Michael Laws on Tongan King
Every so often Michael Laws says something which you can’t help but admire, even though it might be undiplomatic. NZPA reports him about the dead Tongan King as below:
Wanganui mayor Michael Laws is refusing to lower the New Zealand flag in honour of the dead Tongan King.
Laws called King Tupou a “brown slug” on his Radio Live show and said he would not be lowering the New Zealand flag in Wanganui to honour him.
“They are a beneficiary country. We provide them with a good source of their income every year, which the royal family decide to misappropriate for themselves and they deny democracy for their subjects.”
Laws said Wanganui flew the flag at half mast for people who had made a contribution to the community, or events such as September 11 or the Boxing Day tsunami disaster.
“The death of the South Pacific king whose royal family is the equivalent of Robert Mugabe and his henchmen is not the sort of thing that one commemorates.
“Indeed I think it devalues the process of flying the flag at half mast.”
Laws said when he called the king a “brown slug” this morning he meant it in the real sense of the word.
“Which was that he fed on the goodness of the people.
“Nobody can own land except the royal family and all the businesses that make any money are owned by the royal family.”
He said it was a corrupt country with a corrupt regime and he had no idea why the Government would ask local authorities to fly the flag at half mast for the dead king.
And the king’s successor, was even worse than the king, Laws said.
“His son has the kind of attitude towards his countrymen that one would have expected from a medieval baron somewhere.”
Incidentially the issue of flags at half mast reminds me of a fairly major stuff up which happened in 1997 when Deng Xiaoping died and a decision had to be made whether to order flags at half mast, even though he was not a formal head of state or even government. I put out a press release from Prime Minister Bolger announcing that flags were to go to half mast (on govt properties) and then a few minutes later got a phone call informing me that the PM hadn’t actually made a decision yet, or even seen the briefing note. Whoops. Would have been disrespectful to China to reverse the position formally so the decision had to stand. The fault incidentially was not mine as we had said we would assume he had approved it if we did not hear back, and someone else forgot to show it to Bolger.
September 12th, 2006 at 9:45 pm
“They are a beneficiary country. We provide them with a good source of their income every year, which the royal family decide to misappropriate for themselves and they deny democracy for their subjects.”
Onb thgis basis I asume Wanganui will be flying full mast regardless of how many labour MP’s drop dead.
BTW detail of flying at half mast. The flag goes to the top, is broken and then lowered to 3/4 of the mast, NOT half way down.
September 12th, 2006 at 10:01 pm
I disagree with Michael Laws. Surely our government is entitled to honour its role model?
September 12th, 2006 at 10:06 pm
Murray – that would depend. Half-masting a flag on a pole protruding at an angle from a building could require the flag to be at a point lower than half way…
And DPF – I didn’t think it was the PM’s call (well this PM’s maybe, but only because of her role in the Ministry of Culture and Heritage)
September 12th, 2006 at 10:07 pm
Typical Laws decides to make rude remarks at such a sensitive time. But then nobody listens to Laws unless he comes bouncing in with something stupid at the wrong time.
September 12th, 2006 at 10:34 pm
Graeme, its 3/4 of the “masthead” which is the free part of the top most mast because ships have staged masts.
The definitive position is 3/4 of whats at the top so 3/4 of the available length of a non-vetical mast.
In desperate situations where there is a very short mast its acceptable to use the distance of flags fly to seperate it from the halyard to signify being at “half mast”.
September 12th, 2006 at 10:34 pm
Graeme – not sure wha the rules may say but it was very clearly back then a PM level decision.
September 12th, 2006 at 10:40 pm
Tim:
On one level, I agree with you that Michael Laws is a rude prick. But in this case, I’d only criticise his timing and some pointlessly intemperate language, not the substance of his remarks. I can only hope Tonga is going to trade up and keep moving in that direction, until they have a functional parliamentary democracy in place instead of a Ruritanian kleptocracy.
September 12th, 2006 at 10:40 pm
Had to snort at our pet communist jumping on to the camera to pay his respects to the dead King on One News tonight. When I was in Tonga the strikes were on – who else was there other than one Keith Locke. To quote the man himself; “I’m just doing my bit to help Tongan democracy.”
September 12th, 2006 at 10:46 pm
Graeme – not sure wha the rules may say but it was very clearly back then a PM level decision.
September 12th, 2006 at 11:21 pm
Murray – I like to think the Americans know what they’re doing when it comes to flags:
[quoting Title 4, United States Code section 1, subsection m(1)]
“…the term “half-staff” means the position of the flag when it is one-half the distance between the top and bottom of the staff;”
September 12th, 2006 at 11:27 pm
Michael Laws is spot on in his assessment of the Tongan King and the basket case economy he significantly helped to create. Today’s DomPost also had a list of the late King’s many commercial debacles, financial scandals and cover-ups. It made grim reading.
The sad thing is that NZ Tongans still send millions in remittances back to Tonga each year to subsidise a country that has been depleted of assets and infrastructure, while also creating a culture of dependency and entitlement amongst the remaining Tongans. Hardly the way to motivate a population into productivity and independence.
