Cross your fingers Hone!
MEDIA RELEASE 2 August 2011
"Hone Harawira's oath drama highlights the question of who our elected representatives owe their allegiance to" said Lewis Holden, chair of the Republican Movement.
"The Republican Movement continues to campaign for all New Zealanders - whether they're politicians, new citizens, judges, police officers or even teachers - to swear allegiance to New Zealand and New Zealanders" continued Mr Holden.
"Swearing allegiance to a Sovereign is a feudal irrelevancy. Swearing allegiance to an individual - no matter how respected - is the stuff of tin-pot dictatorships. While it might be common in monarchies, it's not the rule - across the Tasman Australian politicians swear allegiance to Australia. It's time New Zealand's politicians and others did the same" concluded Mr Holden.
NOTES
More information can be found at: www.republic.org.nz/oaths
ENDS
Media contact: Lewis Holden 027 699 1350 (m)
The Republican Movement is a network of New Zealanders who want our head of state to be elected by New Zealanders - either directly or indirectly.
We are committed to:
- involving all New Zealanders in the republic debate;
- providing relevant and reliable information;
- focusing on ideas, not personalities;
- winning a referendum to establish the republic;
Creating a republic does not require any change to the Treaty of Waitangi, flag or Commonwealth membership. For more information, see our website: www.republic.org.nz
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According to the constitution, Australian federal mps do swear an oath to the monarch. This can only be changed by referendum - and has not been done so.
Individual states are a different matter. In NSW in 2006, the oath was changed from an oath to the Sovereign to an oath to Australia and the people of NSW. However, the "people" of NSW were not given the opportunity in a referendum to decide if they wanted an oath to be sworn to them!
Right you are - mea culpa. That's the problem with a federal system... lots of oaths to take.
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