The time for decision is now

Tu Tangata, Issue 3, 1 November 1981, Page 11

The time for decision is now

R. Makutu, Social Credit, Southern Maori

The maori people have reached a point in growth and maturity where we are at last ready to move forward in a major way.

But the basic decisions needed for us to move forward as a people must be made by the individual. We have paused on some plateaus long enough.

The maori people are a faithful people. We have accepted up till now without question the guidence and advice of the white man, even to the detriment of the people. We know of the tragic results of

the land issues, the percentage of land remaining in maori ownership is very small. The language and culture of the maori people will surely disappear unless a major reform of attitude takes place. The non-maori would have us blame the parents and elders for the demise of the language, but I can not agree. The maori ear has become less receptive to the sounds of his own native language and more tuned to the sounds of the dominating language of the day, which is serv-

ed out to him ad nauseum. The education system has failed the maori people, the high rate of failure among our students demands explanation. These problems will persist as long as we maintain our present attitude and blind faith in the present political policies that have failed disasterously. We can not be accused of not giving the system a fair trial. The opportunity for people to be more influential in the planning of

their own destiny and to make changes in a course that has proven disasterous, is now. The Social Credit League recognizes the failures in the present system and this is reflected in the major reforming of the financial system around which the majority of problems relate to. It makes sense to me if a system fails, that we must make alterations and corrections to that system. It is now, is the interests of our people, the time to make those decisions.