Now that Tania Rose Billingsley has spoken out on her alleged sexual attack by Malaysian diplomat Muhammad Rizalman Ismail, New Zealanders are backing the call for Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully to resign.
According to the New Zealand Herald, an online petition calling for McCully's resignation this afternoon gathered more than 250 signatures, including one person claiming to be McCully's rival, Conservative Party leader Colin Craig.
However, Craig said he did not sign the petition.
Rizalman has been accused of attempted burglary and sexual assault at the Wellington home of 21-year-old Billingsley. He was arrested on May 9 and charged in court the next day, but was allowed to leave New Zealand on May 22.
The case almost went unnoticed until it was publicised on June 28 and sparked an international row, forcing Malaysia to agree to send Rizalman back to face trial.
Billingsley maintained her allegations and on Wednesday asked the court's permission to publicly reveal her identity so that she could hold the New Zealand authorities accountable to victims of sexual assault.
She said that Rizalman had left the country suddenly, using dfiplomatic means.
'McCully really incompetent'
In its defence, the New Zealand government said it had always wanted Rizalman to stand trial in New Zealand, but an ambiguous communication from an senior Foreign Ministry officer led to a belief that the government was happy for Rizalman to return to Malaysia.
Billingsley said McCully was "really incompetent in the handling of the situation," and a growing number of New Zealanders now agree with her.
Pressure has mounted on McCully to come clean since the Rizalman case was exposed, but the Labour Party's foreign affairs spokesperson David Shearer stopped short of saying McCully's head should roll, the New Zealand Herald reported.
Labour Party has the second most number of seats in the New Zealand Parliament, after the ruling National Party. Green Party has the third most number of seats.
The newspaper reported that both the Labour Party and the Green Party now want the review of the ministry's handling of the case to be external and independent.
Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei called for McCully to stand down for the duration of the review.
However, a spokesperson for McCully, who is now on his way to Europe, said the minister had nothing to add to his previous statement, the New Zealand Herald said.
McCully has also not addressed Billingsley's specific request for his resignation, but said he had publicly apologised to her and was awaiting the result of a full inquiry.
Meanwhile, despite the promise of the Malaysian government made last week, there is still no confirmation that Rizalman is being sent to New Zealand to face trial.
According to the New Zealand Herald, an online petition calling for McCully's resignation this afternoon gathered more than 250 signatures, including one person claiming to be McCully's rival, Conservative Party leader Colin Craig.
However, Craig said he did not sign the petition.
Rizalman has been accused of attempted burglary and sexual assault at the Wellington home of 21-year-old Billingsley. He was arrested on May 9 and charged in court the next day, but was allowed to leave New Zealand on May 22.The case almost went unnoticed until it was publicised on June 28 and sparked an international row, forcing Malaysia to agree to send Rizalman back to face trial.
Billingsley maintained her allegations and on Wednesday asked the court's permission to publicly reveal her identity so that she could hold the New Zealand authorities accountable to victims of sexual assault.
She said that Rizalman had left the country suddenly, using dfiplomatic means.
'McCully really incompetent'
In its defence, the New Zealand government said it had always wanted Rizalman to stand trial in New Zealand, but an ambiguous communication from an senior Foreign Ministry officer led to a belief that the government was happy for Rizalman to return to Malaysia.
Billingsley said McCully was "really incompetent in the handling of the situation," and a growing number of New Zealanders now agree with her.Pressure has mounted on McCully to come clean since the Rizalman case was exposed, but the Labour Party's foreign affairs spokesperson David Shearer stopped short of saying McCully's head should roll, the New Zealand Herald reported.
Labour Party has the second most number of seats in the New Zealand Parliament, after the ruling National Party. Green Party has the third most number of seats.
The newspaper reported that both the Labour Party and the Green Party now want the review of the ministry's handling of the case to be external and independent.
Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei called for McCully to stand down for the duration of the review.
However, a spokesperson for McCully, who is now on his way to Europe, said the minister had nothing to add to his previous statement, the New Zealand Herald said.
McCully has also not addressed Billingsley's specific request for his resignation, but said he had publicly apologised to her and was awaiting the result of a full inquiry.
Meanwhile, despite the promise of the Malaysian government made last week, there is still no confirmation that Rizalman is being sent to New Zealand to face trial.
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