Submitters suggested that it removes the anomaly of non-Māori having a say on Māori representation when such a mechanism does not exist in other parts of local democracy, or as another said more bluntly, that it is racist to give Pākehā the power to remove voting rights from Māori, an assertion that many submitters who spoke against this bill quite vehemently denied; that this bill also removes the anomaly of this being the only time 5 percent of a population can overrule the majority or unanimous decisions of its duly elected representatives; that referendums actually are a costly mechanism that should not replace proper building of relationships with local iwi and Māori organisations; and finally, as one submitter said, "It's not 36 hours; it's 200 years."