Demos welcome minister’s visit

Friday 27 March: Aitutaki DemocraticParty executives who met with minister Wilkie Rasmussen welcomed his friendly approach yesterday.

The minister, who is also the deputy leader of the Democratic Party, met with the executives who have been raising concerns about Sunday flights.

Some of them are also proudly protesting the flights eight months from when they began.

Members of the executive expressed their frustration at allegedly being ignored by government and the Democratic Party in Rarotonga.

When writing letters didn’t work, they even went to the media to get the attention of government they said.

Rasmussen arrived at the modest home of Tangi Ngaro, chairman of the executive for Ureia and Amuri, in Ureia to be greeted by about nine members of the executive from the island.

The executive had written to the cabinet ministers in February asking them to hold the promised referendum on Sunday flights.

At yesterday’s meeting the Aitutaki Demo executive chairman John Tini told Rasmussen that many of them felt that deputy prime minster Sir Terepai Maoate had been too dictatorial.

Tini said Sir Terepai had come to Aitutaki last year and acted like a dictator by telling them that Air Rarotonga had already been given the go ahead to begin operating Sunday flights on a six-month trial basis.

“It was the way he did it – his approach was like a dictator,” said Tini. The Demo executives vented some harsh comments about Sir Terepai, saying they have no time for the man they now consider has a selfish and uncaring attitude towards the people of their island.

Mimou Tom said at the first meeting with Sir Terepai last May, everyone was angry. She said Sir Terepai raved on and on, and was also angry.

She said the members of the public left that meeting feeling angry too that they had not made the decision to start Sunday flights but had instead been told it would go ahead.

Tini went on to say that even the letter sent in February received an initial disappointing response from government. He said it was like being told to leave the Democratics if they were going to challenge government.

Tini said he was hurt by the general response and being ignored.

“You’re approach is totally different. We appreciate it,” he told Rasmussen.

The minister said he was there to listen and raise such concerns with the Democratic Party.

Taraota Tom raised the issue of respecting Sunday as the Sabbath in Aitutaki. He said government was not respecting this by allowing Sunday flights.

Tom accused Sir Terepai of using his leadership and the power his knighthood gave him for the benefit of his friends.

He also told the minister that the flights have nothing to do with countering the effects of a global economic recession because government had intended to allow Air Rarotonga to start them in 2007 and had been planning it for years.

Rasmussen told the Demo executives that government cannot determine if the people of Aitutaki are against the flights until a referendum is held.

While the executive claimed to represent the people which they say are all against the flights, Rasmussen said this could only be proven by asking the people.

He said a referendum would help all parties come to a resolution over Sunday flights. - Helen Greig