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Libertarianz

Ikaroa-Rawhiti By-Election

Mass Boycott In Ikaroa-Rawhiti Ignored By Lamestream Media

Libertarianz leader Richard McGrath today said the by-election result in Ikaroa-Rawhiti was an embarrassment for everyone involved, calling the voter turnout "abysmal", and suggesting that Parekua Horomia's seat in Parliament should be left unfilled.

"The Labour candidate won the by-election with a mandate from just 13.2% of eligible voters. Overall, 67% of them boycotted this by-election, despite massive taxpayer-funded publicity. Surely, this is a sign that the time has come to consign race-based seats at all levels of government to the dustbin of history, where they belong. Even the Maori electoral option, allowing Maori voters to choose between voting in a Maori or General seat is showing a statistically insignificant net number of people joining the Maori roll." 

"Why is the mainstream media choosing to ignore this overwhelming vote of no-confidence in the electoral system?" he asked.

"The ongoing presence of Maori seats is a disgrace to our nation. It demonstrates, firstly, a lack of integrity and courage from the National Party, who have long made noises about abolishing these anachronistic remnants of a bygone era, but will support them when the Maori MPs are coalition partners."  

"Secondly, it perpetuates a stinging insult to people of Maori descent. More than any other gesture, it confirms the status of Maori people as second class citizens in their native land, at least in the eyes of our politicians and the Electoral Commission. It implies that Maori people cannot foot it in the MMP system, and could not be elected to Parliament were it not for the demeaning and insulting system of reserved seats."

"However, the election of Paula Bennett, Simon Bridges, Jami-Lee Ross and Louisa Wall in electorate seats provides ample evidence that Maori candidates can win open elections on their own merits."

"The election of Kris Faafoi, Sua Sio and Sam Lotu-Iiga shows that even non-Maori brown-skinned candidates are electable." 

McGrath said the reason he didn't mention any List MPs is because they are all-too-often failed electorate candidates that the MMP system allows into Parliament without genuine support. He said he can understand why some media commentators and bloggers label them "backdoor MPs". 

"But that digresses from the central issue of this mass by-election boycott, and the resounding message it sends to the Prime Minister and his minions: that not even Maori people want these seats to exist." 

"For goodness sake, Mr Key, find some principles - and some testicular fortitude - and abolish the Maori seats NOW!"

ENDS

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