Smoke Signals
Ministers on power trips
Monday 29 October 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
“It’s true!” a smoke signaller writes. “Te Aponga charges for substations and cables at costs so high that in some cases, not all, it forces people to leave their ipukarea. But don’t count on the CEO responding with the truth – that he can’t manage to run the power station as a standalone entity, even if it’s a monopoly– because PM Henry Puna and his Finance Minister Mark Brown need every cent to maintain their overseas trips and big government budgets. Big budgets to produce more and more environmental or energy paper policies so they can handshake and be photographed with every global leader and hope that they remember them. What for? Because they will be left with not a single legacy in their own country worth remembering except the type that people would most like to forget, like sovereign debt and empty homes. Instead, CEO Apii Timoti will respond that costs are going up and Te Aponga is facing hardship. Anything other than the truth and he’ll be looking for a new job. But spare a thought for those who can’t leave. Those who have no choice. They would have to borrow more money to get that substation built so Puna and Brown get an overseas trip on an interest free loan to Te Aponga.”
Righting a wrong
Thursday 25 October 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A man phoned the newsroom yesterday to say: “Twenty five dollars reparation to his girlfriend after assaulting her? You’d hope he took her out for a pretty nice dinner plus buys her chocolates and flowers for a year to make up for that one. Don’t know about you, but $25 seems pretty stingy to me.”
A coalition government on the cards
Wednesday 24 October 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
Waiting for surge “Well it’s good to hear that the ‘Film Raro’ challenge will provide millions of dollars worth of publicity for Cook Islands tourism but one wonders if that might or might not translate into increased tourist arrivals,” a smoke signaller writes after reading Monday’s page 7 article ‘Hollywood actors support film challenge’. “It’s been some weeks since we got ‘millions of dollars worth’ of publicity from having US Secretary of State Mrs Clinton’s dog and pony show dominate media around the world – can someone in the know tell us if we have yet seen the expected tidal wave of visitors from the Northern Hemisphere, or even a ripple in the water to indicate the wave is on the way?”
'Let's make cigarettes too'
Monday 15 October 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
“Saturday’s paper reported that Vanuatu refused to let Rock International Tobacco from setting up a cigarette factory in that country,” notes a smoke signaller. “Clearly this tobacco company went to the wrong island. Surely our Ministry of Health would be ready to support such an income generating business. Won’t someone get an email off to Rock International and explain how the Cook Islands sold our oceans to the Chinese and that they better get in quick and set up that cigarette factory while our resources and health are still on sale to anyone with ready cash and baskets of gifts.”
Play the ball, not the man
Tuesday 9 October 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller writes: “Ad hominem attacks – the practice of hurling insults at an opponent [rather than answering their argument] – is the final refuge of someone who has no valid arguments. It is both unconvincing and, sadly, unfortunately revealing of the weakness of a debater’s position. It is the equivalent of a small boy hurling dog dung when he isn’t able to think of a verbal response. Teina Bishop last week and Mark Brown in his Saturday letter to the editor could not have done more to convince the public that the unimpressed voter scored a palpable hit with his (or her) letter.”
Who's the real boss?
Thursday 4 October 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
“The questions [in their letters to the editor] asked by James Beer and William Framhein about the CITC alleged Coca Cola tax scandal have been to the point and need addressing by government,” a smoke signaller writes. “Instead, we read financial secretary Richard Neves’ pathetic reply that says it’s not worth further investigating [Tuesday’s CI […]
A right to know what happened
Tuesday 2 October 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
Responding to yesterday’s letter to the editor and response on page 10, a smoke signaller asks: “Did the financial secretary Richard Neves actually read any of the letter from William Framhein regarding the issue of unpaid taxes by CITC? All he does is outline the recommendations with regards to the new Customs Act and how […]
Government naivety knows no bounds
Saturday 29 September 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller asks: “Does marine resources minister Teina Bishop think we all came down in the last shower? He cannot be serious when he denies what 99% of the population would undoubtedly see as the clear conflict of interest that ensues from him appointing a foreign fishing company’s CEO, whom his ministry is negotiating […]
Who are you kidding, minister?
