I know I am showing my age a bit here, but I can remember the days when newspapers used to report actual news. This is in direct contrast to this morning’s Herald (it certainly is “the weak-end” Herald). We have the mercurial Hone Harawira admitting to skipping official meetings (the ones we paid for him to attend) so that he can take a tour. In case we don’t find his flagrant disregard of why he is traveling to be annoying enough, he then goes and makes some of the most racist remarks I have heard in an e-mail. He then apologises only for embarrassing the Maori party. Presumably he is thinking “f..k the motherf..king white colonialist trash” while he is making his apology. Lovely man.
As Mr. Harawira’s loudmouth, boorish actions threaten to end the current coalition, one would have thought this was newsworthy – but it is not mentioned except as a brief article on page three. The front page news? Rodney Hide had a holiday.
Rodney. Hide. Had. A. Holiday.
And just in case you think this is a ploy of the editor – splashing a trivial scandal on the front page to attract readers, think again. Two (not one, but two) columnists go with Hide’s use of his entitlement. His legal use of his entitlement. That did not involve skiving off his actual duties nor slagging off three quarters of the country.
Okay, I accept that Hide has shown a remarkable lack of insight here and has neatly opened himself up to the same set of poor perceptions that currently plague Bill English. But how is his minor porking at the trough in any way more important than Harawira’s blatant racism?
Not that Harawira will admit to racism. He won’t have to – already the apologists are out in force. If you want a really good example of rank, festering hypocrisy, here is our Race Relations Commissioner being nauseating:
“Commissioner Joris de Bres says, unlike students wearing Nazi uniforms or schoolboys bowing to a swastika, Mr Harawira’s comments are not a breach of the Human Rights Act, because he is entitled to freedom of expression.”
I feel free to express that you are a complete prat, Mr. de Bres. I look forward to seeing your unbelievably stupid remark on a Tui billboard in the near future.
Additional:
There does not seem to be any shortage of apologists with prattish remarks.
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Nov 7 09 9:03 am
Surely, wearing a Nazi uniform is merely exercising Freedom of Expression?
It's so handy to quote freedoms when it suits, and ignore racism when it's from a Government Minister.
I fully agree with your post MacDoctor.
Nov 7 09 11:18 am
How come it's not freedom of expression if the same sentiment was expressed by a white person to Maori? How come when this featured on TV1's Closeup there were 3 prominent Maori being interviewed like this issue didn't really affect the rest of us or because it was too inflammatory to have a discussion with the people who the remarks were actually directed at?
How come the Herald doesn't follow this chain of events to its logical conclusion? None of us want John Key to consort with any party that endorses a racist MP- full-stop. If he doesn't threaten the Maori party directly to end the coalition unless they do something about the guy, then the state of Pakeha-Maori relations will reach a new public low….. As a minister of parliament, Hone's remarks damaged whatever is left of the relationship between Maori and Pakeha in NZ, and that's a fact. Does anyone else agree?
Nov 7 09 7:27 pm
<quote>As a minister of parliament, Hone's remarks damaged whatever is left of the relationship between Maori and Pakeha in NZ, and that's a fact. Does anyone else agree?</quote>
I disagree. Hone does not speak for the majority of Maori let alone all Maori as he may think. There would be plenty of Maori embarrassed by him. However, I would agree that the Maori Party do nothing to help the relationship between Maori and Pakeha in NZ.
The comments by Maori Party co-vice president and retired judge Heta Hingston are certainly not helpful. I find it hard to believe that such a person could be a judge when he tries to make excuses for Hone's crude email. There is not excuse.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_i...
Nov 7 09 9:12 pm
I think that the reason that you're wrong Chuck Bird is that those within Maoridom have not done enough to distance themselves from what Hone said, and so they are guilty by association.
They have said that his words were not in keeping with the spirit of the Maori party, but they haven't directly refuted them- not a single Maori has come out and said that the white man has NOT raped 'Maori land', or has said that the white man has made adequate recompense where we have raped the land, or has publiclly stated that Hone is plain wrong by what he said, and there is no justification for their inaction on these points in my mind.
We have good reason to presume that Maori agree with Hone until at the highest level of parliament they actively work to disprove our presumption.
