Two weeks ago, on Saturday November 20 the Labour government inserted a new section into the Covid-19 Health Response Act granting the power to “close roads and public places and stop vehicles” to members of iwi organisations.
The Government is trying to convince us that it is police checkpoint because there must be a police officer there, but I for one certainly do not see how one police officer being somewhere close by makes a traffic stop by an Iwi led contingent anything other than a huge imposition on my democratic rights as a citizen of New Zealand.
This change in legislation is crucial for the future of New Zealand.
It has the power to destroy the democratic rights of all New Zealand citizens by the introduction of race based legislation in New Zealand.
The history of New Zealand is that people have come here from all around the world for all different reasons, coming towards one thing: opportunity. They wanted the chance for tomorrow to be better than today and to be born free and equal.
Some people came to get away from the feudalism, from the class system of England that evolved in order to have an egalitarian society where people are born free and equal and have opportunity. Some have come here from the People’s Republic of China to get away from the oppressive CCP regime. Some have come to this country from India to get away from the remnants of the caste system.”
Where this Parliament is taking us is a massive shift. It’s the difference, between a nation state filled with citizens born free and equal on the one hand, and an ethno-state where you’ve actually got to look up your family tree to find out what your political rights are on the other. That’s how significant this change in legislation is.
I believe this is the first step in implementing a system of apartheid!!!
Back in the 1980’s New Zealand was in great turmoil over the Rugby tour by the South African Springboks rugby team. The turmoil came about in opposition to the official government program of apartheid in South Africa and it was felt by many Kiwis that showing support for the Springboks tour was in effect showing support for the system of apartheid. It was also said that as the Springboks were seen as a major flag bearer for South Africa, that to stop the tour would send an international signal from NZ that apartheid would not be tolerated/supported in any form, by New Zealand’s citizens.
There were riots on the streets of NZ in support of halting the tour and these were seen as playing a huge part in the international decrying of the system of Apartheid in South Africa and its eventual demise soon after.
We have just celebrated the 40th anniversary of the protests around that tour and the outcome of a downfall in the system of apartheid in South Africa as a result.
Yet here we are under a Labour government that announces itself as the most open and transparent government ever, the one source of truth, implementing a system of apartheid under cover of the house sitting on a Saturday and then keeping silent on this change in legislation.
What is wrong about the level of secrecy around this decision is that there has been much discussion about the possibility of Iwi led roadblocks for days and the Government has been asked for clarity on what’s going to happen and at no point did anyone in Government mention that they’d changed this law.
Not when the Prime Minister was asked on Tuesday or when Chris Hipkins the Minister for Covid 19 Response was asked on Wednesday.
And at no other time since last Saturday when this topic has come up in discussions with government ministers.
The fact of the matter is that if we go down this pathway and we start saying that, actually, some members are better qualified based on their demographic characteristics to address a matter than others, then we are going to find ourselves in a very poor place. We’re going to find ourselves in a place where some members are not equally capable, and therefore some people who elect some members don’t have equal political rights.
This comes back to this simple idea of equality for all and Democratic Rights.
This government is setting us up to be controlled by a system of race based governance presided over by a tribal elite of unelected Maori representatives which will be bad for the majority of the Maori population and also New Zealand’s other races.
They should be honest and dump this system of race based governance around roadblocks, stop promoting policies of division and return to supporting the democratic rights of all on an equal basis.
There may be significant issues around health and the Covid virus, for Maori, but instituting an Apartheid system of governance such as this will only make the division between Maori and other races get much wider. To treat Maori equally with other races does not require race based apartheid governance systems, although it may require specifically targeted programs to address the issues.
We do not need to destroy Democracy in New Zealand to achieve the desired results just use the resources that we have, wisely, for the benefit of all citizens equally.
Andy Loader