Smoke Signals
Why not keep it in-house?
Thursday 27 December 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
Responding to last week’s front page article ‘Investigation into alleged infrastructure misconduct’, a smoke signaller asks: “Why on earth would Public Service Commissioner Russell Thomas appoint the former PSC Navy Epati to carry out an investigation into the Ministry of Infrastructure and Planning and the reasons behind Donye Numa’s suspension? Surely his own Public Service Commission CEO can do the job, or even the Audit Office? At least by doing that, no extra costs are involved and the PSC budget will be saving unnecessary expenditure.
Oldest island, first passports
Friday 21 December 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
The island of Mangaia has been around for 18 million years – estimated by geologists to be the oldest in the Pacific – and now they’ve claimed another first: passports online. A smoke signaller from Auau Enua writes: “Mangaians are already getting their passports online – there are four people in Mangaia who have already received theirs. The first passport renewed online was issued on November 20. Eddie Drollett is very correct about the convenience though [see Tuesday’s p6 article ‘Online renewal within 5 days’]. It’s a lot faster. For outer islanders, gone is the hassle of getting the application form and the money to the High Commission in Rarotonga and then finding someone to collect your new passport and bring it back. The passports come by courier all the way. And another plus: it’s cheaper! However, it should be acknowledged that it is only for straightforward renewing of adult passports. If you don’t have a credit card, you probably know someone who does!”
Take care of visitors
Wednesday 19 December 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
“The beach at Avaavaroa is one of the most beautiful areas I have ever seen,” a smoke signaller writes. “But passages anywhere are by nature dangerous because of tidal rips. In my opinion the Tourism Corporation should have taken responsibility for the safety of our visitors and signposted all passages with caution signs ages ago. Lots of money goes to enticing visitors to our shores but our duty of care to visitors is lacking. It’s a pity it took a double fatality to get some action and even then the offer to put up signs comes from the New Zealand High Commissioner, not by Tourism, Police, Internal Affairs or even the Cook Islands Investment Corporation. Even local people can forget how dangerous passages can be. I am told Avaavaroa is where two men drowned while fishing.”
Long ear of the law
Monday 17 December 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller emails us from New Zealand: “Hi, I spotted this on [social networking site] Twitter under ‘This is why New Zealand police need to recruit more people with an understanding of different languages and cultures’.” The Twitter post provided a link to the original posting (see image) and discussion on the equally powerful social networking site Facebook, where there was lively discussion on the topic and plenty of thumbs up. Some making comments doubted the existence of a language called Cook Islands Maori and a number of Cook Islanders jumped in to set the record straight. If the original Facebook posting is genuine, the police callout in New Zealand was unfortunately for a case of domestic violence in a Cook Islands family.
Arson charges
Saturday 15 December 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller texts to 188: “On the subject of arson, if they catch the idiot/idiots the police should lay charges of attempted murder in all cases of each house burnt down.”
2 types of public servants?
Friday 14 December 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller says: “Prime Minister Henry Puna’s statement that people should ‘stay in the country and get a second job to make ends meet’ has been totally misunderstood by your readers. What he really referred to was the example of the many over-age public servants who collect two pay packets every week; the one from their job in the Agriculture, Power Supply or Island Administration, or wherever they might work as a public servant. Plus their Old Age Pension of a $100 per week. Makes you wonder whether these overage government workers pay tax on the old age pension? I thought there is a policy where it is compulsory for public servants to retire at 60 years of age. If that is the case then there must be two groups of public servants: those who get retired at 60 by the government, and the Cook Islands Party supporters who can carry on for as long as they manage to clock in every day. Surely this is grossly unfair to the non-CIP workers and especially to our Cook Islands youngsters who have to migrate overseas as they cannot find a job in the islands because those over-age workers. Can the Public Service Commissioner confirm that there are at least 11 overage Aitutaki government workers collecting their weekly/fortnightly pay as well as the Old Age Pension, despite the policies set in place by government?”
Education Bill passed
Wednesday 12 December 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
Parliament passed the Education Bill into Cook Islands law yesterday afternoon with no amendment.
Pay tax before perks
Wednesday 12 December 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller wrote yesterday: “While listening to parliament today I was annoyed to hear Wilkie Rasmussen pleading for businesses that have tax arrears, and he’s asking for leniency on them. In my business we make sacrifices and the owners go without personal pay sometimes in order to pay our monthly tax bill. This includes PAYE collected from staff pay packets, VAT collected on behalf of government, and company tax which we pay ahead of overseas trips and luxury things like flash six cylinder 4x4s. What’s up with these bludgers and free-loaders like a certain resort owner and a certain lawyer who live the high life and who run up huge tax arrears, and then self-righteously tell us how the country should be run, or even attack their competitors for so-called restrictive trade practices.”
