Another hīkoi has come and gone. An unknown number of unemployed travelled, mainly in motorised transport (the invention of the despised white man). If their media mates appeared with a camera they would leap out and pretend they had been consistently on the march. But we weren’t fooled, any more than we were fooled by this political stunt pulled by people who had nothing better to with their time. You might recall the old saying ‘the Devil finds work for idle hands’.
The only ones really interested in this cultural circus were their friends in the media. These sympathetic sycophants were painfully excited by the antics and put their stamp of approval on it. I made a conscious decision not to go near media websites and neither did I watch the left-wing bias shown on television.
Were the majority of us interested? It appears not. Those with the responsibility of a family to support were at work earning the money needed to, among other things, put food on the table. These people, most Māori included, represent the majority of hard-working people contributing to the economy of the country. They can’t afford the luxury of wandering the streets and countryside waving bits of material on sticks.
So what did it achieve?
Nothing of note or substance. During the time it was meandering its way to Wellington most, apart from the media, paid little attention to it, because their side of the Treaty debate is one not shared by the majority.
A rabble is bound to fail and does nothing to win hearts or minds. Clearly their behaviour in Parliament when they threatened other MPs with a haka was in itself highly damaging.
These people are delusional and for all their so-called walking, they are going nowhere. Our parliamentary system based on the Westminster system, does not accommodate their ideas of cultural considerations.
There is of course, a simple way to solve these problems: abolish the Māori seats.
Those in leadership roles who talk about this country being ‘one people’ need to realise that in reality, that scenario is nothing more than a pipe dream while those seats remain.
One country for all will never become a reality if those who have the ability to make the necessary changes fail to do so - and that includes sorting out the Treaty.
The hīkoi was the very antithesis of this and the purpose of it was to enforce the will of the minority on the majority. Unless this unrealistic concept is completely stamped out, the situation we currently face will never go away.
That is the reality facing our political leaders and they need to act if their words are not to be taken as meaningless.
It cannot be ignored. This idea of looking at things on a case by case basis, as suggested, is as flawed as they like to think Seymour’s Bill is. The hīkoi has done nothing to change where things currently sit. We got on with our lives while it was in progress, paid little attention to it and we will continue to do so. Its effect on the majority of us is negligible, yet the problems that need sorting are still there.
Until someone has the courage to grasp the nettle and look seriously for answers this nonsense will continue: the Māori Party and activists elsewhere will ensure it does. It is naïve to think otherwise. Seymour’s bill has more support than its detractors care to admit. It would be helpful if this fact were recognised and a few heads were banged together to come up with a long-term solution.
In the broader scheme of things, the hīkoi was was no more than a hiccup. Hiccups are normally solved by holding one’s breath, which is not something l would recommend in this case. The politicians, particularly those on the right, with the exception of ACT, need to realise that those who put them in power did so in the belief that the necessary courage was there to fix this festering sore.
We are now left in doubt and that is not good enough.
Were the majority of us interested? It appears not. Those with the responsibility of a family to support were at work earning the money needed to, among other things, put food on the table. These people, most Māori included, represent the majority of hard-working people contributing to the economy of the country. They can’t afford the luxury of wandering the streets and countryside waving bits of material on sticks.
So what did it achieve?
Nothing of note or substance. During the time it was meandering its way to Wellington most, apart from the media, paid little attention to it, because their side of the Treaty debate is one not shared by the majority.
A rabble is bound to fail and does nothing to win hearts or minds. Clearly their behaviour in Parliament when they threatened other MPs with a haka was in itself highly damaging.
These people are delusional and for all their so-called walking, they are going nowhere. Our parliamentary system based on the Westminster system, does not accommodate their ideas of cultural considerations.
There is of course, a simple way to solve these problems: abolish the Māori seats.
Those in leadership roles who talk about this country being ‘one people’ need to realise that in reality, that scenario is nothing more than a pipe dream while those seats remain.
One country for all will never become a reality if those who have the ability to make the necessary changes fail to do so - and that includes sorting out the Treaty.
The hīkoi was the very antithesis of this and the purpose of it was to enforce the will of the minority on the majority. Unless this unrealistic concept is completely stamped out, the situation we currently face will never go away.
That is the reality facing our political leaders and they need to act if their words are not to be taken as meaningless.
It cannot be ignored. This idea of looking at things on a case by case basis, as suggested, is as flawed as they like to think Seymour’s Bill is. The hīkoi has done nothing to change where things currently sit. We got on with our lives while it was in progress, paid little attention to it and we will continue to do so. Its effect on the majority of us is negligible, yet the problems that need sorting are still there.
Until someone has the courage to grasp the nettle and look seriously for answers this nonsense will continue: the Māori Party and activists elsewhere will ensure it does. It is naïve to think otherwise. Seymour’s bill has more support than its detractors care to admit. It would be helpful if this fact were recognised and a few heads were banged together to come up with a long-term solution.
In the broader scheme of things, the hīkoi was was no more than a hiccup. Hiccups are normally solved by holding one’s breath, which is not something l would recommend in this case. The politicians, particularly those on the right, with the exception of ACT, need to realise that those who put them in power did so in the belief that the necessary courage was there to fix this festering sore.
We are now left in doubt and that is not good enough.
JC is a right-wing crusader. Reached an age that embodies the dictum only the good die young. This article was first published HERE
4 comments:
Has Luxon heard the voters' message? By saying he "likes nothing" in ACT's Treaty Bill and , on record, describing criticisms of the Waitangi Tribunal from MPs Jones and Seymour as " ill considered", then he appears to be tone deaf.
PS To the previous comment: indeed TPM (the Tamihere clan) made sure the Hikoi was peaceful. However, in due course, these well meaning folks could well be coerced into openly supporting TPM on its march towards He Puapua - including obligatory registration on the Maori roll. This is the reality of tribal rule.
Sad but true.
The hikoi was a failure because its leaders comprehensively failed to give any coherant reason for their actions. Many of those interviewed could only come up with the vague notion that it's about the Treaty. Hands off the treaty they said. But beyond that - nothing! No attempt to specify which bits of the Treaty. Not so long ago I remember the slogan was "The Treaty is a fraud". Why can't they make their minds up? But then I don't speak Maori so apparently I wouldn't understand, and doesn't that just suit the Maori Party down to the ground. Donald Trump would understand the strategy immediately. Never explain; never admit you're wrong; never apologise. It would be sad if it wasn't so menacing, and it begs the question how much more extreme are the actions of this fringe group likely to get once it sinks in that their tantrums are simply hardening public opinion against them.
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