Friday 28 September 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller writes in response to Wednesday’s front page interview with Teina Bishop, the minister of marine resources: “Minister Bishop sees no conflict of interest in the appointment of his honorary fisheries advisor also being the chief operating officer of Luen Thai Fishing Ventures Ltd, who is also involved in the foreign and local […]
Watching where the tax dollars go
Tuesday 25 September 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
“We must all be thankful to CITV for screening the compelling feature on Sunday evening of the Forum Leaders partners’ activities,” a smoke signaller writes. “Although initially thinking it would be a waste of time to watch, rather it was enlightening to hear the dreadful speeches – if you could even call them that – […]
Avatiu's leftovers delight
Thursday 20 September 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller writes: “Congratulations to Bim Tou [Ports Authority general manger] and his men for the free sand from Avatiu wharf; all we have to do is pay for the transport costs to our place. It reminds me when the Chinese workers were here to construct the government buildings – they were assigned to […]
'No stretcher, no medics, no ice'
Tuesday 18 September 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller texts to 188: “Every year the rugby semi finals are held at the BCI Stadium and every year the Cook Islands Rugby Union forget to prepare for injuries – no stretcher, no medics, no ice, and no plan. Get it together!” SS: A person who was at the game commented: “Yeah, there was an injury in the Senior B game between Tupapa Panthers and Ngatangiia Dragons. The injury was to a Ngatangiia player and it looked pretty serious as they put the player into the recovery potion and straight away an official called for a stretcher, but there wasn’t one. The player was out cold for a little while before he was roused and gingerly got back to his feet and was helped off the field. It seems that only at grand finals time – which is next week – do the right things happen and the right people appear, such as Red Cross. But during the season having a fist aid kit and a stretcher and even a medic available on the day should be the hosting club’s responsibility, enforced by the CIRU. At this stage of the competition CIRU need to lead by example by providing this important equipment, especially as our local teams play hard and ruthless rugby. But each player and club should also take responsibility for their own safety.
Visa change impacts foreign workers
Saturday 15 September 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller texts to 188: “The New Zealand High Commission in Rarotonga’s decision not to process visas for non-Cook Islanders will create a lot of inconvenience for a significant number of foreign workers in the Cook Islands. Perhaps it’s time that government underwrites direct flights to Fiji.” A smoke signaller writes to TXT188: “Just […]
Wake up, own what's yours
Friday 14 September 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
The minister of Marine Resources and his secretary have the audacity to go overseas and receive gifts, free trips, perks etc from very rich Asian businesspeople and not even be transparent at home first with fishing licences, shark fin hauls and fish catches requested by Reuben Tylor. Now we see that the Prime Minister’s wife […]
Police pay rates are 'a disgrace'
Wednesday 12 September 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller writes regarding the police pay figures published in Monday’s CINews: “There is an old saying: ‘If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys’, and that seems very much to be a truism regarding the pittance Cook Islands police are paid. Morale must be very low indeed in a force bereft of decent pay […]
Maggie: standing up for the people
Monday 10 September 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
“Congratulations to the Tupapa MP George Maggie Angene for standing up and risking his own neck in support of the CIIC workers who were laid off work,” a smoke signaller writes in response to Friday’s front page article ‘George Maggie breaks rank’. “This is the spirit of the kind of MP we all want, standing […]
We all need better pay to stay
Saturday 8 September 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
“The government has increased the prices to nearly everything here in Rarotonga,” a smoke signaller writes. “Why don’t we all stand up and strike for a rise on the minimum wages so we can afford to stay on our island instead of relocating to New Zealand or Australia? Pay rise for all, just saying.” A […]
Looking after your own, not yourself
Monday 3 September 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller writes: “The Cook Islands and other Pacific nations are in a unique but potentially very profitable ‘meat-in-the-sandwich’ scenario between the competing regional interests of the USA and China – with both being played off against each other by various small Pacific nations intent on scoring hundreds of millions of dollars in hand-outs […]
UPSIDE DOWN
Saturday 1 September 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
THIS LOCAL WOMAN, flying an upside down American flag, was sending mixed messages outside the Avarua court house yesterday as the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived for breakfast at Traders Jacks. The woman didn’t seem to have a bone to pick with the Americans as she stood alone waving her flag, however according […]
Too late for fish surveillance?
Saturday 1 September 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
“The $50,000,000 that New Zealand has pledged for surveillance and management of Pacific fisheries is a bit laughable for us here in the Cook Islands,” a smoke signaller writes. “We don’t need any surveillance; we’ve given the Chinese carte blanche to take all our fish and sharks. One wonders if the amount of that $50 […]