Stop them before they complain again!!

A virulent wave of some sort of summer flu has ravaged the LawsWatch cave this past week or so. We suspect the Mayor of putting something in the gin.

Then again, it could have been the shock of finding ourselves in agreement with the Diva for the second time this year, and it's only March.

Interviewer: "Is there such a thing as a typical Dog (Mobster)?"
Mob member: "Rape, kill and plunder! (Laughs) A typical Dog? To live like a Dog for the rest of your life and take all, and do all, that comes with it. And don't get stood on by no outsider."
Interviewer: "The Mongrel Mob are associated with a lot of violence. Do you ever worry about the spiritual backlash of murdering, raping or maiming somebody?"
Mob member: "If you don't care about anything outside the Mob then you don't have any guilty feelings or anything."
Later in the interview:
"We hate everybody and f**k, I mean everybody!"
"They should have stopped us from the day we started."

Quote from a interview with Harry Tam, Dunedin Mob spokesman, which you can read for yourselves in Staunch: Inside the Gangs by Bill Payne.

Mr Tam, of course, went on to land a job as senior policy analyst with the Corrections Department. Then, in pleading not guilty to an assault on his wife in 1994 where he beat her in front of their children, he claimed she'd consented to being assaulted.

There can be little doubt that an organisation with such a philosophy (and the Mongrels aren't the only ones who share it, of course) has any right to go about its "business" in Wanganui, or anywhere else. Or that anyone who stands up to thuggery, be they a public figure or private individual, places themselves at risk of reprisal and can therefore be said to be courageous.

Unless, of course, such opposition was merely ill-considered publicity seeking. We really do hope it's not - that it's an unusually principled stand from the usually unprincipled Diva.

But since one of the few groups who could possibly exercise any positive influence on such groups are local kaumatua and kuia, this is hardly the best time to be scoffing at the legitimate concerns of local iwi over the "H" issue - unless every utterance is measured not against what's best for the community but what will generate the largest headlines in the next day's Chron.

The chance to unite the community over one issue is being lost by posturing over another. We've previously advocated working toward a compromise so won't bore you with it again here. Rather than make deliberately inflammatory statements such as advocating Ken Mair drop his complaint to the Human Rights Commission and "spent time trying to convince gangs in Wanganui to stop selling P and cannabis in our community", the Mayor could choose to actually sit down with local Maori and enlist their help on such issues. But that's not going to happen when the two sides are trading slogans over the "H".

As a commenter wryly noted, Ken Mair's complaint, and the Diva's reaction, will do no harm in terms of their standing with their respective core support base. While Mr Mair is free to pursue his own ends, appealing to the redneck vote isn't what the Mayoralty is about - or least not what it's meant to be about.

It's to be hoped that two issues of grave importance to the people of Wanganui - the preservation of Te Reo Maori and the eradication, or at least neutering, of local gangs - don't get lost in the spin blitz from both sides.

Meanwhile, in an alternative reality, a Skinhead band has stolen the Mongrel Mob's symbolism. Perhaps if everyone clubbed together they could pop over to England and sort them out. It'd have to be one way, of course, due to lack of funds.

P.S. July 24 - 30 is Maori Language Week. That offers Wanganui a chance to show it does respect Te Reo Maori. We wonder what events are planned?

P.P.S. A kind commenter notes, inter alia:

I've noted some of the comments from people who are frustrated that the once daily postings are still not happening. That is probably because only a very few people are doing all the work and they've had a gutsfull trying to be the conscience of this town...

They fought the good fight and no-one stood beside them. The mayor and his mates picked them off one by one and where was the protest?... Wanganui doesn't deserve me, the arts activists or LW.

You're right, anonymous. When people were being personally vilified - often in the most ugly manner imaginable - for nothing more than holding an opinion contrary to the Mayor, there was a deafening silence. Perhaps Wanganui doesn't deserve LawsWatch. But one thing is obvious - the Mayor sure as hell does.

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