Opinion

CIP silent on 'excessive' spending until now

Monday 22 March 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, For the last 10 years, the CIP leadership has been silent while Maoate-led governments step-by-step blew out the budget. In 1999, only 1300 government jobs had survived the reform while presently there are close to 2000. The CIP should have objected to every staff addition because the 1996 reform demonstrated that 1300 persons […]

Political power for self-gain

Monday 22 March 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, It concerns me greatly that the prime minister of this country is calling for the public to support political reform when it is clear as daylight that his stitched-up government goes directly against the grain of what people recognise as good governance and political stability. Don’t preach what you cannot practice prime minister […]

Govt not dictating to Aitutaki: minister

Monday 22 March 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Sir, Aitutaki should never be a political football. Unfortunately, it has become so. However here are some basic facts and I hope it will make the public understand: 1.Rarotonga (presumably, the central government operation based in Rarotonga) is not dictating to Aitutaki. A day after the cyclone struck, the government began working with Aitutaki. […]

Kata - March 20, 2010

Saturday 20 March 2010 | Published in Kata

Parties being self-righteous

Saturday 20 March 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

The political parties calling the PM “self-serving” are like the pot calling the kettle black, a smoke signaller says. “CIPs and Demos pretending to be holier-than-thou are a hilarious exercise in hypocrisy. They, self-serving? Never! There must have been 8000 persons less 19 on Rarotonga laughing at that headline. One friend said, “Maybe the parties […]

'An old sailor' greeting

Saturday 20 March 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, As a Silver Surfer (old age pensioner) I came across your Cook Islands News website and it brought back many memories. I was in the Royal Navy in the 1950s and I served on HMS Warrior we had the good fortune to come to Rarotonga in 1956. The welcome we got from the […]

Chinese car claims 'baseless'

Saturday 20 March 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Reference is made to your front page article “Audit looks into claimed Chinese car kickbacks” on 16 March 2010. My response is to make corrections to your headline article that purposely seeks to defame my character publicly with unprofessional baseless report findings. It is unfortunate that your article irresponsibly refers to use of […]

GET OUT OF THE SANDPIT!

Friday 19 March 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

Referring to yesterday’s front page article in CINews, a smoke signaller writes, “I’m disgusted to read about the squabbling within the cabinet/party. I can’t help but wonder what work any of these boys do as all they seem to show us – “the people they represent” – is a whole lot of puerile bickering. I […]

Thank you all

Friday 19 March 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

Dear Editor, Thank you, Cook Islanders for an enjoyable two weeks spent on your beautiful island. I love your gorgeous flowers, native fruits, and crashing waves! You Cook Islanders are so friendly! Following the service at the CICC church in Aorangi we were served a delicious lunch and I want to thank all who made […]

Kata - March 19, 2010

Friday 19 March 2010 | Published in Kata

The tsunami call

Friday 19 March 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Our police commissioner has spoken that he will continue to urge all of us into the hills whenever there is a tsunami wave coming our way. If he checks with his counterpart in Hawaii, he would find that for 50 years staff at the centre have made judgement calls to only areas that […]

Consider shipping containers

Friday 19 March 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Aitutaki Mayor Tai Herman is right to reject the offer of Lockwood Timber Houses. They would not stand up to another ‘Pat’ cyclone. Perhaps consideration should be given to steel constructed homes in the form of shipping containers. I have been involved in the design aspect of these types of homes which are […]

Cyclone Pat may bring Phoenix out of ashes

Friday 19 March 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, After surveying the damage in Aitutaki via pictures sent to me by friends and family in the Cooks, it’s devastating to see the island in the aftermath of Cyclone Pat. I feel deeply for the people of Aitutaki and my family there. Aid money will come and rescue in part and relieve some […]

Manihikians had same fear

Friday 19 March 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I read with interest sadness Mayor Tai Herman’s letter of Wednesday’s Cook Islands News. However, it was interesting because he expressed the same concerns forwarded by some of us in Manihiki during the planning stages after Cyclone Martin, which were ignored. Sad because it seems that nothing was learnt from the Manihiki experience. […]

Kata - March 18, 2010

Thursday 18 March 2010 | Published in Kata

Congrats to mayor

Thursday 18 March 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear editor, I wish to congratulate Tai Herman, Aitutaki’s mayor, for taking a bold stand in rejecting the proposal from Habitat for Humanity to build 70 houses — funded by both the NZ and Cook Islands governments — for those families whose homes were completely destroyed during Cyclone Pat. I reckon that the very last […]

Bribery is unacceptable

Thursday 18 March 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I am not surprised that the former head of CICC, John Tini, was allegedly handed a brand new vehicle from the Chinese construction company CCECC a year or so ago. I wonder who else in government may have received such a ‘present’ from CCECC? Whether they be state, public or privately owned, some […]

Police took no risks in tsunami response

Wednesday 17 March 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I refer to the articles in the paper recently about the response of the Police and Emergency Management group to the Chile Tsunami warning. When we previously did not react very quickly to the Samoa tsunami, we were criticised by a number of people and an audit investigation was conducted into our actions. […]

Dump party loyalty

Wednesday 17 March 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Two things are most certain from the coming elections: Firstly, Makiuti Tongia will never be a member of parliament; and secondly, all MPs sacked by Makiuti Tongia and his club members will win their seats. These include Jim, Wilkie, Wigmore, Piho and Heather. Makiuti’s excuse for sacking them is to pay back for […]

Kata - March 17, 2010

Wednesday 17 March 2010 | Published in Kata