A former Northland politician has accused the Maori Party of being a "brown version of the National Front" following Maori Party MP Hone Harawira's inflammatory remarks about white people.
Dover Samuels said the latest Hone Harawira controversy highlighted parallels between the Maori Party's tino rangatiratanga ideology, or "absolute sovereignty", and the
"white supremacy" of the National Front.
Maori Party leaders declined to comment on Mr Samuels' statements, but during a press conference yesterday Mr Harawira apologised for using the term "white motherf ... ers" in a reply to an email questioning his decision to skip a work meeting in Europe to visit Paris with his wife
Mr Samuels said Mr Harawira's behaviour was insulting to all New Zealanders and indicative of the separatist nature of the Maori Party.
"It's a brown version of the National Front, and it's dangerous to New Zealand."
An apology from Mr Harawira was only ever going to be "a Clayton's apology to satisfy his political masters, the National Party", Mr Samuels said.
"Do you really think it would be anything but superficial? Apologies have to be authentic and come from the heart."
He described Mr Harawira's comments in the email as "racist, insulting, divisive and completely outrageous".
"What he has said is consistent with his attitudes and behaviour," Mr Samuels said.
Mr Samuels said that if the Maori Party leaders had not agreed with Mr Harawira's inflammatory statements they should have been seen to act, not hidden behind closed doors.
"If that was me in my time as a member for Te Tai Tokerau I'd have been booted out of the caucus, if not the house."
Referring to the email at yesterday's press conference, Mr Harawira said he should have instead referred to what European colonisers had done.
The comments were not an attack against all Pakeha, he said, but had been taken that way.
"That's caused a lot of damage to my own credibility throughout the Te Tai Tokerau and throughout Aotearoa as well."
The MP said he was not a racist - "Hone doesn't hate Pakehas. Hone's part Pakeha".
Maori Party leaders Tariana Turia and Pita Sharples said they have not yet met to discuss Mr Harawira's members of the senior leadership team plan to meet with him and the Tai Tokerau electorate committee tomorrow.
"Premature statements by individuals may not help the hui to reach a consensus, so we will not be making any comment immediately," Dr Sharples and Mrs Turia said.
Prime Minister John Key said it was up to New Zealanders to decide whether Mr Harawira's partial apology for his inflammatory comments was sufficient.
