Mana News editor Joe Trinder

Recently I got an opportunity to interview Mana Movement leader Hone Harawira on the new Greek political party Syriza.

With the developments in Greece and what do you see happening here in Aotearoa?

Hone Harawira – About it happening here? what parties on the left with Mana and who? Between Mana and who the Greens? Labour?

Well they reckon Mana is the only organisation that could spark a Syriza?

Hone Harawira -At the moment I think Labour is still struggling to define themselves they take on a whole lot of issue. As for the Greens personally I get on well with Metiria. In terms of leading that charge Greece was in a situation where the whole nation was about to pummeled with massive taxes  with huge austerity in the end they said  No way. That we can continue we can vote for national governments in this country suggest their is a while to go before people realise the shows how bad off we are and when that day comes  I hope the simplicity of our policies will resonate. If Mana has to lead that charge to smash that right wing stranglehold out of the minds of the New Zealand citizens we will be there absolutely.

Do you think their will be a radical left in Aotearoa?

Hone Harawira – I think the radical left in Aotearoa struggles  to fill a phone box do you know what I mean here is classic example their is a housing crisis just not in Glen innes but all over the country. The housing issue is enough to fill a town hall but we can’t the radical often so caught up in trying to clarify the purity of its principles they end up talking to themselves and growing the your movement  gets lost on purity and the Kaupapa is lost on its principles. I know that from going to some of these left wing meetings  and they talk about the fight for the working class and the people shall overcome their might be five or six revolutionaries and you listen to these ferocious revolutionary  speeches but no one is listening. unfortunately that that is the lot of the radical left and somehow the radical left has got to wake up and realise that the needs of the people are more important than the purity of the left. For example poor people we can keep on saying the government are a pack of a holes but for poor people they just want to stop being poor. that means fighting against national fine but do they want to be involved in a heavy education campaign do they want to over throw the capitalists system the answer is No they just want an end to Poverty. you need to identify righteous needs of the left with genuine needs of the people that grows the numbers of people you are trying to get. You need to find a way to grow the numbers of people that are trying to do it instead of standing on the side and saying We shall overcome  We shall overcome.

That whole thing about the radical left has its role but their is also the reality we have to engage those arguments and those philosophies  where our people are at and do it in a way that help it grows.