September 12th, 2006 at 11:44 pm
Im with you Sally. Im appalled that the NZ press is giving his death so much coverage..Starting to look like to be on par with the passing of the Maori Queen. This over-bloated Tongan piece-of-lard is not even in the same mana-park as the Maori queen. Get real NZ!
September 12th, 2006 at 11:44 pm
Sally
Your words rang a chord. I simply removed the word Tongan or replaced it with NZ.
The sad thing is that NZ still send millions in remittances back to NZ each year to subsidise a country that has been depleted of assets and infrastructure, while also creating a culture of dependency and entitlement amongst the remaining NZ people. Hardly the way to motivate a population into productivity and independence.
Laws message is on the money, if the Tongan people are genuinely grieving the passing of their King then his timing is bad. My condolences to them.
September 12th, 2006 at 11:44 pm
Good on you Micheal
you certainly have a way with words
it is beyond me why we keep propping up pacific basket cases anyway
September 12th, 2006 at 11:45 pm
As I recall, after September 11 it took days for Helen Clark to give the go ahead for flags to beat half-mast. A friend of mine was incensed and sent letters around complaining, and she was told that the Prime Minister had to authorise flags being at half-mast, and she hadn’t.
Oh, and on what you have quoted from Laws above: for once he’s exactly right. The King and his son are parasites. The sooner the line ends the better for the people of Tonga, who might then have the chance to own the land for which they currently only have title.
September 12th, 2006 at 11:59 pm
HC has an affinity for him. He is (was) a despot determined to stiffle democracy and free-speech. Michael, lower your flag or else!
September 13th, 2006 at 12:34 am
Oh thank God! Somebody finally cut through all the fawning bullshit!
Seeing Keith Locke sucking up lemons on the TV just made me ill. And I know Brash and Clark have to be diplomatic, but how can you be over a fat bloated scumbag like the dead Tongan King?
Well done Michael Laws – you have truly redeemed yourself!
September 13th, 2006 at 2:54 am
Many years ago, I was advised to be wary of the company I kept; frankly I appreciate it that David has confirmed his.
I think Craig’s comments are about right, Laws has worked out his best route to national attention is to make incediary comments at the worst possible time – most kids work out the limits of this strategy before they leave school but then I guess Michael never really has?
September 13th, 2006 at 6:23 am
Graeme, the Americans do have flag protocol and they adhere to it. However we’re not Americans, we didn’t revolt from the Empire (as much as Helen might want us to) and flag protocol for the Commonwealth is as I described it.
Most people are pretty much unaware that rules even exist however when your father is retired WO Yeoman of Signals of 37.5 years you tend to have source information.
I refer you to the Admrialty manual of Seamanship (still in its origional box) published by HMSO and Government Flag protocols as published online. The navy being the source of all things flagesque within the Empire. (That should set the rebuplicans spinning) Sadly some of the information is now being corupted by people with no actual expertise rewriting things simply for the sake of putting up websites and the like.
One reason we will not be changing our flag this week is that the change the flag guys (what is it all four of them) don’t know jack about jacks.
September 13th, 2006 at 6:43 am
Umm Paul so whose company am I keeping?
September 13th, 2006 at 7:20 am
Sorry, but there’s no fucking way I’m agreeing with any comments referring to somebody of another race as a “slug” prefaced by their skin colour.
Michael Laws can get fucked, and if he wants people to listen to the substance of what he’s saying then he can learn to say it without being gratiuitously stupid.
September 13th, 2006 at 7:45 am
I agree Craig, Laws has made a good point. he has deliberately chosen this moment to made his little point and has got attention for it. But this tactic risks the good point he is making getting brushed aside. I note there have been editorials suggesting change. but what an amusing character the new King is. He would be central castings’s choice for a slightly camp despot who does not give two stuffs for his subjects. Absolutely priceless fellow.
September 13th, 2006 at 8:08 am
Good Stuff Michael. I reckon the same comments could be applied to a much wider audience of supposed western world “democratic leaders” !
September 13th, 2006 at 9:13 am
err – don’t be so damned precious. The king of Tonga was definately brown and also definately a slug. I imagine that Michael Laws would also call a bloated white dictator a “white slug” in the same circumstances.
September 13th, 2006 at 9:21 am
“a “brown slug”
And Michael Laws is an ugly pale faced worm.
September 13th, 2006 at 9:51 am
Now just why did Laws have to leave Parliament? Wasn’t it over deceit or something like that? A man of great probity and worthy of admiration I’m sure.
September 13th, 2006 at 10:20 am
When can Michael start on Dear Leader? There must be a good name for our beloved dictator.
September 13th, 2006 at 10:32 am
Dictator, Someone who keeps winning democratic elections.
September 13th, 2006 at 10:47 am
Sonic
Dictator, Someone who keeps winning democratic elections.
you forgot to add
With stolen money.
Allah protect us.
