Letters to the Editor

Week ending Wednesday, October 28, 2009

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We will not publish any material which we consider to be defamatory

Congratulations on a job well done
Anguish felt in Aitutaki
Carr against new airline
Sack half the politicians
A disgrace
Juveniles must be kept separate
All you can eat stupidity
Slow down, idiot!
Good work
Make a stand
Hints for visitors
Calm and collected
See the beauty
It’s corruption
Plea for community action
Missed mark
Saga continues
Recipe for reform

Congratulations on a job well done

Dear Editor,

Tua Pittman, you deserve a gold medal for your very informative, professional and delightful presentation of “TUA ON TOUR”.

You came into our homes with natural ease to make us feel part of the development of the Telecom Sports Arena, the BCI Stadium, and other sporting facilities, and then the wonderful extensive coverage of the games themselves.

This, of course, was also on collaboration with the very professional presentation by Cook Islands Television services.Well done by the Pitt Media Group, also the Cook Islands News, which produced the daily special editions with pictures and results, along with the girls and boys who were chosen to deliver the Cook Islands News. What polite and charming children.

Being in our late seventies, it was impossible for us both, financially and physically, (distances walking from car parks etc) to personally attend. We are very proud to live in the Cook Islands, which has produced first class amenities and professional organisation of and for world class events now and yet to come.

Once again, it was due to Tua and of course Kuki who made the events so worthwhile to watch. We also appreciated the commentaries in English for all sectors of the community and the outside world.

“Go Cook Islands” and thanks for allowing us oldies to “Share the Moments” in our home.

Congratulations

Jakie and Ian Sanderson

Anguish felt in Aitutaki

Dear Editor,

There is a great deal of anguish amongst Aitutakians about the increase in freight charges to Aitutaki.

If Reef managed to make Aitutaki work for so long on $1300 odd dollars a container, the question should be asked why the sudden increase?

You have to wonder, was that portion being subsidised by Rarotonga importers? Did it take over eight years of service to Aituaki for Reef management to realise they were not making a quid on that route, or was it because for so long Reef came to Raro ‘choka’ and were making so much profit that it just didn’t matter what Aituaki paid, and when the economy started to fall and Raro importers cut back that they had to recalculate their freight rates to Aitutaki?

Some years ago Qantas was fined $10 million dollars for reducing ticket prices to certain cities within Australia to the extent that Virgin, a discount airline, could not make it profitable. The charge was ‘predatory pricing’, putting competitors out of business by making key flights unprofitable, but maintaining an overall profitable balance sheet with other areas of income, then raising prices when the competitor is no longer in that market.

Does Taio Shipping feel the same way?

I don’t recall Reef director John Greeson ever publicly stating over the past eight years that the Aitutaki route was unprofitable, not much has changed, the ship is still the same, Aitutaki is still where it was 10 years ago, fuel and exchange rates are still more or less the same.

Why then has Reef arbitrarily increased its freight rates to Aitutaki? Because it can!

Aere ra Aitutaki

(Name and address supplied)

Carr against new airline

Dear Editor,

On Saturday September 12 you published an article entitled “New ‘think tank’ task force will advise government”. In that article, to my surprise, my name was included as a member.

After some difficulty I was able to confirm that my name was included in the Cabinet minute setting up the “Think Tank” but to date I have never been asked if I was prepared to serve on the committee ( I would have accepted if asked), nor have I received any formal notice of my appointment or invitation to attend meetings.

I have been asked by a number of people to comment on the recent pronouncements of the think tank as they were aware that, when I was Financial Secretary, I was opposed to an earlier proposal by the chairman of the think tank to establish a National Airline. As I was not invited to attend any of the meetings and listen to the current justification for a national airline, my views have not changed.

It was through your paper I found that I was “appointed” to the think tank so it is appropriate that I now use it to advise those interested that I have had no involvement in the recommendations of the think tank.

Kevin Carr

Arorangi

Sack half the politicians

Dear Editor,

Where are the government’s priorities?

One keeps reading of Ministers on overseas travel and the unfortunate decision to buy a fuel depot and take loans from the Chinese government.

It is difficult for everyone. I had hoped and prayed that commonsense would have prevailed by now. No more overseas junkets. Fullstop Amen.

That wasteful spending was identified and stopped. Fullstop amen

Make a list of essential items and their costs (make sure they are pared back to reality – no gold plated schemes).

Cook Islands really need a decent boat for supplies and transport of people and to deliver emergency supplies, eg aviation gas, diesel, petrol and food and water.

Get the NZ/Aus governments help when you need it – expertise also to train our people, and hopefully they will stay.

