The Maori Party is considering breaking from the National-led Government over asset sales.
Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia says the party will consider walking out of its relationship with the National Party if a Treaty clause is not extended to those state owned enterprises tagged for partial sale.
Ms Turia said today that the issue was similar to the foreshore and seabed issue for Maori.
"If it comes down to the wire, the Maori Party will have to consider its position with the Government."
She said the party would meet with iwi leaders to gather their reaction, although some had already made their displeasure known. She said the party was beholden to iwi and its constituents and would follow their lead.
This is of course not new ground for Mrs Turia, who was a Minister in the Clark government before she left Labour due to the Foreshore and Seabed controversy. That was indeed the catalyst for the formation of the Maori Party. So in a way, it's deja vu all over again, and we shouldn't be surprised by it.
We wonder however if there might be a deeper root cause than simply the issue of asset sales, which incidentally was EXCLUDED from the Maori Party's C&S agreement. The Maori Party is on a precipice, and may well not survive beyond the 2014 election.
And Mrs Turia should carefully consider the implications of such a petulant action. After all, the Maori Party did very well in its three years in partnership with National between 2008 and 2011. The Foreshore and Seabed legislation was repealed, and the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act was passed to replace it. The Maori Party gained mana from Pita Sharples' appointment as Minister of Maori Affairs. And Mrs Turia herself won a significant victory with the implementation of her Whanau Ora policy.
It would be a significant political moment were the Maori Party to walk away from ministerial appointments, and a constructive role with the government. We rather suspect that common ground will be found, and that the status quo will prevail.
5 comments:
Rubbish. Maori have been done over by Key and his henchman. Repeal of the Seabed and Foreshore legislation? Yeah, and now it's worse than before the CA's decision in 2003. What else has Key done for Maori? Nothing, and they're just about to make things worse by repealing, by stealth, the one thing that Maori do have left that may provide some hope after the Key and his nasty money men are ousted - the Treaty. You want to take that away, too?
Couldn't disagree more Lisa. The Maori Party will achieve absolutely nothing for Maori from opposition.
Keeping Stock's reply will make no sense to you at all, Lisa. That's because he hasn't addressed what you've said, merely denying the obvious, as he is wont to do.
The second part of his comment has no value whatsoever, but serves instead of salient commentary.
You'll have to get used to it. There's nothing else KS can say, when faced with an idea he cannot grasp.
Try a blog run by someone with the ability to take in uncomfortable information and respond in an adult manner.
Lisa you sound like a "true believer" so I shouldn't even bother commenting. As KS said Pita Sharples & Tariana Turia were happy to crow about what they had achieved with National during the election campaign.
How much did the achieve when Labour was government ( and the MP were "last cab off the rank" : zero.
Not clear how the precious treaty will do anything to raise productivity in NZ.
Once again Tariana shows all that is:
1. wrong with MMP - tail trying to wag dog.
2. why the Maori seats should be got rid of in the MMP wash up.
3. the flaws of basing a party to represent only one sector of society to the detriment of the common good.
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