Te Pāti Māori arrived at Waitangi with a new campaign pledge, and a bold ultimatum. Co-leader Rawiri Waititi announced Tuesday a bottom line for any potential coalition partner, saying there must be a Parliamentary Commissioner for Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
That commissioner would have an extraordinary power, giving it the ability to audit bills and issue a “Tiriti veto” if policy and bills did not comply with Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
TPM are at least honest about their intentions. They wish to end parliamentary democracy in New Zealand. Their non-negotiable demand is that an appointed Commissioner will have the ability to veto any law that in their sole discretion they decide is not compliant with the Treaty of Waitangi.
It’s ironic that there is so much focus on how Donald Trump is a threat to democracy, while in New Zealand we have an opposition party that is outrightly campaigning on ending democracy.
Chris Hipkins has refused to rule TPM out on the basis of this policy. It seems given a choice between democracy and a coalition partner – the latter will win.
The only upside to this policy is that it would be very cool to be the Parliamentary Commissioner for Te Tiriti o Waitangi. I would put my hand up for the role. We all know that Hone Heke campaigned against taxes and tariffs, so I would love to have the sole power to strike down taxes I don’t like as being non compliant with the Treaty. Minimum wage laws are clearly not compliant with the Treaty as they interfere with hapu rights, so they would also reluctantly go.
I also imagine that having the sole power to strike down laws would make me very very popular with lobbyists. I’d never have to pay for dinner again – or holidays, or houses, or clothes or well anything.
The only negative thing about the role is the title. Parliamentary Commissioner for Te Tiriti o Waitangi is quite a mouthful. A much better title could be Rex, or Czar, or Pharaoh – from ancient history. Or I could go with Kaiser, Generalisimus, Duce from the first half of the 20th century. Supreme Leader has a nice ring to it also, per North Korea.
David Farrar runs Curia Market Research, a specialist opinion polling and research agency, and the popular Kiwiblog where this article was sourced. He previously worked in the Parliament for eight years, serving two National Party Prime Ministers and three Opposition Leaders.
Chris Hipkins has refused to rule TPM out on the basis of this policy. It seems given a choice between democracy and a coalition partner – the latter will win.
The only upside to this policy is that it would be very cool to be the Parliamentary Commissioner for Te Tiriti o Waitangi. I would put my hand up for the role. We all know that Hone Heke campaigned against taxes and tariffs, so I would love to have the sole power to strike down taxes I don’t like as being non compliant with the Treaty. Minimum wage laws are clearly not compliant with the Treaty as they interfere with hapu rights, so they would also reluctantly go.
I also imagine that having the sole power to strike down laws would make me very very popular with lobbyists. I’d never have to pay for dinner again – or holidays, or houses, or clothes or well anything.
The only negative thing about the role is the title. Parliamentary Commissioner for Te Tiriti o Waitangi is quite a mouthful. A much better title could be Rex, or Czar, or Pharaoh – from ancient history. Or I could go with Kaiser, Generalisimus, Duce from the first half of the 20th century. Supreme Leader has a nice ring to it also, per North Korea.
David Farrar runs Curia Market Research, a specialist opinion polling and research agency, and the popular Kiwiblog where this article was sourced. He previously worked in the Parliament for eight years, serving two National Party Prime Ministers and three Opposition Leaders.
10 comments:
It isn't only TPM who want to end democracy. Just look at what is going on at the Waitangi celebrations.
This step - with its veto of legislation - would mean the arrival of He Puapua .
The TPM assertion is not the problem. The issue is that the leaders of all the other parties have not immediately declared that they will not form a government which included TPM. There will always be a lunatic fringe but what is deeply concerning is that we do not have a core commitment to democracy. New Zealand is in big trouble.
Yet crickets ftom the main stream media. Many kiwis don't even know about this. Even today in the nz herald, everything is all about the "'brave " activists and all written in a very romantic and poetic way. Well if tribal rule actually eventuates here, will there still be romantic stories from the msm?
yep their he puapua dreams come true
The more difficult Te Pati make it for other parties to join with them, th better for us all. Appealing to the simple mindedness of many of their potential supporters is pointles if cannot utilise the support acquired.
I'm with you Barrie Davis. Te Pati Maori are just contemptible ignorant racists - it's the politicians and the MSM who are too precious to tell it ike it is who will be responsible if they ever get any power.
Sir Bob Jones has generously gifted an English name to Mr Waititi. It's 'Egbert Buffoon'. That name now carries profound sacred significance and, in the spirit of racial equality, our people now expect it to be used in all future references to him.
So what's with all the shock horror. TPM want to abolish democracy. That's been quite obvious since they started objecting to the "tyranny of the majority". Far better it seems that we run with Chairman Mao's principle that power grows out of the barrel of a gun, a concept the tribes took to heart during the Musket Wars. Who needs alien concepts like representative government and the rule of law when your tikanga gives your leaders the unlimited right to slaughter anyone who challenges their mana? It may be murder, but at least it's culturally safe murder. And if you play your cards right you might just get a sports stadium in Porirua named after you.
So basically, TMP are advocating winding back the clock on the modern world to the good old days of tribalism.
They believe that before 1840 no such thing existed such as infighting, violent conflicts and outright tribal wars, murders and slavery between a fractured conglomeration of micro nations.
This is what happens when history has been perverted, and the propaganda machine has brain washed the masses into believing the only evil that existed was through the arrival of colonial settlement.
So good New Zealand and if TMP gets its' way this country will just be added to the footnote of history as just another failed state.
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