Sack half the policitians. Why 24 for so few people? 15 will do the job (bite the bullet and save money for the people and get rid of the hangers on).

Tough times call for tough measures .

Kevin

(Name and address supplied)

A disgrace

Dear Editor,

Reading about the state of our prison is a disgrace. Would government please donate a few of the bunks from PMG to help out and stop going on unnecessary trips overseas. It’s my tax money you’re using, not yours.

Citizen who cares A LOT

(Name and address supplied)

Juveniles must be kept separate

Dear Editor,

While the subject of containment of inmates at the Arorangi Prison is of national concern and will remain so until action is taken to remedy the facility, let the authorities not forget the fact that there has been no satisfactory solution to the plight of under age offenders. That is under the age when they cannot be sent to prison.

It is disheartening to read in the local newspaper what appears to be an increasing number of offences of theft and burglaries in private homes, motels and businesses.

The police and detectives are doing a great job in bringing many of these offenders to the Juvenile Courts but there their involvement ends.

The courts’ jurisdiction is in many cases unable to keep the juveniles under detention as there is NO facility. So the kids go free and carry on re-offending.

It is long since time that cabinet takes a serious look at establishing a place of containment where these juveniles can be placed for a period of a few months.

Obviously legislation needs to be promulgated for this to happen.

Then an intensive course of constructive hard work during the day and educational programmes in the evening would follow.

Such a facility should not be located at or near the Arorangi Prison.

It could however be located near the proposed facility for young offenders old enough to go to prison but under 21 years of age, essentially first offenders. Such a facility has been recommended several times in previous Ministerial Commissions of Inquiry and also by the NZ Management Review of Arorangi Prison in 1994.

It was proposed to construct Minimum Security accommodation of 15 individual hut type cabins grouped in three series of five with a toilet and shower for each group. Much the same rehabilitative programme would be envisaged as in the juvenile facility.

These two facilities would make the work of the courts much easier and at the same time restore the confidence of the general public.

Gordon H. Sawtell

All you can eat stupidity

Dear Editor,

On Saturday October 10 I took my family (including some visiting from NZ) for dinner at a restaurant in town. All you can eat for $15.00 – a bargain and guaranteed to satisfy everyone. The food was great. We sat outside enjoying our kaikai under the night sky.

We were amused by another patron also obviously enjoying himself. We saw him going up to refill his plate quite a few times and thought that he was certainly getting his money’s worth until we realised that he was actually tipping his plates of food into a large plastic container on his table that he had covered with a towel.

Just as we realised this, one of the restaurant staff came and spoke to him and politely (much too politely if you ask me) told him that he must stop what he was doing.

This man wasn’t apologetic or even embarrassed. He dumped the contents of the plate in front of him into his container and walked to his van and left.

To this well fed man with bleached blond hair wearing red shorts – I really feel sorry for you.

Sorry that you are too stupid to understand that “all you can eat” doesn’t mean all you can eat for a week.

Sorry for you that your parents haven’t taught you right from wrong and that you are too stupid to realise that what you were doing is theft.

Stay home and let others enjoy their dining experience without having to watch you steal.

Concerned diner

(Name and address supplied)

Slow down, idiot!

Dear Editor,

To the idiot who was driving a white Izuzu double cab pick up GA305 towards town in excess of 55kph through the 30kph zone at Tereora at 8.25am on Wednesday

October 21: Slow Down! To the HOM of the department that the Government vehicle belongs to, please take that vehicle off the inconsiderate law breaker. And get him to now catch the bus.

Government vehicles are a privilege.

IWA ( I want action)

(Name and address supplied)

Good work

Dear Editor,

Love the new look with Cook Islands News, it’s fantastic to catch up with what’s happening back home, and I might say... never a dull moment, so many changes good and bad!

Keep up the good work (reporters).

Yvonne

(Name and address supplied)

Dear Editor

Nothing stirs Cook Islands from their slumber more than politicians and public servants who take more than they produce. The Cook Islands is a casualty of these experiences.

Through your paper I want to appeal to all Cook Islanders to make a stand and force the CI Government including the opposition to make the political changes that this country so desperately needs to survive.

If the changes are not done in the next general election, there will be no one left here, except for the poor buggers who are chained here with debt and taxes with an economy every day spiraling towards nothingness.

So Mr Prime Minister, I again appeal to you, to stand up for once in your life as Prime Minister, to lead this country from disaster, just do something(!) anything (!) but please don’t do nothing or say nothing.

Good work to the Economic Task Force and to Teina Mackenzie for really getting this situation brought to the forefront of public attention.

