POLITICIAN ACCUSED OF COCAINE-ADVERTISING

Is Siv Jensen of Fremskrittspartiet [The Progress Party-right
wing/liberalist] advertising for cocaine? Yes, says Member of Parliament
Anne Helen Rui of Arbeiderpartiet [Labour-centre/left wing].

This is the reason:

Before the holidays MP Jensen wore a T-shirt of the popular Japanese bran
d
"Kookai" in Stortinget [the Norwegian parliament]. The brand name was
written across the chest.

This was too much for MP Rui - but she managed to control herself.

That is until NRKs [Norwegian broadcasting company] journalist phoned Rui
this week, to find out how the governments work against drugs was doing -
in particular with regards to the new law Rui has proposed that would ban
drug symbols on jewelry and clothing.

- -I mentioned that I had been strongly provoked by Jensens shirt. There is
no doubt that the name of the brand is a reference to cocaine, and that
kookai is slang for that drug, says Rui to VG. [transl. note: kookai is n
ot
Norwegian slang for cocaine, although the Norwegian spelling of cocaine i
s
"kokain"]

That's when the trouble started:

- -I can't believe it's possible to make that connection. At first I
laughed, but this is actually a strong accusation, bordering on slander,
says Jensen.

She almost dropped the phone to the floor when NRKs journalist phoned her
yesterday and told her about Ruis views.

Rui elaborated on her views in NRKs radio program "Here & Now" yesterday.
To VG she says:

- -I'm used to seeing these clothes on the street, but I had never expected
to see them inside Stortinget.

She claims to have talked to both police and drug users who react on the
brand name.

- -Do you really believe that Siv Jensen is advertising for cocaine?

- -Hidden drug advertisements is a much too serious problem to be reduced t
o
an argument between Siv Jensen and myself. I am not trying to scapegoat
her, says Rui, and goes on:

- -Jensen says she didn't think about drugs at all. All right. But an
officially elected parliament representative just can't go around with
things like that on her shirt, Rui says.

She points out that in spite of her membership in the "Workers
sobriety-organisation" she is not a fanatic.

She is not calmed by the fact that the Japanese word kookai means somethi
ng
like "a long travel at sea".

- -Not at all. A long travel at sea is definitely something that can be
related to intoxication, she says.

Jensen, who had borrowed the T-shirt of her younger sister, has the
following advice for MP Rui:

- -Get out of the closed political circuit and see what the real world look
s
like, and think about what you're saying before you make such serious
accusations the next time.

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski