The Maori Party’s Mana-Enhancing Relationship with National

MANA Movement candidate, John Minto
3 Wednesday September 2014

“First we had Cameron Slater and David Farrar backing Labour’s Kelvin Davis bid to unseat MANA Movement Leader and MP for Te Tai Tokerau Hone Harawira. Now we have Slater writing a pro-Te Ururoa Flavell article on his website, Whale Oil” remarks MANA Movement Candidate John Minto. “As Slater articulates in his post, the Maori Party could very well remain in coalition with the National Party. Yet the vast majority of Maori voters want to see a change in government; their best bet is to vote for the MANA Movement, not the Maori Party”.

“What I can’t understand is the Maori Party repetitively saying that they have a ‘mana-enhancing’ relationship with the National Party. Why would they continue to stand by those comments with the daily drip feed of damming emails and posts that suggest corruption could be the predominant culture within the ninth floor of the Beehive? Dirty Politics is now starting to taint not just National but their coalition partners that include the Maori Party. Maori voters are sick and tired of this election campaign being dominated with scandal after scandal”.

“My question is plain and simple to the Maori Party. Are they prepared to walk from their mana-enhancing relationship with this National-led Government given the revelations of Dirty Politics? Are they prepared to take a principled-stand, call it a day, and no longer be part of a Government that has done nothing about poverty or inequality? Given the latest disgrace involving a Facebook exchange between former Justice Minister Judith Collins and Cameron Slater whereby they discuss accessing and releasing video related to the Tuhoe Raids that would paint those arrested in an unfavourable light, the Maori Party must walk from National. The issue of the Tuhoe Raids has been a hotbed of debate within Waiariki, and if the Maori Party is not prepared to leave National then the integrity and principles of the Maori Party are being seriously called into question”.

“The Maori Party owes it to their supporters to walk now and take a principled stand over Dirty Politics. Anything less will be seen for what it is by the voters”.

ENDS

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