“Divide and rule” is the first-choice weapon of government, the second is the police and the third is the army
Source: thedailyblog.co.nz - Friday, July 26, 2019
There was something almost smug in the Prime Minister’s voice when she was asked if the government would intervene at Ihumatao. Oh no, she said – that’s an iwi dispute – nothing to do with the government – whew! She was backed up by a phalanx of Maori Labour MPs – spineless to a person – who said it wasn’t the government’s role to get involved in internal iwi politics. Never mind that the government set up special housing areas and approved the land for housing. Never mind that the government’s state forces – the police – are being used to drive people off the land on behalf of a private company. Never mind that the whole of New Zealand history has been built on the same scenario we see at Ihumatao. And never mind that the colonial wars of the past have been based on the same crown logic the Prime Minister is using today. It was the “purchase” of a block of land at Waitara which spurred on the land wars in the Taranaki for example. The Crown negotiated with an iwi leader who had no right to sell the block and then when other iwi members intervened the state forces were deployed to defend the sale and the second wave of the Land Wars began. Divide and Rule has always been the weapon of choice by European colonists to separate Maori from their land – not just in past history but in the present reality. When I look at Ihumatao I’m reminded of Bastion Point. The Muldoon government wanted Bastion Point for luxury housing but Ngati Wh
Source: Breaking News
There was something almost smug in the Prime Minister’s voice when she was asked if the government would intervene at Ihumatao. Oh no, she said – that’s an iwi dispute – nothing to do with the government – whew! She was backed up by a phalanx of Maori Labour MPs – spineless to a person – who said it wasn’t the government’s role to get involved in internal iwi politics. Never mind that the government set up special housing areas and approved the land for housing. Never mind that the government’s state forces – the police – are being used to drive people off the land on behalf of a private company. Never mind that the whole of New Zealand history has been built on the same scenario we see at Ihumatao. And never mind that the colonial wars of the past have been based on the same crown logic the Prime Minister is using today. It was the “purchase” of a block of land at Waitara which spurred on the land wars in the Taranaki for example. The Crown negotiated with an iwi leader who had no right to sell the block and then when other iwi members intervened the state forces were deployed to defend the sale and the second wave of the Land Wars began. Divide and Rule has always been the weapon of choice by European colonists to separate Maori from their land – not just in past history but in the present reality. When I look at Ihumatao I’m reminded of Bastion Point. The Muldoon government wanted Bastion Point for luxury housing but Ngati Wh
| All Related |
Source: Breaking News
Comments
Post a Comment