The costs of a conviction
Tuesday 11 December 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
“A recent criminal court report in Cook Islands News indicates that a convicted drink drive criminal caught driving while his driver’s licence was suspended was made to pay a total of $50 for the offence,” a smoke signaller writes. “The poor fellow, he will be short one case of beer for one weekend of binge drinking. Some punishment. Anyone sitting in the peanut gallery at criminal court sees the smirk on these miscreants faces as they walk out after these wrist slappings and give the thumbs up to mates. What does it cost the taxpayers to collect this $50? Add up police and support staff time, JP sitting fees, Justice and Probation time and can it be less than $500 to collect $50? It would be more cost effective to have a vending machine in the front of the courthouse where the defendant pushes the button for his particular offence, inserts a $50 note, holds his wrist up for a mechanical slap, and gets back to the bush beer school where he needs to be drinking with the mates.”
2nd job 'to pay for world trips'
Saturday 8 December 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller texts to 188: “Prime Minister Henry Puna’s statement that people should ‘stay in the country and get a second job to make ends meet’ really just angers me more! I’m a single working mother who works two jobs only to be slapped in the face with high tax – for your world trips! How inappropriate it is that with my second job the more hours I clock in, the more tax I pay, so in a week you are taxing me nearly half my pay from my first job. And the second job gets taxed higher. Mr Puna, how do you sleep well at night? You need the boot! Bring John Carter in as PM. And don’t blame the islanders for packing up – life is hard here, and you don’t seem to care about your own people!”
You try a second job, PM
Thursday 6 December 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
“Boy, our Prime Minister Henry Puna has some nerve to say people should stay in the country and get a second job to make ends meet,” a smoke signaller writes to TXT188 in response to yesterday’s front page article ‘Low wages on public lips’. “ First of all, how often is he in the country at one time? What benefit do his taxpayer-funded trips have to our country? And thirdly, the main reason young people leave our shores is because even with two jobs the wages here are nowhere near what you would get in New Zealand or Australia. Raise the minimum wage and maybe people will want to stay. And maybe Mr Puna should also take some of his own medicine and get off his high horse and get a real job that involves hard work and labour – with the wages the ‘people’ are on – and see if he’s still humming the same tune.”
Lock up the cowardly women bashers
Wednesday 5 December 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller asks: “Does it not seem a tad strange that six men in just one criminal court sitting can be up for beating the bejesus out of their women/wives and be given chance after chance to avoid jail, only to reoffend days later, while some young people who smoked a bit of weed from the back yard, hurt no one, are sitting in jail to ‘deter’ others. Come on JPs, wake up and smell the coffee. Fill the prison up for the holidays. You may not deter any other women-beaters but ones locked up sure won’t be ruining Christmas for the rest of society. Lock ‘em up like the cowardly curs that they are.”
One gunner still firing
Monday 3 December 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller writes: “Reading the news the other day it was good to see we have one Member of Parliament in the opposition, Norman George, still alive and firing questions at the government ministers – especially when the ministers are spending more time overseas on taxpayers’ money than here in the Cook Islands. What is happening to the rest of the opposition members, are they still alive or dead? Go Cook Islands Party, make the most of it.”
Govt can't even answer public concerns
Saturday 1 December 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller rang in asking how Cabinet can be expected to answer Norman George’s questions. “How can Cabinet answer Norman George’s 27 questions when they can’t even respond to very important issues in our community? Government can’t even be bothered addressing public concerns, so how the hell are they going to answer these questions? Government is silent on numerous public outcries, so we will return the favour and be silent when it comes time to vote. In fact the way they are going, I don’t think this government will make it through the next election.”
Chasing cheaper island TV
Tuesday 20 November 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller writes from Aitutaki: “For several years to recent days Michael Henry, a businessman with ever-widening horizons towards greater things, has also supported Aitutaki people by providing, over-generously, with a free-to-air 24/7 TV service of TCM, NZTV1 and later Foxtel news, sports programmes of local events plus ESPN American/international sports. Now, Araura TV has fizzled out, but Nick and Mike’s 88FM radio station is ‘Booming’ and well received. At earlier dates Aitutaki TV proprietors raised some operating funds by way of TVthons and advertising for equipment power, pay-programmes etc. Multi-media TV via satellite is now expensive and unfortunately now people are obliged to pay/install SkyTel or TCI-Marama TV if they want to add such programmes to paying for DVD rentals. Old people, children (Cartoon Network), and hospital patients need modern entertainment, educational and regional TV but they may be deprived of TV before Christmas. Is there no one or an organised group of community-conscious people at Aitutaki resolute enough to negotiate/action an alternative, reduced costs TV service to all those who may pay less than the high installation charges for SkyTel or TCI-Marama? To Mike and his programmers, meitaki atupaka for past TV initiatives.
