Ae Marika! 3 Sep 2013
Posted on September 3, 2013 by admin in Ae MarikaApologies for missing last week’s article folks … was over in Aussie catchin’ up with the mokos and got all my times completely messed up.
Going to Aussie once in a while is a good chance to get the feel of the two main worlds that Maori people are now living in, Aotearoa and Australia, and to feel the difference.
For Maori at least, there’s a jauntiness to life, an absence of the crippling pressure of unemployment and poverty and racism, and a sense of possibility over there that is so very hard to find here. There’s a very good reason for that though. In simple terms, the stigma of oppression that Maori face here is almost non-existent in Australia – that pressure is almost exclusively heaped upon Aboriginal Australians instead.
Creating that positive environment where good ideas can grow is the challenge. I know that good ideas can survive and even flourish despite the cynicism of political life, but getting those ideas turned into law and put into practice takes compromise and negotiation. Difficult to achieve but not impossible, and the success I’ve had in changing our tobacco laws and promoting the “Feed the Kids” bill shows what can be done if you have a mind to make it happen.
Mind you, dealing with National can be a bitch what with their focus on corporate success rather than improving the lot of the ordinary citizen, and that’s what makes what’s happening over in the Labour camp so interesting right now.
David Shearer’s resignation as the leader of the Labour Party has been on the cards for some time. He’s a good man but as a leader he struggled to get people to understand Labour’s policies and to believe in his leadership.
In the search for his replacement, Labour faithful are now being wooed by Wellington’s Grant Robertson, Auckland’s David Cuniliffe, and Awanui’s very own Shane Jones! All three of them are clear and strong and they all bring different strengths. It’s going to be an interesting next few weeks … Shane is not classic Labour, but he is a natural leader. I wish the brother well.
Oh yeah, one final message, to my niece (who I shall call Emma). I first met Emma when she was in hospital some 15 years ago, in the bed next to my daughter (who I shall call Ani). They were both in because of hip injuries, and have remained close ever since. Ani has just had her hip operation and she is moving around a lot more freely now than she has done for many years. Time for you to get yours done too Miss Emma.
AE MARIKA is an article written every week by Hone Harawira, leader of the MANA Movement and Member of Parliament for Te Tai Tokerau. You are welcome to use any of the comments and to ascribe them to Mr Harawira. The full range of Hone’s articles can be found on the MANA website at www.mana.net.nz.
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