Would they respect any other mores if they went to a service in any of those buildings?
Would they expect anyone and everyone visiting a marae to abide by their customs and rules?
I think the answer to the first question would be no and the second yes. I am certain the answer to the third question would be yes.
Why if they expect others to obey their rules in their place, do they not respect the rules in parliament?
They broke the rules when they performed a haka in parliament after the final reading of the Treaty Principles Bill.
Co-Leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer & Rawiri Waititi broke the rules again yesterday by refusing to front up to the Privileges Committee.
Why if they expect others to obey their rules in their place, do they not respect the rules in parliament?
They broke the rules when they performed a haka in parliament after the final reading of the Treaty Principles Bill.
Co-Leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer & Rawiri Waititi broke the rules again yesterday by refusing to front up to the Privileges Committee.
. . . Committee chairperson Judith Collins said, on Wednesday evening, she would give Te Pāti Māori “one more chance” to attend. However, she told Stuff the committee would not be requesting a summons from Parliament to force their attendance.
Te Pāti Māori had wanted to speak as a group, with Waititi, co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke appearing together with their lawyer, former attorney general Chris Finlayson KC.
But Collins said there have never been a case, in the history of New Zealand’s Parliament, where MPs have been unable to speak for themselves. She said the committee would not allow a group submission, but confirmed there was no issue with bringing in a lawyer.
Respect has to be reciprocal. If it’s not, those who show respect are subjugated to those who don’t.
If TPM MPs want their ways to be respected they have to show respect to the rules of parliament.
If they want to change the rules they must follow the rules on how to do that.
The answer to the question of which rules rule in parliament, has to be parliament’s.
By continuing to disrespect parliament and its rules they are playing to the aggrieved gallery who support them and that is a very dangerous game which they cannot be allowed to win.
Former MP Stephen Franks discussed this issue with Sean Plunket on The Platform.
Ele Ludemann is a North Otago farmer and journalist, who blogs HERE - where this article was sourced.
5 comments:
I don't see the problem. There's no doubt about what happened. The Privileges Committee should just make a decision that is appropriate, which should be one that discourages this behaviour in future.
As said before, I would like that decision to involve putting the miscreants in the stocks to be pelted with rotten fruit. Assuming Finlayson appears to represent them, he should then join them in the stocks.
Unless they are thrown out of the House at the start of their next antics, they will persist with this childish behavior.
More international headlines proving that NZ is far from the civilized country it purports to be.
Yes - Brownlee is seriously lacking
History has shown us repeatedly that appeasement only delays the inevitable showdown, which will be uglier the longer the delay. Isn't the first rule of a scrap is to get in first and fast. We really have become a nation of pathetic cowards, especially Politicians. They need to grow a backbone and a pair of gonads instead of wringing their hands and wailing. Do what they were elected to do or get out and hide behind their mothers skirts
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