Slumbering on…

Parliament's Speaker David Carter announced the other day that the traditional prayer he uses to open daily sittings of Parliament will remain as is, with its Christian references.  Here is the prayer:

Almighty God, humbly acknowledging our need for Thy guidance in all things, and laying aside all private and personal interests, we beseech Thee to grant that we may conduct the affairs of this House and of our country to the glory of Thy holy name, the maintenance of true religion and justice, the honour of the Queen, and the public welfare, peace, and tranquillity of New Zealand, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Just about everything is wrong with this prayer, and the problem is, where to start? 

·         It is addressed to God.  It assumes that God knows, cares, or bears any special regard for the NZ House of Representatives, beyond what he/she bears for the Taneatua Bowling Club.  It assumes that the cursory recitation of this prayer because it is required in Standing Orders somehow gets God’s attention.

·         It professes humility.  That is not normally my impression of this assembly.

·         It claims that the members want guidance, that they are keen to lay aside all private and personal interests, that they seek to debate and decide things to the glory of God, etc – some or all of which is difficult to believe.

·         It assumes that “the maintenance of true religion” is the business of the NZ Parliament.  It decidedly is not.

·         It assumes that they are all professing Christians, or that if they are not they ought to be – whereas some are of other faiths and some are of none.  This is offensive and dishonest.

The Parliamentary prayer has quite a history, I find.  It was realised as far back as the 1850s that it would always be a bit of a minefield.  They solved the problem at one time by bringing in some hapless cleric to say the prayer, as it were vicariously, each time Parliament convened – that seemed to some to absolve them from any direct responsibility.  The current prayer, read each day by Mr Speaker, has been around for quite a while now.  I presume it was put together by some Anglican prelate and was thought unexceptional at the time.  It assumed that this is a “Christian country”, something some people still believe. 

Speaker Carter recently followed a very low-key consultation process with MPs and offered an alternative prayer which removed religious references to "Almighty God" and "Jesus Christ our Lord" from the older version.  But what he proposed turned out to be ten times worse.

His alternative prayer included lines in Maori - E te Atua Kaha Rawa - that translates to "Almighty God," something Assistant Speaker Trevor Mallard described as "almost dishonest."  Carter proposed to farewell the deity in English and welcome the deity back in Maori.

As well as that, the Speaker would have included a daily acknowledgment to the local tribe Te Ati Awa.  To most of New Zealand that simply beggars belief.  It is arrogant, unnecessary and embarrassing.

This is the alternative prayer Speaker Carter suggested:

E te Atua Kaha Rawa (Tr: Almighty God) Ka whakamanawa taua hunga katoa kua riro atu i mua i a tatau - moe mai okioki (We honour those who have gone before us - rest, slumber on).  We recognise the mana whenua, Te Ati Aawa, the kaitiaki of this region, Te Upoko-o-Te-Ika-a-Maui.  We acknowledge the need for guidance and lay aside all private and personal interests so that we may conduct the affairs of this House for the maintenance of justice, the honour of the Queen and the public welfare, peace, and tranquillity of New Zealand.  Amine (Amen).

I love the slumber on bit.  They might as well.  There will be little enough to edify them if they sit up and pay attention. 

Mr Carter refused to entertain any debate on further options; it would be either the current prayer or the alternative he proposed.  He refused any public comment also, clearly seeing it as a matter only for MPs.  Then he issued a statement saying: "A substantial majority of members expressed a view to retain the existing prayer. I intend to respect that wish."

Is all this really a measure of the extent to which the politicians are out of touch with reasonable sense and sensibility, with intellectual honesty, indeed with decency?  They are way out of their depth.

But they do need some serious and mindful observance with which to begin each parliamentary day.  So why not keep it simple and unexceptionable.  When the Speaker enters, all stand.  Let there then be one minute, and I mean 60 seconds timed by the Clerk of the House with a bell, of silence and stillness.  No one should enter or leave the house during that time.  That is all.  It may be seen by all as a moment of pausing and remembering.  It may be seen by some as a prayerful time.  That is all they need to do.