Opinion
Be responsible on air
Friday 29 January 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals
Yesterday an irate smoke signaller writes: “Listening to 88FM this morning and even Matariki FM, it’s easy to tell that these people haven’t been in ‘service’ during cyclones yet. Nick Henry’s flapping was irresponsible, and caused one Arorangi accommodation operator to evacuate guests at dawn yesterday. These radio people need a lesson in responsible conduct […]
Te penitini e te inu oko mama
Thursday 28 January 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor
E Tama, Eaa tikai te tumu i tiria iai te arataki o te Democratic Party, Sir Terepai Maoate KBE, e te parai minita Marurai mei roto i te cabinet? Te tumu okotai, kua akara a Marurai ki te ikianga maata e tu mai nei. Te umuumu nei ite taoonga prime minister no te mea kare […]
We DO need a new political model, Mr Tongia
Thursday 28 January 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor Mr Tongia, why do you always resort to scaremongering? The PM’s use of the police as a security solution to irate demo tantrums and threats seems a sensible precaution to me. At least Mr Jim is neither paranoid nor vainglorious like Sir Geoffrey and Sir Terepai that demanded police motor cycle escorts to […]
Good luck!
Thursday 28 January 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, Mou Piri would like to clarify the position of our group. First we repeat we are nonpolitical. We especially did not form to support the aims of the Economic Task Force. We are a group of citizens concerned with our elected politicians continually refusing to act on what was clearly the people’s wishes […]
Tourism job ad suggestion
Thursday 28 January 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, If, as reported in CINews, the head honcho of the Cook Island Tourism Corporation has thrown in the towel, how is it we have not yet seen an advertisement for his replacement? Sorry to see you go John, you’ve done lots for CI Tourism, you’ve achieved heaps in a short time. As it […]
'Restorative justice' is the answer
Thursday 28 January 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, Regarding the letter ‘Punish the parents’ in your January 15 edition, it has been my pleasure to volunteer with youth, in many different capacities. I have come to believe, there are no “bad kids”, just a lot of troubled ones. The lack of adequate parenting is the leading cause of children going astray. […]
Don't use police as a 'political football'
Thursday 28 January 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, I am disappointed that Mr Makiuti Tongia chose to use the Police as a ‘political football’ in his letter published on 26 January 2010. Such comments are in my view irresponsible, misinformed and alarming and portray police as available for use at the “whim” of government or politicians for political purposes including the […]
Elected must govern
Thursday 28 January 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller reckons the suggestion that the Prime Minister be able to appoint cabinet from all registered Cook Islands voters is a dreadful idea. “It looks as though it’s tailor-made for businessmen, lawyers, failed politicians and friends or family of the PM who want political power without having to stand for election. I know […]
He's not the only expert
Wednesday 27 January 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, This cabinet seems to think that Tata Crocombe is the only expert on the island and he will deliver this country out of the mess that we are in. Personally, I don’t trust this man. I was told that Tata got the old Rarotongan Hotel from government for a very low price. All […]
Tata the 'new messiah'
Wednesday 27 January 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, Why on earth is this government allowing businessman Tata Crocombe to dictate and dominate more and more on the future affairs of this country? For some unknown reason it seems as if Tata is the country’s new mover and shaker. A man on a crusade. The person lurking behind the PM pulling all […]
Don't fear change – it's good for us
Wednesday 27 January 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, Tupui Ariki Henry, your letter to the editor made you sound like a scared little child. “If we make political changes like reform, mummy (NZ) and daddy (UK) might not like us.” The fact is the NZ government members have stated many times that they don’t think our current political system is beneficial […]
Most want to reduce seats
Wednesday 27 January 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, I am a little concerned at some of the so-called ‘reform’ proposals put forward by the two individuals recently given this task. The major questions in my mind are: We don’t seem to have any reduction in the number of overall seats in parliament, merely a reduction in the number of constituencies to […]
Do the right thing, like Sir Tom
Wednesday 27 January 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, As one of the members of the Cook Islands Parliament(1978-1999) who brought the present Cook Islands Constitution into being, I clearly remember one important principle that the Queen’s Representative is charged with and that is to ensure that the prime minister enjoys the confidence of the majority of the people’s representatives in parliament […]
Reform the electoral rules first
Wednesday 27 January 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, It seems we are departing from the original ideas in the report of the 1998 Political Reform Commission. The political change now proposed is that there shall be no change in the number of Rarotonga seats but only in the number of seats in the outer islands. Justification for this appears to be […]
Speed limit changes draw criticism
Wednesday 27 January 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, I returned to Raro after a few years overseas and was pleasantly surprised to see the speed limit had been changed to 50kph, much more realistic than 40kph (which very few followed anyway). I was even more surprised when I got a speeding ticket doing 50kph in a 50 zone! Apparently you can […]
Lazy litterbugs spoil it
Tuesday 26 January 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, I am consistently amazed at the amount of rubbish thrown out on to the sides of the roads. I do a little bit of walking and have been taking a shopping bag and picking up the rubbish as I go. It does not take very long at all to fill one bag up […]
Reform changes more like 'communism'
Tuesday 26 January 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, National seats have been tried and they failed. At the general elections in March 1965 there were 22 candidates for the newly formed Cook Islands Party (CIP) and 22 individuals to be nationally elected. The result was 15 seats to the CIP Party and 7 National seats. A by-election followed in July, to […]
Where's my backup parachute?
Tuesday 26 January 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals
One person says he finds the current political situation of the five MPs (four of them Demos) and the others as funny. “The 10 Demos probably expected that when they jumped out of power, the other four to jump with them. That didn’t happen and where does that leave them now?” After reading the article […]
What if it's wrong?
Monday 25 January 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, The comments by Iaveta Short in response to those of Guy Fawkes raises a couple of interesting points. First he says that government is a higher authority than parliament. Fair enough if that is his view. But I wonder, as a lawyer, what interpretation Mr Short would place on Article 13(1) of the […]
Time for a third party?
Monday 25 January 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, You can already see from their first reactions the gang of 19 are going to squabble, whine and protest against any change to their personal status through political reform and certain elements are still only interested in overturning the present cabinet. We can only wonder what they have to hide that pushes them […]
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