GUEST BLOG: Hone Harawira – RACISM STILL RULES
Some folks are doing a survey on racism (yep, another one!). They reckon that racism in this country has a long history; that it still impacts on us today, and; that current definitions of racism don’t really match what Māori know and see. They want to know how racism has impacted on Māori, and on our rangatiratanga.
So they’re asking:
1. What does rangatiratanga mean to you?
2. How have Pakeha impacted on rangatiratanga?
The best answer gets an iceblock. The brainiest answer gets the wrapper.
Hone Harawira is the Leader of the MANA Movement
Very soon we are going to be facing some very new and harsh rules … and race will not come into it.
And because ALL our so called ‘leaders’ have ignored these rules WAF
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1. The vast majority of moari has essentially no power, and thus has no “Rangatiratanga” to lose in the first place. I’m sure the self-selected “Māori elite” would be unhappy but for the rest of us it would be no loss and probably a positive if they were replaced with more competent, younger versions on a quip pro quo bases.
2. Prison is a good place for Māori to contemplate these things because in too many ways it tells us of the failure to bring much more than devastation and demoralisation which continues to be pakeha New Zealanders failures. In prison it might be tempting to think that the realities that Māori face in prison can some how be contained there and that the rest of us is insulated from it. But of course as all of the dilemmas that exist in prisons, they are far from contained. We know the same dilemmas and more can be extended to all Māori.
And similarly to lower incomed / resourced people. The history may be different but dilemma similar.
Described by some as a class war.
Of course. Prisons have always been an example of what will happen to the rest of us if we don’t tow the line. The way we treat the most vulnerable amongst us is a pretty good indicator of future trends. Slippery sloping and all.