September 13th, 2006 at 10:53 am
Thats right mate, you were robbed, stabbed in the back, power was ripped from your grasping hands by perfidious Labour…
September 13th, 2006 at 11:05 am
The Tongan people do not deserve the corrupt monarchy and government they have.And it doesnt compare to NZ (yet).The problem is NZ and other countries have just thrown money at it without any plan or effort to see a good result The pathetically correct and culturally stupid are to blame. These numbskulls dont think about the conseqences. Those who have spent time there know the country could be a success with an improved living standard that wouldnt require as much assistance from either the Tongan people living in NZ or our government.Before applying fingers to keyboard some of you should think about solutions like MFAT being allowed to put some real pressure on the new King and his family and the nobles to get them to at least join the 20th century and maybe even the 21st century as regards their head space.
September 13th, 2006 at 11:28 am
I always thought it was the Govt-Gen who made that call
September 13th, 2006 at 12:09 pm
Sonic –
I do feel stabbed in the back by this government’s attitude to the law.
I, like alot of other Kiwi’s, are definitely starting to feel robbed.
and theres a sneaking suspicion that power may have been riipped out of SOMEONES hands.
Allah protect us.
September 13th, 2006 at 12:18 pm
“”a “brown slug”
And Michael Laws is an ugly pale faced worm.”
Hey, I agree on both accounts.
September 13th, 2006 at 12:55 pm
“why we keep propping up pacific basket cases anyway”
Aside from grounds of charity, lest they become complete failures, and then breeding grounds for something dangerous and nasty.
September 13th, 2006 at 8:58 pm
By making such comment Laws is inciting people to piss on his own grave when he is dead and buried.
I would not advocate such things, nor would I advocate such comments as Laws has made about the King of Tonga. Comparing him to Mugabe is like comparing Helen Clark to Hitler.
I think it is very unfair to prejudge the new King so early in his career.
Whatever one may think of the King of Tonga, he was not a despot or tyrant. In our great and glorious land, people still live in similar conditions (e.g. ordinary members of the Exclusive Brethren cult) that is quite legal under our law. Tonga just happens to be a Pacific country that is still to a large degree a very traditional Polynesian society. Democracy will come just as it has in other Pacific Polynesian countries and the former King helped to move his country in that direction while improving the lives of a great many ordinary Tongans.
September 13th, 2006 at 10:46 pm
Flying the jack at half mast is as much a respect for the office as the individual. The king has tipped up and is now on the same basis with the same questions to answer as any man, no regal rights there.
If the present fiasco with our own power mad leaders continues it may well be appropriate to fly the flag upside down…the international signal for a vessel in distress.
September 13th, 2006 at 11:24 pm
There is a fine line between aiding and abetting (“moral hazard”) and interfering in another nation’s sovereign affairs – but debt relief came to Africa with strings attached.
September 13th, 2006 at 11:39 pm
Im a white honkey and have been fortunate enough to employ PI’s in my various businesses, for over 30 years. I am also fortunate enough to be able to call a few of them my good mates. I’ve long got used to the honkey jibes and, long since learnt to retaliate with my own racist slurs upon them in return. However, my slurs pale into insignificance when compared to the nature of the slurs that they make upon their own kind. Its a sign of our maturity as a nation and, our firmly entrenched kinship with the PI’s, that we accept each others differences, but can slag off at each other in good humour but both knowing full-well there is an element of truth behind our slagging. Im the thick, white honkey (or worse) and they are the dumb blacks (or worse). We are just not that precious to care.
September 14th, 2006 at 1:45 am
David, I figure by quoting Laws you’re siding with him. If that’s not the case, why give the man air? Laws has always lacked judgement, always. If he had a genuine point about corruption, he’d have found a way to make it without the racist epithets.
Laws is a poor man’s media whore, his fifteen minutes of fame was cut short when he and Antoinette Beck forged their signatures to whatever school-yard scam he had running. Let’s not forget that he was ejected by NZF; I think he wore Dress for Less in a strictly Hallensteins caucus!
September 14th, 2006 at 9:20 am
Good God Paul – Laws got me arrested and I have blogged in the past my near pathological dislike of him.
However in this instance he does have a point, regardless of how cruedly he puts it, about the King of Tonga.
September 14th, 2006 at 9:38 am
Leighton Smith had the right touch regarding the successor of whom no one will speak the name:
“The King is dead. Long live the Queen.”
September 14th, 2006 at 9:44 pm
Paul W….My advice to you is to build a bridge and get over it. Couldnt once stand the man (Laws) myself, but he uniquely articulates the views of the silent majority. If you are intimated by his intellect, oratory skills and worldy-knowldedge, thats your problem. Ive long learnt to embrace it. Besides, Laws is great for my vocab (though you wouldnt no it from reading my posts here)
September 14th, 2006 at 10:23 pm
Paul M, “build a bridge”, puhlease.
Intimidated by Laws intellect, umm no frankly. I have had dealings with him in the past and was not particularly struck by his intellect; cunning, sure, but intellect, no. Actually, even his cunning is somewhat over-rated, he’s got a few tricks sure but is unable to build or sustain coalitions and is a little too impressed by his own reflection. I have read some of his more recent writing though, and I agree, he can be quite erudite on the issues he writes about. I was surprised by some of the ommissions in his biobabble though.
David, I do recall your run-in’s with Laws, all the more reason I’m surprised by your referencing his opinions.