This is too important for us not to give up, after all as NZ MP John Hays says, 90% of Cook Islands live overseas, if that isn’t a concern, then the fact many Cook Islanders living in Australia call themselves Kiwis wouldn’t be either.

Wasted lives

(Name and address supplies)

Dear Editor,

Please allow us to give tourists and visitors to our islands a couple of hints. The first is to do with the way you dress.

To quote the Lonely Planet guidebook: “Like everywhere, your travelling experiences will go a lot smoother if you observe the local customs of dress and don’t offend people by your appearance.

“This is easy to do in the Cooks if by observing a few basic courtesies.  Swimming wear is for swimming; it’s fine at the beach or by the pool but elsewhere you should cover up.” Translation: don’t wear your bikini into town or walking/biking around our villages.  And here’s a tip for the white, bare-chested men wandering around the place: cultural appropriateness aside, it’s not generally a good look.

Secondly, we are tired of tourists renting houses in residential areas and then partying late into the night.

If you want to play loud music, or have wedding parties late into the night, then go into town for the evening or rent an appropriate venue.

If you rent a house in a primarily residential area, please respect the fact that the people around you are not on holiday.

We’re putting our kids to bed, or trying to,  and getting up early to go to work.

Locals who own beach-houses could of course help this situation.Please remind your guests to be sensitive to the neighbours; and tell them your house is not a party venue.

You’ll still get your $300 a night and your neighbours will be happy too.

No, we’re not prudes, nor are we elderly. We are two friends, both mothers, in different villages seeing the same issues.

Tourists are very welcome, but please respect local sensitivities, and don’t do anything in our neighbourhoods late at night that you wouldn’t appreciate in yours.

Sleepless in Arorangi

Sleepless in Titikaveka

(Names and

addresses supplied)

Dear Editor,

Some people are quick to blame others when the chips are down. But these same people will not lift a finger when needed the most.

Last month’s tsunami was a wake-up call for everyone. Blaming the police and others will not make us better. They did what they had to do.

Their boss made the call not to evacuate which was the best and only decision to make.

People panicked because of what was said by a couple of announcers on the radio – but no one’s blaming them.

The police commissioner was cool, calm and collected. He not only made the hard call but also took the blame for the failures of his team. I only wish we had put him in office much earlier.

Proud Cook Islander

(Name and address supplied)

Dear Editor,

To the person with the ad in church notices on Friday: skeptiquote. It is a pity you have taken the verse completely out of context as is so typical of you “skeptics”.

Malachi 2:3 is dealing with priests who were acting in a corrupt and disgraceful way. They were warned that if they do not clean up and act in a manner which honours God, then to Him they will appear filthy and He will turn from them.

Perhaps if you looked through the whole Bible, and not just the portions that serve your biased need to remove accountability to something bigger, you would see the beauty of all that Bible portrays.

There is another verse which fits a lot of people today: 2 Peter 3:5, “For this they are willingly ignorant...” In the original Greek, this means “Dumb on Purpose.” Perhaps certain people should think first before they quote verses they have no real understanding of or willingly warp the meaning to their own desires.

I suggest that the skeptic visit this website: http://raycomfortfood.blogspot.com/.

Happy reading

Nick Carter

Titikaveka

Dear Editor,

In reference to NZ MP John Hay’s speech, describing the abysmal record of progressive governments, I find it both sobering and gratifying to hear it announced publicly and so clearly.

I don’t think true reforms are a reduction in the number of MPs (though this will form part of the equation), but what is required is a true leader who will change the compensation models and reduce the size of government.

At the moment the Cook Islands has legalised corruption.

Slippery

(Name and address supplied)

Dear Editor,

I endorse the letter of Sleepless in Arorangi, published on October 27, when she said, “We are tired of tourists renting houses in residential areas and then partying late into the night,”

Sleepless should have gone on to include locals in this group as while tourists may be here for a few days, and not all tourists behave in this way, locals can be a greater nuisance than tourists.

We have a house next door that can only be classed as a party house as no one lives in it. They partied last Friday night, all Saturday night and then started their usual drinking and noisy music at 10am on Sunday morning. Almost every Sunday they have their drinking school that sometimes starts as early as 7am and usually goes on until after 6pm with the music and voices getting louder and more obnoxious as the day progresses.

This drinking session every Sunday has been going on for over a year. We see our pastors very prominent when it comes to denouncing healthy sporting activities on Sunday but where are our pastors and the leaders of our community when the drinking and loud music starts on Sunday? They cannot be unaware of it as the party house next door is only 100 metres from the main church in Arorangi and similar drinking schools are occurring in many places around the island.

