Hone Harawira will stay away from Parliament for the next two weeks and think about his future. The Maori Party met on Thursday and the leader, Whatarangi Winiata, suggested that Hone leave the Party. He should resign from Parliament or resign from the Party and become an independent MP. The two co-leaders of the Parliamentary Maori Party, Tariana Turia and Pita Sharples, agreed that it would be best for the Party if Hone left it.
There are two reasons that Hone is in trouble this time. One is his trip to Paris (listen to Nov 9th 2009). The other reason is an email he sent which used angry swear words about relationships between Maori and Pakeha.
Hone has been in trouble before. He has very strong opinions and sometimes does not agree with other members of the Maori Party. The leaders think that he is difficult to control. “I don’t think Hone is likely to change,” Tariana Turia said. The Maori Party is trying very hard to work with the National Party so it is a problem if one member is not part of the team.
His electorate is Te Tai Tokerau in the Far North. It is an area with high unemployment, bad housing and many poor people. Hone is very popular with his electorate. He does not want to become an independent MP because he needs the support of the Maori Party to help the people in his electorate. |