A proposed bill is to revert the earlier agreements that protected the rights of the M\u0101ori people to retaining land under 1840, should apply to all New Zealanders. Prior to becoming law, the voting process had to be suspended due to protests inside the Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand. On the 14th of November, 2024, chaotic scenes and verbal exchanges were witnessed. Along these two lawmakers belonging to M\u0101ori indigenous community in M\u0101ori language raised slogans and started dancing inside the parliament, protesting against the controversial proposal that subverts New Zealand\u2019s founding agreement between Indigenous M\u0101ori and the British monarchy.
Under the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi between the British government and M\u0101ori tribes promises the rights to retain their lands which in turn protects their interests in return for ceding governance to the British. But the new bill specifies that the right should equally apply to all New Zealanders.
When the bill becomes a law, then all the whites and non-tribals are eligible to buy the M\u0101ori lands. Notably, binaries have been sharply surging between the English and M\u0101ori texts in some aspects showed the intensification of disenfranchisement of M\u0101ori.
We are aware of the fact that the dominant culture would not allow local cultures to flourish. Along these even M\u0101ori lands have started to dwindle gradually. By 1970s, the protest movements of the M\u0101ori started to gain grounds that brought back their partnership with the Monarch; participation in the decision-making processes and protection of their rights.
Those who pioneered the treaty said that the work involves billion-dollar land settlements, recognition of the M\u0101ori language, representation of M\u0101ori in the central and local governments.
More importantly they say that this policy would further push the stark inequities and inequalities between M\u0101ori and non-M\u0101ori.
The treaty has been negotiated and debated over 184 years.
The problem is the current government should not resolve the problem playing number games. The protests are going across New Zealand. The foundational original treaty between British colonisers and M\u0101ori is called as Waitangi\u2014the founding document that enshrines, preserves and protects the land, rights and privileges of the M\u0101ori.
Any change in the document would drastically alter the very principles, contents and essence of principles and rights that are enshrined in it.
The colonial settlers do not want to co-exist and respect the original people in whose land they occupied and been enjoying. Once if any changes that are made especially the rights and privileges extended in the Waitangi\u2014the treaty, then as years go by many such attempts be carried out leading to dire consequences.
Often the colonisers appear to changing the historical wrong by replacing with historical rights. In this case, the settlers want to change the treaty in their favour.
In the entire episode, Hana Rawhiti Maipi, 22-year-old MP, a M\u0101ori, danced Haka shouted slogans aloud when the voting was about to be carried out to seal the Bill once for all.
At the spur of the moment, she got up singing Haka and as she danced, while others also joined her and then tore the bill.
The House Speaker had to adjourn the session. Since M\u0101ori comprise about 20% of the population which is a significant representation, the protests are likely to spread and expected to culminate in Wellington to pressurise the government to withdraw.
Indigenous people across the world continue to suffer and are increasingly side-lined from the mainstream.
North-East of India is being called as a \u2018rainbow region\u2019, wherein a number of tribes of diverse ethnic identities and cultures live.
Unable to get into the root of the problem or knowing well the problem but deliberately shying away from the problem \u2013 all these appears to be a tactic\/strategy of the ruling government at the Centre. Other governments prior to the current one had also behaved in the same way.
The Union of India imposed on the indigenous people of Northeast India on September, 1958 AFSPA.
Which was promulgated on August 15, 1942, by a British viceroys and governor-general Linlithgow, under Section 72 of the Government of India Act, 1935. Its aim was \u201cto confer special powers upon certain officers of the armed forces\u201d.
The promulgation and imposition of such laws on the citizens of Northeast has thus far taken the innocent lives of hundreds and thousands besides rapes, arrests, torture and extra judicial executions.
Under AFSPA, any crime committed by armed forces is given complete impunity. There have been hue and cry from many quarters to repeal of AFSPA. And yet, exists.
The imposition of AFSPA for the past six decades has given armed and security forces a licence to kill \u2013 a free pass to do whatever they want.
AFSPA is active and toxically present even in ordinary times when there is no war or internal conflicts or any dangerous threat that arise due to internal and external conditions.
While contextualizing AFSPA, the 19-months of unrest has virtually divided Manipur along ethnic lines, with huge displacements on both the side.
A fresh spate of violence in Manipur on both the sides. The recent escalation is centred around Manipur\u2019s Jribam district.
To quell the violent situation the Centre once again restored the \u2018disturbed area\u2019 status of six police stions across Manipur\u2019s five districts under the controversial AFSPA amidst the recent spurt in ethnic strife in these areas.
The reasons cited were continuing \u201cvolatile situation, ongoing ethnic violence\u201d in the state and \u201cintermittent firing \u2013 with several instances of active participation of insurgent groups in heinous areas.\u201d
Those laws and agreements passed by the colonial governments were passed to protect the interests of the colonial powers.
When it comes to M\u0101ori, the agreement was clear protecting the legitimate rights of the indigenous people, their land though it was 184 years old.
With regard to AFSPA, it was meant to protect the status quo the British and now it is being retained to protect the current dispensation ruling class\u2014 \u2018all in the name of insurgency and militancy\u2019, though it is more than 80 years old.
Land is deeply attached to culture for the indigenous people which they regard as sacred and inalienable.
Everything\u2014entire being and becoming, \u2018way of life\u2019, traditions, hopes and aspirations, vision and world views, common futures are dependent on land. The occupiers want to appropriate the lands of the indigenous people. This is the 500-year-old history of colonisation, empire building and global capitalism. The occupiers should reckon with the fact that they live on their lands. Never dare to touch their land. They are calm and composed people, but when their legitimate rights and aspirations are touched, they could go to any extent. This is what happening in New Zealand and Manipur.
Dr. John Mohan Razu<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A proposed bill is to revert the earlier agreements that protected the rights of the M\u0101ori people to retaining land under 1840, should apply to all New Zealanders. Prior to becoming law, the voting process had to be suspended due to protests inside the Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand. On the 14th of November, 2024, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[395],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-458518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-opinion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=458518"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458518\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=458518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=458518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=458518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}