Child abuse brutalising Maori society - Hone Harawira
And indeed it is, and has been since I was a little kid and for much, much longer.
But unlike that "racist bastard" Howard who sent in the army, Hone is going to go to the army ...
I reckon we should lock ourselves away in a barracks down Waiouru (anywhere else and the media and the crazies will come along), put people who are good at dealing with child abuse in a barracks next door to give us advice ... and don't come out till we come up with a solution.
Good twist Hone.
"Yes it's simplistic, and yes, there's going to be all kinds of gonks moaning about why they weren't invited, but really, who cares? We need a plan, we need action, and we need it now."
No Hone, it was needed yesterday, your mum mentioned the high incidence of it years ago.
He said it had to be an all-Maori affair otherwise people started to "clam up". And while Maori society had the biggest role to play, Government also had to be involved.
Yep, if it is 'opened up' everyone will see the full extent of the problem .. best to keep it somewhat private,'code of silence' so to speak, but solutions are bound to need funding so at some point, Gvt. involvement, Gvt. funding.
But really Hone, if you can't say it, you can't assay it and you certainly can't address it.
"And colonisation has a lot to bloody answer for as well."
Right Hone, although I'm not sure that attribution of blame equates with 'taking ownership' of a problem.
Right again Hone, without colonisation this behaviour, both physical and sexual child abuse would never have been defined as wrong ... this physically maintained patriarchal hierarchy of power would still be seen as normal .... and these white pakeha paedophile fellas would not have been able to seek safety and security and the ability to fully exercise their proclivity within your culture ... this ability would have been totally for youse fellas.
National Party Maori affairs spokeswoman Georgina te Heuheu said, "In principal it sounds like a good idea."
Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples' spokeswoman Helen Leahy said Mr Harawira's comments are not party policy..."
Labour list MP Dover Samuels said "more korero" is not what is needed.
He said medical professionals and in-particular psychologists need to get inside the heads of the men who are beating their children ... but this will not work either, the behaviour is cultural, is protected by the culture and the PC belief system that immediately defines any statements about the problem as racist in nature.
So Dover is right and he is wrong ... what is needed is the ability to state the problem honestly, for it (the physical and sexual abuse) to be categorised as absolutely unacceptable and treated in such a manner by all concerned, including the authorities ... these people should be very publicly prosecuted and punished.
