Kim Dotcom takes the stage at a Wellington nightclub, turning a nighttime dance party into a political rally. “Are you ready for a re-vol-lu-tion!” The Internet mogul, who faces extradition to the United States on piracy charges, reaches 200 revelers. “Don’t let your parents decide who runs this country.”
The millionaire entrepreneur and convicted fraudster, whose file-sharing site Megaupload was shut down in 2012 after a police raid, is becoming an unlikely power broker in New Zealand politics ahead of the September 20 election. In a race that can be determined by just a few seats, Mr Dotcom is exploiting a loophole in the electoral system in an attempt to oust Prime Minister John Key from office.
Mr Key, who is running for a third term, says Mr Dotcom is trying to buy political clout to avoid extradition. The part-time techno musician says he’s fighting for internet privacy after Edward Snowden’s revelations about US espionage.
“It’s extraordinary,” said Bryce Edwards, a political scientist at the University of Otago in Dunedin. “New Zealand is not used to these plots of international intrigue, big money and brash personalities.”
Mr Dotcom’s fledgling Internet Party, funded with NZ $ 3million (£ 1.5million) of its own money, has forged an alliance with the Mana Party, led by a Maori activist, to form the Internet Mana party, increasing its chances of gaining political clout.
Internet Mana launched his election campaign in Auckland on August 24, promising 50,000 new digital jobs if he is in the next government.
While Mr Dotcom, 40, of German descent, cannot run for parliament himself, poll shows Internet Mana could win up to five seats – a decisive bloc, which the main party of opposition would probably need to form a government.
Internet Mana says he fights for “the poor, the helpless and the dispossessed”, among whom the indigenous Maori of New Zealand are overrepresented. The Internet Party’s flagship policy is to provide super-fast, cheaper web connections with more freedom and privacy.
The suit has the potential to mobilize young people who would not vote normally, said former Labor Party chairman Mike Williams: “It could change the outcome of the election.
The Internet Mana alliance is “totally illegitimate” and is up to Mr Dotcom to redeem his party’s entry into parliament, Russel Norman, co-leader of the Green Party – Labor’s biggest ally – said in an interview. “It’s money that undermines democracy. “
Sue Bradford, a seasoned political activist for the underprivileged, said this was one of the reasons she left Mana when she teamed up with Mr Dotcom.
“It’s trying to buy political influence and power,” she said. “I also saw Kim Dotcom’s beliefs as fundamentally incompatible with the principles of Mana.”
File-sharing site Megaupload was shut down in 2012 after a police raid
Mr Dotcom, who changed his name to Kim Schmitz, has been convicted of computer fraud, data espionage, theft of trade secrets and receiving stolen property, according to documents from the Neo Security Intelligence Service. Zealander.
After the dawn raid on his mansion in January 2012, involving two helicopters and officers armed with assault rifles, he was indicted in Virginia in what prosecutors called the largest human rights violation case. author of the history of the United States.
They allege that Megaupload, which once accounted for 4% of all internet traffic, generated more than $ 175 million (£ 105 million) in proceeds of crime from the exchange of pirated movies, music and files. Five Hollywood studios are asking for more than $ 100 million in a separate civil case.
The final decision on Mr Dotcom’s extradition, which is due to be heard by a court in February, rests with the Minister of Justice.
Mr Dotcom denies he is trying to gain political clout to avoid extradition, and says he is motivated by the shutdown of Megaupload and the extent of US espionage revealed by former security contractor M Snowden.
“These events combined have made me decide to engage politically,” he said in an interview last month at James Cabaret nightclub in Wellington. “My case is very political … they are trying to hold me accountable for the actions of my users.”
James Dicks, 19, who attended the Dotcom party, said he would consider voting for Internet Mana.
“Kim Dotcom may be breaking the law,” he said. “But if you are going to punish people for illegally downloading movies, then you will be punishing everyone.”
Mr Dotcom and his lawyers say the charge is “propelled by the White House’s desire to appease the film industry in return for campaign contributions”, and that the New Zealand government is beholden to its US ally .
New Zealand granted Mr. Dotcom residency in 2010 despite knowing he was under an FBI investigation. The declassified documents have given rise to speculation that Mr. Key’s government has granted residency to Mr. Dotcom at the request of the United States, as it would be easier to extradite him from New Zealand.
© Bloomberg
