6 Dec 2008

New Zealand MP upset he can not be sworn into Parliament using his native Samoan

10:28 am on 6 December 2008

The MP for Mangere says it's ridiculous that he is not allowed to swear into Parliament in Samoan.

Labour MP Su'a William Sio was sworn in as a list MP in both Samoan and English in April, but was told by parliamentary services they cannot accommodate his request to swear into Parliament in Samoan because of time constraints.

He says this reasoning is unacceptable, especially since a precedent to swear in in his native language has already been set.

"We are still trying control things in a very archiac way, I think we need to be comfortable and acknowledge the fact that people do speak different languages in this country and the highest place in Parliament needs to be setting a good example by being inclusive and not worry about how long it will take."

Su'a William Sio says he has now opted to be sworn in in Maori because we need to be comfortable English is not the only language spoken in Aotearoa.