what he did.

Allow me to state, for the record, that I no longer support any one political party. I gave that up when I got ordained. I do have political leanings and I do vote. In my view, if anyone from any part of the house of Parliament had got up and said what Dr Norman said, I would have supported them. Not so much because of the discussions around climate change but because he aligned himself and his voice with the voice the Philippines decided to have on the world stage directly following the tragedy of typhoon Haiyan.

The speech Dr Norman read was from the Philippines delegate (Naderev Sano) to the global talks on climate change. Sano has been directly affected by the tragedy, suffering great loss himself and unsure of the safety of his relatives. No New Zealand politician has a voice that close to the tragedy. He expressed the frustration of the Philippines and many other nations at the nature of the talks and he made some direct challenges. Dr Norman amplified his voice to the New Zealand public.

Let’s be clear, there are no perfect words to say in such a situation. Real lives have been ripped apart and there are many different ways to respond.

In Parliament yesterday, expressions of condolence and charity were rightly made. They were and are needed. But the work of justice doesn’t simply involve these things, it also involves advocacy in the middle of suffering – being a voice for those suffering in the world and challenging the things that cause that suffering. When Dr Norman made that speech he chose not to simply be charitable, but to stand with the voice the Philippines had chosen to have. What he did was advocacy. This should be applauded whether we agree with the stance on climate change presented or not.

In response to the argument that he was engaging in political point-scoring, it’s Parliament and we pay them to engage in politics. Everything said in the house of Parliament is political. Every single word said by every single person in the house is, at all times, political – including the words of condolence and charity offered by the other political leaders. It’s what we pay them for. Dr Norman chose to give his political voice at this time to the Philippines. Other MPs chose to be political as they tried to shout it down.

Some may argue it was the wrong time, but sometimes, when an issue is perceived to be a justice issue (and the Philippines chose to link the tragedy to the climate change talks and the justice/injustice of those discussions), the middle of the tragedy is the best time to speak about it. Imagine if we didn’t discuss the nature of conflict in the face of the Syrian crisis, or the justice issues related to access to water when drought occurs. If one perceives climate change to be anthropogenic and therefore connects a storm like typhoon Haiyan to that very issue it would be unjust not to raise it.

For these reasons and because advocacy alongside charity is so desperately needed, I support Dr Norman’s approach in the house of Parliament.

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Psalm 31:8-9

Update: Here is the response from the delegate from the Philippines (Naderev Sano) that Russel Norman was quoting and giving voice to in New Zealand’s Parliament where that voice was laughed at…

That response says more to me than any editorial in a New Zealand newspaper or the words of any politician that was trying to shout Dr Norman down or tweet their disgust. The voices of the ones hurt by the tragedy are the voices that matter.

This is the article Sano linked to in the beginning of that tweet: And they Laughed.

The politics and our disagreements/agreements on the matter aside – there are very real people suffering right now and in desperate need of assistance. TEAR Fund is responding through our partners in the middle of the disaster. They need all of us to be generous and help.