The Hakeem Jeffries method of shutting down legislative operations seems far less entertaining, as the New Zealand parliament was suspended on Thursday due to a spontaneous and unplanned "haka" dance performed by Maori lawmakers.
The latest haka incident happened as the gallery launched into a traditional indigenous dance following a speech by a Maori party member.
From Reuters:
Te Pati Maori's Oriini Kaipara was elected to parliament in September to fill a vacant seat and made her first speech to the House on Thursday. Following the speech, members of parliament from across the house and those in the public gallery sang a planned and approved Maori song to celebrate her arrival. The public gallery then erupted into an unsanctioned haka and some members of parliament joined in.
The other members of parliament seemed less than enthused about the interruption.
Speaker of the House Gerry Brownlee asked them to stop.
'No, not that. The guarantee was that would not be taking place,' he said. When they continued he suspended the sitting.
You can understand why Speaker Brownlee would be frustrated. Native islanders have regularly interrupted government proceedings as a form of protest in recent years. 👇
Parliamentary rules stipulate that members or parties must get permission for such performances. That 2024 performance ended with three members of the Te Pati Maori party getting a suspension in June.
The ordeal should make the American people happy about one thing:
At least AOC and the Squad haven't performed any dance numbers ... yet.
P.S. Now check out our latest video 👇
