Ae Marika! 8 April 2014
Posted on April 8, 2014 by admin in Ae MarikaI gotta say its bloody hilarious reading what all the political commentators are saying about how any relationship between MANA and the Internet Party is a ‘sell out of MANA’s principles’.
For the past three years those same commentators have tried to pigeonhole MANA as a group that can only speak to its membership of disaffected Maori, the poor and the dispossessed, and those who stand for social justice.
And I don’t shy from that description. The levels of poverty in this country are so high that families existing on the breadline are an increasingly large percentage of the population, Maori are a huge proportion of that group, and principles of social equity and community cohesion have always provided a better foundation for society than the capitalist values that are causing such damage to our people.
But I don’t recall reading anywhere that we weren’t allowed to talk to rich people and I haven’t seen the rules saying that a Maori can’t talk to a German. Or is it just that they can’t understand how Hone Harawira is talking to a rich German (who also happens to be a NZ resident)?
The politics of MANA are simple – eliminate child poverty, warm homes for families and jobs for anyone who is able to work. They may not be the same basic principles of the Internet Party, but they aren’t in opposition either.
I mean … hands up those who don’t like the Internet Party’s policy of faster internet, greater access for everyone, and lower costs? How many parents and teachers wouldn’t want that at every school in the north? Who would turn their nose up at the opportunity to establish a high-tech data centre in Whangarei? And if MANA’s relationship with the Internet Party meant that those initiatives saw Maori kids doing better at school and getting better access to high-tech jobs in the future, then who is going to say no to that?
There’s a phrase “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” about how, even though two parties may have differences of opinion, they will work together to overcome a common enemy. I’m not sure where it comes from but it applies as much to this situation as it has to others in the past, like Britain and the Soviet Union uniting to fight Germany in WW2 and then Britain and Germany uniting against the Soviet Union during the Cold War, the USA and China uniting against Japan during WW2, and now the USA and Japan uniting to fight off the economic threat of an ever dominant China today.
My view is a simple one.
Up until two weeks ago, there were only three parties committed to changing the government – Labour, MANA and the Greens. Now, thanks to the intervention of MANA, the Internet Party joins that alliance.
MANA is working with all three of the others, each in different ways, to achieve that goal.
MANA’s got it’s AGM coming up this Saturday. And we’ve got two guest speakers – Kim Dotcom on the Saturday, and Gareth Morgan on the Sunday. Open your minds folks. If MANA can … we all can.
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.
Jack says:
Post Author April 8, 2014 at 9:02 amTautoko!
Taj says:
Post Author April 9, 2014 at 8:52 pmThe saying “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” will make you look dumb assed if you don’t take care in assessing if you are your own worst enemy
jp says:
Post Author April 9, 2014 at 10:35 pmThe saying “your own worst enemy” is dumb ass. I’m not sure if it is even grammatically correct.