Letters to the Editor
Letter: Village voters
Tuesday 20 February 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
The letter to you by Te Tuhi Kelly a week or so ago about village voters not having the intellectual capacity to think, choose and vote the person they want to represent them is highly offensive and racist.
Letter: Tourism budget request
Tuesday 20 February 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
$3.5m to protect Cook Islands’ ‘Golden Goose’? Has it occurred to those promoting tourism and forever singing its praises that if the golden eggs are not shared with all then, ‘what’s the point?’.
Letter: Cook Islands’ green dream
Tuesday 20 February 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, Kia Orana, once upon a time long, long ago, well some nine years ago anyway (about 2015), the then prime minister Henry Puna made the bold and audacious statement that the Cook Islands would be 100 per cent green energy by 2020.
Letter: Bouquets and brickbats
Friday 16 February 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
There is the old adage about bouquets and brickbats and here is my short list of some of who qualify for one or the other.
Letter: Starlink versus local provider
Friday 16 February 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, I know there are naysayers out there who think Starlink is not offering any benefits to our economy and hence shouldn’t be allowed into the country.
Letter: Ex-Deputy PM pay
Thursday 15 February 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Now that “Hon” Tapaitau has been found guilty, and will be sentenced in due course, when will he repay all that extra money he was so unreasonably paid as DPM?
Letter: EVs replacing government fleet
Thursday 15 February 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, The 25 EV (electric vehicle) cars bought with public funds for the Pacific Islands Leaders Forum Meeting is a continuing story.
Letter: Cannabis laws
Wednesday 14 February 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
I’m publicly asking the Prime Minister Mark Brown to make use of his power as our top elected official to live up to the promise and grant a full, complete and unconditional pardon to all our people who are still being subjected to this day to the brutal, barbaric and laws on marijuana.
Letter: Roadside collection message ‘confusing’
Tuesday 13 February 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, My apologies to the kids whose school holiday project became the finished piece of Infrastructure’s attempt to inform us about our roadside collection.
Letter: ‘Temporary’ fuel surcharge
Tuesday 13 February 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, I was looking at my electricity bill from Te Aponga and saw there is still a temporary fuel surcharge of 5 cents per unit on there.
Letter: Vaimaanga road closure
Monday 12 February 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Residents of Vaimaanga should not be complacent, and ignore what is happening in their village. The development at the old Sheraton Hotel site is moving along at pace, most people would and indeed should applaud the developer for his bravery, investment and achievements on this once derelict property.
Letter: Prime Minister’s ‘review’ questioned
Monday 12 February 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, The country was fortunate that One News Reporter, Barbara Dreaver asked PM Mark Brown, what was happening with the complaints by two women against Police Commissioner James Keenan?
Letter: More Ministers, more costs, less value?
Friday 9 February 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, Last week I wrote a Letter to the Editor giving reasons why the Constitutional Amendment No. 30 (allowing for an increase in the number of Ministers) should be opposed. This letter is to set the record straight. I made a grave mistake in my letter of last week. I now wish to correct my mistake.
Letter: The Constitution and marijuana
Thursday 8 February 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
The Constitution forms the basis of law within the Cook Islands and defines the principles of which the government, including the justice system must operate.
Letter: Medicinal cannabis
Thursday 8 February 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Over a year and a half ago, Prime Minister Mark Brown said he would “act very quickly” to legalise medicinal cannabis after he was given an overwhelming mandate to do so by the voters in the last general election.
Letter: Dual roles
Thursday 8 February 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Owen Lewis is in the news again (Sporting body questions Lewis’ dual roles, February 3, 2024). It is good to hear sports federations speak up. If one thinks it, guarantee the others think it too.
Letter: CISNOC Retreat
Thursday 8 February 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
CISNOC had all last year to review their constitution; they did not need to go to Aitutaki to do it. If they had reviewed the constitution in full it would have taken longer than two days and they were discussing Owen Lewis resignation which they only got a couple of days before announcing their retreat.
Letter: ‘PM’s principled and ethical stance’
Thursday 8 February 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, We read in the article ‘Cook Islands deputy PM out of parliament’ (RNZ/ The Fiji Times 6/2/24) that after being convicted on the charge of “taking public funds”, Robert Tapaitau “has been removed from parliament”.
Letter: Checks and balances
Wednesday 7 February 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
In his first statement since the result of the court case in which Robert Tapaitau, Nga Puna and Puna’s wife, Diane Charlie-Puna, the former secretary of Infrastructure Cook Islands, were found guilty of fraud, Prime Minister Mark Brown said “no person is above the law”.
Letter: Looking for a slim waistline
Wednesday 7 February 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, Ministry of Health Secretary Bob Williams comes out swinging, downgrading the world health report to being the same trend as previous years, meaning nothing has changed and they have not improved matters.