Banking on Cook Islands tourism
Thursday 15 November 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller wrote yesterday: “I just tried to ring the Bank of the Cook Islands this afternoon and lo and behold, someone at Cook Islands Tourism answered. I was a bit disorientated and said, ‘Um, Tourism, I just rang BCI’. The lovely lady over the phone replied, ‘Yes, this happens sometimes when the bank’s lines are busy, we get their overflow.’ WHAT!!!”
The parakoka boys
Wednesday 14 November 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller writes: “The Prime Minister and all Cabinet ministers have got the travel bug. As soon as Parliament is finished – with little work done – they all troop off to different parts of the globe. Henry Puna to Dubai, Teina Bishop to China, Nandi Glassie to Korea, Tom Marsters to who knows where, Mark Brown taking off soon, with only Teariki Heather holding the fort. Can someone from government please explain what benefit has this government gained from all the travels and spending of public money since 2010? Can the Opposition force government to show the people just how much public money is spent by each Cabinet minister and MP since 2010? The people have a right to know as it is public money, so we can judge for ourselves who the big spenders are. There is no transparency of public funds spent on travel by all ministers, MPs and even officials. Will the new Ombudsman and the Speaker release this information to the public?”
Flying north, east, south, west
Monday 12 November 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
“Our prime minister chuckling away with Norman George as pictured in Friday’s CINews, just before they shut parliament down until whenever, says it all,” a smoke signaller writes. “’Sorry everyone, we have some travelling to do’. What happened to our Cook Islands Party promise of 100 days of Parliament to complete all the bills waiting these many years – obviously just a joke to them, eh? That was one of their promises to do better than the Demos I think. Also in that article Mr Puna went on to use the old tried and untrue spin system of ‘O my God, it’s those tricky papaas raising uncomfortable questions again’. Get a life, Mr Puna, check the surnames of your confederates, relatives and your well-milked taxpayers. Move into the 21st century, you have a multi cultural society to deal with at your own risk. Isn’t it just a bit scary to think that the better we educate our young people, the less likely they are to absorb your antiquated beseeching to the people of Manihiki for one more election, instead of getting on with the business of Parliament?”
An architectural 'bad dream'
Saturday 10 November 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
“Swag it!’ was on the lips and t-shirts of many last week during the Sevens in Heaven tournament in Rarotonga. The eight people polled for last Saturday’s CINews ‘On the Street’ column gave a wide range of responses when asked what the term means, and one smoke signaller who said the word swag “has been bothering me” sent across a couple of pictures that he said were from a friend in San Francisco. The photos showed people wearing outfits that were, er, quite a few sizes too small with the accompanying caption ‘Swag, or plain old sad?’ The rumour-busting website Snopes.com said it is NOT true, as some have suggested, that the word swag originated as an acronym for the following: ‘Secretly We Are Gay; Souvenirs, Wearables And Gifts; Stuff We All Get; Stuff We Ain’t Got; Scientific Wild A*sed Guess; Stolen Without A Gun; and Sold Without A Guarantee.’
Will the jetty be open to the public?
Monday 5 November 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller writes: “I was one of many who were disappointed when we went to check out the new Arorangi jetty at the weekend. After such a colourful and well-publicised official opening, especially your excellent reports and photography, I couldn’t wait to see it for myself and walk out on the jetty. So I drove across the island on Saturday morning and drove to the entrance behind the Aroa Nui Hall. But the gaps between the school buildings were gated, chained and locked, and the kikau screen stuck all over it meant we couldn’t even peel through the gaps. I was one of several people who turned up for a look at the new wharf. It looked very much like members of the public were not welcome to visit and not allowed to wander out on this new facility. It also looked like the beach had been locked off after the night markets, and the only people allowed on the beach were the leftover crew still partying in one of the big tents. Can the Ports Authority and Arorangi Protectors of the Pier please let the working public know when we can gain access to the new wharf, and what hours/days will it be locked off?”