Wed, 02 Dec 2009 10:20a.m.
By Duncan Garner
Hone Harawira has just rolled his Maori Party co-leader's Pita Sharples and Tariana Turia.
Well, not literally, but he and his supporters and the grassroots of the party have seen off Sharples and Turia's demand for him to walk away and set up as an independent.
Yep, Harawira has again said sorry for his white motherf.....s comments and he has paid some money back for his trip to Paris.
So he has been welcomed back into the party and the caucus.
The MPs have decided they want him back. There is a new aroha for Hone within the caucus.
Yes, they acknowledge his comments have been hurtful and hard to handle. But Hone's seen them off.
There are some revised rules, or kawa, for members of Parliament to stick to - about respect, trust, aroha and how to settle fights behind closed doors.
However, all this amounts to a slight tickle under the chin with a soaked bus ticket.
Hone won't even accept his comments were racist. And get this: for his troubles, Hone gets an early Xmas.
The Maori Party has decided the best way to take the heat out of this saga is to send Hone back up north for the remainder of the year and not return to Parliament.
How nice and cosy. It's so he doesn't have to face his peers in Parliament.
I wish TV3 would give me an early Xmas break. I hope the bosses are reading.
Harawira won't even have to make a humiliating apology in Parliament. Many thought that would be a must if he was to show true contrition.
Interestingly, Sharples and Turia were not at this morning's press conference. The symbolism of that says it all.
I never really thought Sharples wanted him out. However, I do believe Turia wanted him gone. Sharples then jumped on Turia's kaupapa and both stood firm - Hone must go.
But he hasn't; the firebrand MP remains. He didn't have the balls to walk into the wilderness - he's too smart for that. He knows going solo is a death wish. Alamein Kopu et al.
One of the new kawa Maori MPs must obey is to 'shroud ourselves with a cloak of justness and goodness'. Christ, if Hone sticks to that he's going to be silenced for years to come.
And that brings me to this: can he really be silenced? In the meantime, yes. So Turia and Sharples, in that sense, have a minor victory.
Harawira will be a shadow of his former self, for a while. But how long can it last?
And one final point:
Twice failed Maori Party candidate, turned media maestro spin doctor Derek Fox tried to stop the press conference on numerous occasions. Why? Because he wanted only six questions asked.
Labour never demands this. National never demands this. Helen Clark never set those rules. John Key doesn't have such a rule. Jim Anderton wants as many questions as possible. Peter Dunne would love us to take more interest.
So why only six? Why should we accept different rules for Maori MPs?
Maybe the Maori Party is embarrassed by this whole saga. It should be. The Party has done so well - gained so much in such a short time. So much work is going on behind the scenes. They are getting numerous victories.
Now its credibility across Maori and Pakeha voters has taken a hit. Its reputation has suffered.
As a group of MPs they have much work to do.