Sleepless also asks the tourists to “observe the local customs of dress and don’t offend people by your appearance”. I completely agree with her, however do we really want tourists to also follow the local custom of those at the “party” house each Sunday as they wander out in the grounds and openly urinate in the sight of people walking on the beach? I think not.

When I see these drunken apologies for human beings staggering over to their motor bikes and driving off after their binge drinking, I pray that they do not have an accident that causes suffering and the loss of innocent lives. What the effect the binge drinking has on their wives and families wellbeing I hate to think.

Lastly I would like to thank the police who I regularly ring when I reach the limit of my endurance. They are always polite and promptly send officers to get the noise level lowered.

However they seem powerless to stop this ongoing anti social behaviour. The solution lies with the community.

Let’s see our churches and community leaders stand up and condemn this unacceptable behaviour.

Kevin Carr

Arorangi

Dear Editor,

According to NZMP John Hayes (in a recent article), the standard of political and economic success for small Pacific Island states is measured by the number of the ethnic population who live at home versus those who have migrated overseas to live. Accordingly, the Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau are failures because more people are now living overseas, especially NZ.

This is simplistic and plain naive. He overlooked the one factor which is at the heart of the matter and that is – the Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau are NZ citizens with NZ passports and enjoy free access to NZ (and thus to Australia) whereas all other Pacific Island states who want to migrate to NZ (or Aussie) do not enjoy this privilege.

I would venture to say that if Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, PNG, Solomon, Vanuatu, etc had the same citizenship, passport and access rights to NZ and Australia, they would also be ‘failures’ on Hayes’ ruler.

The problem is much more complex and the Hayes thesis missed the mark.

George Ellis

Dear Editor,

The TOA saga just continues. Now the government is hiring QC Kit Toogood.

Let’s hope that Mr Toogood’s fee has been agreed on first before any signing of agreements.

More deep bottomless pits, to pour very limited resources into.

Slippery

(Name and address supplied)

Muri businessman John Scott has a long-standing interest in politics and public sector administration. He has campaigned for political reform in the past. He believes the time is ripe for a new crusade. In this opinion piece submitted as a letter, he recommends making changes to the new petition launched by Teina Mackenzie. He also puts forward the idea of a Political Reform Party.

While I wish Teina Mackenzie every success with her reform petition, I just wish she had sought some advice on the best approach to adopt which, while not guaranteed to succeed, would improve the opportunity for debate and ventilation of the issues and thus the chances of achieving the constitutional changes the justifiably outraged, long suffering supporters of reform have been waiting to see.

Petitions in recent history have not fared well. The writer has been heavily engaged in two. The first in the 1970s on liberalising the liquor laws for Rarotonga (3106 signatures representing over two thirds of the Rarotonga voters) and the second on the Term of Parliament in the 1980s (3513 signatures).

Both were petitions to Parliament as Teina’s should have been. Both failed to secure their objectives. The first was referred to Government for favourable consideration where it was pigeon holed. The second was dissembled to death in committee where self-serving politicians were again pursuing their own agenda.

What so far then has been the experience with political reform and how can we get serious about effecting them? Is the good work of the Commission of Political Reform to remain in that library of good intentions where it has already accumulated 11 years of dust through procrastination?

Perhaps not but the energy that goes into mounting and launching a petition campaign needs to be properly directed.

While some individual MPs may support in principle the work of the Commission, the realities of survival within the system and the continued enjoyment of the available benefits assumes a transcending priority which, within the dynamics of loose loyalties and the absence of firm philosophical roots, which characterises Cook Islands politics, spawns and nurtures just what we have seen. Promises. Inaction. Promises. Inaction.

So are the politicians going to take the initiative and be proactive about reform when they have had 11 years already? I don’t think so.

It is probably no accident that recent events (Task force recommendations, John Hayes MP’s blunt but accurate speech) and general disenchantment with our politicians and the frustration and indignation at the total lack of commitment displayed by successive governments to bringing down a programme of reform legislation have re-ignited the recognition that without some persuasion the lip service and inaction will just continue.

Given all the lost opportunities, I think the voters are finally accepting that the fundamental nature of those entrusted with managing our affairs is more focused on managing their own and that without some serious prodding nothing will change.

When there exists such resistance to recognising the will of the people, when politicians will not or cannot heed the messages being sent to them, when there is a glaring absence of political will and an aversion to change, the simmering impotency of the people will eventually seek expression in another form.

That time could well be now. Fortunately here in the Cook Islands we have always taken up these challenges within the democratic framework we have worked so hard to foster and protect, unlike some of our neighbours whose experience just underscores the correctness of our approach.

