Summarised by Centrist
Former Speaker of the House David Carter has voiced concerns over the deteriorating tone in Parliament, particularly regarding race relations.
“It seems to me that at the moment it’s difficult to have a rational debate with current members of the Māori Party. Many times if you try and have a debate with them, then sadly they accuse you of being racist,” he said.
ACT MP Karen Chhour recently stated that Parliament no longer feels like a safe work environment due to personal attacks, especially from Te Pati Māori, who criticised her as a puppet of her party and disconnected from her Māori heritage.
“I mean, can you imagine the outrage if someone was accused of betraying their Pakeha origins? We’d all be reaching for the smelling salts,” he said.
Carter noted the role of the Speaker in mitigating personal attacks and maintaining decorum. He suggested that the Speaker should “call that member out who’s made a remark that’s unsatisfactory, ask that member to withdraw and apologise.”
“We’re meant to be adults here. Let’s stop this sort of behaviour,” he said. “Let’s settle down, debate the issues, not attack the people,” he advised.