Nov 8 09 4:14 am
Johnnieboy, using your logic if prominent women do not come out and condemn some stupid statement made some female in the lunatic fringe of the feminist movement then all women agree with her. Sometime back a feminist lawyer by the name of Denise Ritchie called for Father's Day to be a day of shame because of all the young girls men sexually abuse. The woman is a nutter but had some support but I would hardly claim that all women agree with her as they did not condemn her statement.
I could be wrong but it sounds to me like you want create anti Maori feeling anonymously. At least Hone uses his real name.
Nov 8 09 4:53 am
You're making a false analogy Chuck B. I don't want to create anti-Maori sentiment, nor are the commentators over at NZCPR who have significantly influenced my opinion on this matter.
There are valid reasons for criticising Maori disregard for the 3rd article of the Treaty- that all citizens, Maori, European, and otherwise, are entitled to equal rights as British citizens. At present that is not the case- all others are 2nd-class citizens to Maori at present. Did you notice that only Maori beneficiaries are being fully subsidised for the incoming price shocks that will hit NZ citizens as a result of the implementation of the ETS? The government has already signed on the dotted line.
Anti-Maori sentiment my foot- did you notice how you didn't address any of the points I raised- you just reached for the 'anti-Maori feeling' card. It is not anti-Maori to question the way this issue is being handled by both sides, and to talk about it (rather than just listen to Herald spin).
Nov 8 09 4:58 am
Hone is by no means on the lunatic fringe- unless that is how you define Members of Parliament, our international representatives, and representatives of our indigenous culture. Therefore what he says has more weight.
Nov 8 09 7:51 am
“There are valid reasons for criticising Maori disregard for the 3rd article of the Treaty- that all citizens, Maori, European, and otherwise, are entitled to equal rights as British citizens.”
Jonnieboy, does your comment above refer to every Maori or just the majority of Maori?
What do you base this view on? How many Maori have you discussed this with?
I just read what Lindsay Mitchell, guest NZCPR Columnist
Maori and Welfare – part 5: The Way Forward
http://www.nzcpr.com/columist9.htm
She is sensible and balanced and not racist.
Read what she has to say on her blog.
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=19962237...
It is possible to criticise Hone and those who support him without blaming all Maori.
Nov 8 09 11:08 pm
Just found this blog.I'm glad I did. Who do we complain to about the human right commisioner ?
Surely not the human rights tribunal.
By his own mouth he has said a racist remark; namely
'unlike students wearing Nazi uniforms or schoolboys bowing to a swastika, Mr Harawira’s comments are not a breach of the Human Rights Act, because he is entitled to freedom of expression'. So students do not have the freedom of expression ?
Something stinks in this country…. It has a name.. apartheid
Nov 8 09 11:09 pm
Jonnieboy, I suggest you read NZCPR Guest Columnist, Lindsay Mitchell
Nov 9 09 5:43 am
CB, I have now- she has yet to post about how the government can reduce the disparity of outcomes between Maori and Pakeha, and she repeatedly makes the point that benefits such as the DPB have hurt Maori.
How about reading the commentary of an NZCPR presenter, Dr Muriel Newman, on the topic:
http://www.nzcpr.com/weekly199.htm
Nov 9 09 11:21 pm
Jonnieboy, unfortunately I have had problems with the new system on this blog and a couple of my posts have gone astray.
You can read what Lindsay Mitchell has to say about Hone on her own blog below.
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=19962237...
I know Muriel Newman and read the article you referred to. I cannot see anything that I would consider raciest. There is difference between stating a view on Maori seats or treaty claims and criticising all Maori for statements made by one disturbed individual.
Sadly, far too many Maori support this person and the Maori Party but they are definitely in a minority. Maori make up about 15% of the population yet only about 3% vote for the Maori Party.
David Farrar points out on Curiablog where Maori rate treaty claims
http://curiablog.wordpress.com/2009/11/09/marae-d...
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Nov 10 09 10:07 pm
Jonnieboy, I have been unable to reply because of the new system. The old one is back so I will reply briefly. I was speaking to a Maori chap tonight who had no time for Hone or the Maori Party and thought we should get rid Maori seats.
Hone does not speak for all Maori. Sadly, he speaks for too many but by no means the majority. His comments do more harm to Maori who just want to got on with life, earn a living and raise a family that white people.