Is there a way out of this predicament? Yes, I believe there is. Petitioning is one. I have some thoughts on another.

PETITIONING

Teina’s petition should, as I have stated, have been addressed to Parliament.

Parliament comprises all the people’s representatives. Government does not. Parliament has an established format for the preparation of petitions. Government does not. Parliament has Standing Orders which set down the procedure for dealing with petitions. There are no set procedures with Government. A broadcast debate is possible with Parliament. It is not with Government. Parliament is required to send the petition to a Select Committee and the opportunity is then available for petitioners to make further representations. Not with the Government approach. Petitioning Parliament can keep the issue alive as it is in the public domain and becomes a media news item. Petitioning Government allows the Cabinet to control and contain the negative repercussions and downplay the issues.

Finally petitioning Parliament empowers the voter to exercise that basic tenet of representative and responsible government and that is to vigorously lobby and pressure his member of parliament.

It is not too late for Teina to regroup and redirect but that is her decision. Petitioning involves a great deal of dedication and time and one wants to be comfortable in the knowledge that the path one has chosen gives the maximum opportunity for the achievement of one’s aims. I don’t believe petitioning Government will deliver that.

I have read the petition such as it is on the website and it needs a whole lot of improvement. Petitions are demanding in that the language of them must be specific because those who are challenged by them take great pains to parse them to hell and draw the conclusions they want through latching on to any imprecision or ambiguity. This petition is ripe for such treatment.

Central to whichever procedure is adopted should be the very clear message that the reforms need to be legislated before the next general election, not after it. Failure to do that will just see a further raft of empty promises of what will be done once elected and I think we would all now recognise the hollow ring which would accompany that tired old delaying tactic.

And bear in mind that Government will be very aware that the election is next year; that decisions are needed and the legislation has to be drafted. Christmas is just around the corner and constitutional changes need 90 days. These all provide fertile ground for more prevarication. Government can say, while accepting the propositions, that time was against it. Too fanciful do you think considering the track record?

A REFORM PARTY

If all else fails, here is another idea.

What I propose is that 25 citizens committed to the Cook Islands and political reform come together to form a party and present their candidacy at the next general election under the banner of a reform party and with just one objective: To form an interim government to effect agreed reforms and to then resign so that a further general election can be held in the reformed environment.

These individuals can be of any political persuasion and they could include current members. There would be no need for a campaign, just a summary of the changes that they stood for and proposed to implement which would be widely disseminated.

The Reform Party would stick exclusively to its published agenda. It would not bring down a budget nor engage all the minutiae of governing. Decisions which could not be postponed should be taken but anything else should be left to the next incoming Government. Financial authority could be obtained through Imprest Supply Bills.

Because there would inevitably be a need for ongoing attention to policy matters for which the Reform Party would have no mandate, it should adhere to the status quo ante of the previous administration. There will be other complications but with the necessary goodwill these should not be insurmountable. The Electoral Act and the MFEM Act would need to be examined for consequential amendment. If the political will existed amongst the present incumbents, some of these transitional measures could be legislated ahead of time but frankly I don’t think the will is there. The purpose should be to keep the interregnum to a minimum.

What would existing political parties do in this situation? Ideally they would allow an uncontested election which would shorten the whole process.

Alternatively they could whip up the party machinery and stalwarts contest some or all of the seats and be irretrievably branded as opposed to reforms. Then again they could adopt the reform programme of the Reform Party and promise to deliver it themselves.

The difficulty with this last course of action is that when they have had an opportunity to do something they have done nothing so voters would rightly regard such latter day conversion with some cynicism and disbelief.

What control would be exercised over the Reform Party candidates is a highly relevant question because left to their own devices, and human nature being what it is, we would not want them to fall into the temptation of pursuing a different agenda once elected.

In choosing the list of candidates, one mandatory qualification would be that the intending members would be required to match their commitment with something they did not want to lose. Similar to candidates’ deposits but with much more serious consequences. Call it a “Contract with the People” if you like, wherein an absolute binding contract would be entered into between the candidates and the Crown whereby the candidates would forfeit something really dear to them, be it a house, a business, shares, or some other significant asset, if they failed to deliver on the agreed agenda and to resign at the appointed time. These Contracts would need to be published and have real meaning and substance. A person not entering into an acceptable commitment should be refused a place on the Reform Party ticket.

And lest I be misunderstood, I seek no part of the Reform Party, nor do I have time to attend public meetings. If asked, I could give some guidance on petitions but other than that, the time is ripe for new crusaders – I have already done more than my share and my other commitments are already too demanding.

John M Scott

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