“The Labour/Alliance Government has taken the first step on the slippery slope of separatism by promoting race-based electoral roles and constituencies for Local Government,” says ACT Deputy Leader, Ken Shirley.

“The division of the democratic process on racial grounds is a very unwise initiative and will inevitably lead to a divisive polarisation of society with divided responsibilities and accountabilities.

“The fact that central Government has race-based rolls and constituencies is no justification for this initiative in the Bay of Plenty which is intended as a model across Local Government.

“The Parliamentary Maori Roll and constituencies were introduced as a temporary measure during the Land Wars of the 1860’s at a time when only property owing males over 21 had the right to vote.

“We have come a long way since then and all reviews of our electoral system has recommended the abolishment of the Maori seats, the most recent being the Royal Commission on Electoral Reform which reported in 1986.

“This proposal is not widely supported within the Bay of Plenty and the Regional Council has consistently refused to hold a referendum on the issue,” concluded Ken Shirley.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>