January 30, 2013
Leadership scrambled pork barrel politics
The Māori parties have turned into me first parties.
That's the reaction of New Zealand First leader Winston Peters to the leadership battle within the Māori Party and Hone Harawira's suggestion it could be resolved with a Mana-Māori merger with him in charge.
Mr Peters says it's a classic case of pork barrel politics, where politicians ask what's in it for me rather than what's in it for the country.
“Tariana still a co-leader, Mr Sharples is co-leader and Te Ururoa wants to be a leader as well. Then the one outside, Hone, who’s not a member of the party anymore, wants to be leader. You can’t get a more obvious example of somebody wanting to advantage themselves in the name of the party”. says Winston Peters.