Labour Kills The Treaty – Again!

A column by Hone Harawira published in the Northland Age
Tuesday 9 September 2008

Parliament’s been extended until Thursday 25 September so that Labour can rush through a whole stash of bills. One of them is the Policing Bill, which Labour had sneaked back into the House for its final reading late on Friday, hoping nobody would notice. Unfortunately for them I did, and in my speech I said:

“… three weeks ago we (the Maori Party) argued for the inclusion of a Treaty clause to ensure that Maori would be involved in all decision-making, from governance to operations, and proposed a simple amendment to the Bill, that “in interpreting and administering this Act, effect be given to the Treaty of Waitangi” - highlighting government's Treaty obligations, and the need for government to do all that it can to improve the relationship with Maori.”

That Treaty Clause was voted down by every one of Labour’s Maori MPs, including Parekura Horomia, Nanaia Mahuta, Mahara Okeroa, Mita Ririnui, Dover Samuels and Dave Hereora.

Labour is trying to convince everyone that they support the Treaty. They don’t, and we have exposed them on this critical issue, time and time again. Mind you, National don’t support it either, but then they’re honest enough to say so.

INDEPENDENT VOICE

A man gets a bit sick of listening to the scare-mongering from Labour about the Maori Party doing deals with National, so here’s a little history lesson. After Election ‘05, we held 35 hui all round the country to ask our people who they thought we should hang out with. A few loopies said National, a whole bunch said Labour, but most of them told us to hang tough, be independent.

And if there’s anything that’s characterised our last three years in Parliament, it’s our independence, it’s the fact that Maori people all over Aotearoa now know that at long last, they have a strong and independent Maori voice in the House.

We bow to no-one, we cast our vote based on what’s good for Maori, and the only people who can tell us what to do are Maori. How many other MPs can say that? None folks. None at all.

End

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