KEY POINTS:
Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia has said that just as not all police officers are rapists, not all gang members are criminals.
Mrs Turia, who is from Wanganui where a two-year-old was shot dead at the weekend in an apparent gang feud, told Radio New Zealand today that while a lot of gangs were involved in bad behaviour, not all of them were criminals.
She said: "I'm not excusing any of the behaviour, it is totally unacceptable. But just like I'm not prepared to say that the police are all rapists, I am also not prepared to say that all gangs are criminals."
Mr Turia added: "What I can say to you is that it's not Hori and Hemi who are bringing in the large quantities of methamphetamine into this country.
"We are talking about Asian gangs who are not patched and there's no focus whatsoever on that."
Prime Minister Clark said it was an "appalling" analogy to draw any comparison between the police and gangs.
"Gangs are criminal organisations. That's what distinguishes them from other normal legal organisations. Gangs cause a tremendous amount of misery in the community and I don't think it's appropriate for anybody to be making excuses for them," Miss Clark said.
While Mrs Turia kept close to the grassroots of Maoridom in her electorate, it was "not appropriate to be in any way condoning gangs or their behaviour".
New Zealand First MP Ron Mark said Mrs Turia's comments were slightly ridiculous.
"I've yet to find a gang member who is not a criminal," he said.
He also believed Mrs Turia's suggested approach of getting together and talking with the gangs conferred on them a legitimacy they did not deserve.
"Holding discussions with them and giving them the privilege of discussions with members of Parliament ... does give them legitimacy and increases their mana."
Combat
The Government is looking at ways to combat gang violence with strengthening the law against participating in a criminal group under consideration.
Wanganui Mayor Michael Laws has called for an outright ban on gangs while Mr Mark has said they should be dealt with under anti-terrorism legislation, calling them domestic terrorists.
Miss Clark yesterday said that banning gangs could perversely increase the mana of those who then joined the underground organisation.
But Mr Laws told Radio New Zealand today the prime minister was "stupid" to think that. "On that basis why outlaw terrorism?" he said.
"This is very simple. If you are a patched gang member you should be denied your economic base, which is the welfare system, you should be denied a state home. You should be denied everything until you become a responsible member of the community."
Miss Clark said she could not agree with either Mrs Turia or Mr Laws.
"I think that Mr Laws is making a mistake if he thinks simply standing on a street corner and proclaiming an organisation to be banned and unlawful is going to change the problem," she said.
- NZPA
