Time to scrub divisive, race-based favouritism

POLITICS RINGSIDE - BOB JONES

I dislike Maori seats, which are both racist and undemocratic. Initially introduced as a short-term measure, they should have been abandoned decades ago.

Why not allocate Asians, left- handers, Pacific Islanders or even homosexuals special seats, which in that latter case would see the emptying out of the modern Labour Party. Anyone's at liberty to start a left-handers or Asian party but there would be great indignation were they to be automatically guaranteed seats in the House, a privilege currently accorded Maori. If an argument could ever have been made for Maori seats, which is questionable, then it has long since gone. That they exist has, under MMP, allowed the successful creation of the Maori Party while Maori voters can still follow tradition and favour Labour with their party vote.

Lacking that advantageous MMP factor plus his general ineptitude is why Mat Rata failed with his attempt to create a Maori Party.

On current polling, this election will probably be decided by the Maori Party, which will thus find itself gifted with a grossly unfair and disproportionate influence.

Will it behave responsibly? The answer is an unequivocal yes, at least under the current leadership of Tariana Turia and Pita Sharples, who are justifiably two of Parliament's most respected members.

But Mrs Turia is odds on to pull stumps in three years' time and who can blame her? She is a dignified woman who finds much of the current political conduct distasteful. And what if Dr Sharples is hit by the proverbial bus, or gives up in despair as he hinted at recently?

While both have occasionally spouted nonsense, it must be said they've done this a damn sight less often than the vast majority of MPs. Dr Sharples showed himself to be a truly honourable member in revealing the disgraceful overtures of Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia to influence the decision on the Privileges Committee Winston Peters judgment, solely on the basis of Mr Peters' race. The Privileges Committee is a judicial institution and making its findings is not the equivalent of lobbying over planned legislation.

On television Dr Sharples mused about his durability as a parliamentarian in being obliged to tolerate the unprecedented climate of corruption and immorality which so characterises the current government's third term. He's not alone. I know of another extremely prominent Opposition politician who has contemplated chucking it because of the culture of mendacity that has evolved in recent years.

The Maori Party lists only three policy objectives on its website. All are an outrage and will never happen, at least not without causing a revolution. The first is to take ownership of the foreshore and seabed, the absurd claim which spawned the Maori Party and which brought about a properly bold response from the Government. The expressed tenuous grounds for this claim apply equally to claiming the air we all breathe.

The other two stated objectives are to allow Maori to retire (and presumably claim superannuation) at 60 while non-Maori wait until 65, and finally, unspecified special tax advantages, solely for Maori.

In essence these goals amount to an assertion that Maori are entitled to special privileges solely by dint of their race and presumably because they settled here first. On that rationale all recent years' immigrants to New Zealand should pay higher tax rates and qualify for super when they're 90.

Mrs Turia and Dr Sharples are much better than that. They should rewrite their party's objectives to a broad aim of overcoming Maori underperformance, which in fact appears to be their real concern, and scrub forever divisive, race- based favouritism as their party's ambition.