People complained of New Zealand being over patriarchal regarding the latest passport and China visit. Yet no one sees the same behaviour from our Prime Minister, writes Ruta Mave.

Ignorance is bliss and how blissful are many in our community. I am aware I am preaching to the converted on these subjects as reading a newspaper is not an electronic device with social media, and if it doesn’t snap, chat, tik, tok, insta-ntly then it doesn’t catch the minds and fervour of the masses. Shame really, as it will be they who suffer the most as they bury their heads in the sand and pretend all is good, all the time.

A march is planned for Monday. Originally it was against the Cook Islands passport, but that has already been wrapped up in last week’s fish n’ chips. Those reading this are probably old enough to remember how it used to be, a point being missed with the political tension at the moment. The many people who remember how it was 60 years ago and how healthy and vibrant we were. They have seen the tumultuous rise and fall of men in government and the decisions that cost us dearly to the recent decisions that could cost us an arm and a leg or possibly our first-born children’s future.

The march is really people who are not happy. They are not in agreeance with the way the decisions are being made and they are certainly not happy with the Prime Minister and his deliberate cat and mouse cloak and dagger game. They will be the same people who marched for Grey Power and against the Purse Seine fishing, and recently the Hikoi and for victims of child abuse. Much like the other marches they will be ignored.

It all feels a bit ‘too little too late’. The horse has bolted, the barn door left wide open with no barriers and no opposition standing in the way of politicians who have kicked up their heels in every koru lounge around the globe.

People complained of New Zealand being over patriarchal regarding the latest passport and China visit. Yet no one sees the same behaviour from our Prime Minister. He has taken the attitude of his role as ‘head of the household’ as what he says goes. There is no room for discussion, let alone transparency, as that would mean accepting we have a place at the table to voice an opinion.

All the while he spouts that everything, he does, is good for us. He has our best interests at heart, he knows what is best for us, while he abuses us. Abuse comes in many forms and emotional disassociation and financial control are some of the ways to keep people compliant and submissive. We see it right across our community and we are so ingrained to it in our everyday lives we see and accept it as the norm. It is only those from the outside who see there is nothing normal here, nothing democratic here.

Cook Island prime ministers are well versed in begging for money for our poor although developed nation of 15 thousand people, but where does the money go? He gets to buy a new truck, but the children’s health, education and standard of living are ignored.

Our country has shocking obesity that was not evident 60 years ago. Our children are the most obese in the world. Our adults were most obese in the world in 2016. What has our government done to improve our health?

Our education is under fire and crime prevails because they are not putting money into support, growing or nurturing our people. The money goes into themselves, because they believe they deserve it more. 

When we allow abuse of women and children to occur every day without penalty, abuse becomes endemic. When he can assault a woman with a machete, plead guilty and not be convicted, what message are we giving to other males?

When a woman asks for help from abuse from him, and they say, ‘You must have done something to deserve it’ because he is on the pedestal of the untouchables, then we have a problem.