Opinion

Kata - April 15, 2010

Thursday 15 April 2010 | Published in Kata

Broadband speeds explained

Thursday 15 April 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Residential broadband problems are sometimes to do with the age and lack of memory of a computer. This is one comment from Telecom Cook Islands in reply to questions asked by a reader in Smoke Signals about residential broadband. TCI marketing and sales manager Mark Boyd thanks the signaller (on April 14) and says the […]

'I listen to my people'

Thursday 15 April 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I wish to tell Mr Boggs, an Amercian living in Arorangi, that I have always called things as I see them and will continue to do so. I wish to thank him for reminding the public of my previous views which I have never retracted or denounced. I hope he understands what I […]

There when help is needed

Wednesday 14 April 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

A smoke signaller writes: “In the letters to the editor’s column ‘Totally choked’ was really worried about the country because our latest candidates chosen by political parties are village based. Well, why doesn’t he try and put his hand up for the country to see if voters will vote for him? I doubt it! Whether […]

A shot in the arm

Wednesday 14 April 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Another member (Cassey Eggelton) has joined the ‘team’, and that’s what the island needs – team players. Just what the doctor ordered – a team of people working towards a better future for the country ‘together’. Not the constant childish tantrums we’ve been witness to of late. The country cannot afford that. The […]

Scary stuff

Wednesday 14 April 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I refer to two articles in Saturday’s Cook Islands News that clearly show we have problems with justice. It was an interesting story about Mark Short on the state of our Justice Department. Something disturbs me a little though and I quote Mark, “We’re appointing JPs but we have no resources to train […]

Independence – the way to go

Wednesday 14 April 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Maybe Herr Tongia can assist. If half of the Demo MPs meet to discuss matters of public interest, what is it called if not a Demo Caucus? Okay, so that he doesn’t get upset again, let’s call it a Non-Demo Caucus. Actually, he’s so angry that they met, they may soon be Non-Demos […]

Scrap VAT on solar systems

Wednesday 14 April 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Renewable energy – let’s get on with it! I don’t disagree with the need to pursue large scale renewable energy sources over time but it is obvious at the moment from media coverage that the government is not in a position to do anything much about it, more’s the pity. However, it is […]

Give us league points

Wednesday 14 April 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Now that the rugby league’s minor premiership competition is a week away from concluding, can those high ranking executives on the Cook Islands Rugby League board provide to your newspaper for publishing a points table for the six premier-grade teams. That way league fans and club supporters like me can have some idea […]

Noise complaints at weekend

Tuesday 13 April 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

The weekend was nearly incident-free for police, whose biggest problem was a high number of excessive noise complaints. On Saturday morning at 4.50am, a car crashed into a taro patch on the back road at Takuvaine. The man sustained only minor injuries but blew a breathalyser reading of 490 mg/s and will appear in the […]

OIA request on Telecom documents

Tuesday 13 April 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

An official information request has been made to the office of the Prime Minister Jim Marurai for documents relating to Telecom Cook Islands by local company Mervin Communications. Director William Framhein confirmed he made the Official Information Act (OIA) request last month and is expecting a final response shortly. Framhein did not wish to divulge […]

Kata - April 13, 2010

Tuesday 13 April 2010 | Published in Kata

No worries

Tuesday 13 April 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

“We all know that the Police are trying hard to clamp down on road speeders,” writes a smoke signaller, “but on a Saturday morning drive to town, doing 50k, I was overtaken by three boy bike racers doing 60 plus k without helmets. They don’t have a care in the world and apparently no fear […]

Both have degenerated

Tuesday 13 April 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, What a wonderful state of affairs we find ourselves in. On one hand the CIP jolly themselves along with an unelected leader and an unrespected spokesperson/MP gleefully picking up their $2 fee to allow amused villagers to vote with their conscience. On the other we have Mr Nazi condemning anyone that disagrees with […]

Blame shifting

Tuesday 13 April 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, According to Wilkie Rasmussen, Toagate would have never happened if only Prime Minister Jim Marurai had done his job. So why does Rasmussen continue to blame only Terepai Maoate for the Toagate affair? Let’s take a look at the facts. Last month Rasmussen put the blame squarely on Maoate when he said Terepai […]

Local politics in a nutshell

Monday 12 April 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

“Let’s summarise and quantify the political mess,” a smoke signaller writes. “The Democratic party is now in three parts: the Toa-gate bunch (6) and a Demo-splinter group (4) that sort of supports the third lot that happens to be in control (6). Then, there’s the Cook Islands Party including an independent (8) that certainly has […]

'Grand Plan' sidelines little guys

Monday 12 April 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, So the Tourism Board has a Grand Plan and they want the whole country to buy into it. They want government to double its expenditure on tourism, they want the industry to increase their expenditure on marketing, and they want us all ‘on board the vaka’ paddling in the same direction. Never mind […]

Kata - April 10, 2010

Saturday 10 April 2010 | Published in Kata

Political qualifications

Saturday 10 April 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

“It would appear that Mr Maggie has all the prerequisites to become a very successful politician,” a reader writes. “Little education, convicted criminal, arsonist, done a bit of Porridge. He is one step ahead of the other contestants in that he achieved his qualifications before entering politics. Should he make it into the hallowed house […]

It's a disgrace

Saturday 10 April 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Just reading all the articles in the local paper is a disgrace to both parties (CIP & Demo). We have a major problem here amongst both parties. Why are you guys showing your incompetency in leading the country by running each other down? New Zealand, Australia, United States are not even doing this, […]