Don’t sweat the oath of allegiance.
That’s the advice from MP Willie Jackson to new MPs about concerns they have to swear allegiance to the queen before taking up their seats next week.
He says it’s a problem that has come up repeatedly as Māori graduate from protest to parliament, but it shouldn’t be a deal-breaker.
"As I've always said, this is not tino rangatiratanga town. You go down there and you've got to play by the rules – sometimes – and if it means you have to bite the bullet so you can do the business for your people – Tariana (Turia) did, so did I, so did Hone Harawira, and so will they if they want to get through and if they don't want to and if they don't, good luck to them, but I haven't seen any way around it yet," Mr Jackson says.
The oath the MPs will take next Wednesday says they will bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Her heirs and successors.
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