Erasing the stain of racism
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published :
15 Feb 2021 at 12:30
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When Rawiri Waititi got up to ask a question in the New Zealand parliament last Tuesday, he didn't get far. Speaker Trevor Mallard warned the Maori MP that (male) members could only do so if they were wearing a necktie.
Mr Waititi, wearing a taonga, a Maori greenstone pendant, continued with his question even after being stopped a second time. He was then ordered to leave the chamber.
Crazy, isn't it? Is following a western code the only way to show respect for an exalted body such as a legislative assembly? And if it is, shouldn't the first-time MP have been informed in advance instead of being kicked out?