Political Civil Servants

I have a lot of sympathy for Amokura Panoho, who had Ministers dob her in to her Department CEO, just for being involved in the Maori Party. Civil Servants are quite entitled to be involved in a party, as long as their activities do not undermine their job.

One should sensibly avoid high profile activities such as being a spokesperson, and most of all avoid being involved in the same area as where you work. This is how the MLC CEO is hanging onto his job. His problem wasn’t in my opinion that he made a submission on the Foreshore legislation, but that he used inflammatory language threatening civil war.

Both Trevor Mallard and John Tamihere have had to retract allegations that Ms Panoho had abused her work role to help the Maori Party. I suspect her personal grievance has just hit five figures and is growing.

The hypocrisy that Parekura Horomia held a far more senior job in the same agency as Panoho, and being an actual candidate was far more visible, yet never was heavied over this.

Now we also have an allegations that Dover Samuels has boasted of a “hit list” to colleagues in a bar.

The overall impression is of a scared yet bullying Government, which keeps lying about the situation.