by jason brown, editor, avaiki nius agency
Cook Islands Media boss George Pitt has been sacked as chairman from the capital's state power board - and is threatening to bring the government down because of it.
Pitt confirmed he had received a letter of dismissal from the state-owned enterprises management body, the Cook Islands Investment Corporation.
"I know who is behind this," he told daily Cook Islands News.
"I must warn cabinet that I will bring this government down."
A decision to sack Pitt from his position as chairman of Te Aponga Uira o Tumutevarovaro - the Rarotonga Electrical Corporation - was made while Prime Minister Jim Marurai was overseas at the annual Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Papua New Guinea.
The former chairman's brother, Trevor Pitt, has been Marurai's closest adviser since taking power late last year.
Acting Prime Minister Dr Terepai Maoate had previously been regarded as a supporter of the Pitts and their frequently dual roles inside government and the media.
He apparently backed Pitt's dismissal following an independent but unfavourable review by TAUT of fuel import prices involving some of the country's biggest business interests.
George Pitt heads the Pitt Meda Group, a family owned business with one television station, one radio station and three newspapers, the Cook Islands Herald, the Cook Islands Times and the Cook Islands Independent, all weeklies.
It is not the first time George Pitt has held a government position - or been sacked from one.
Pitt's sacking numbers among perhaps half a dozen different positions inside government he has held since taking over broadcasting stations from government starting in 1997.
He has previously acted as chief adviser to a former deputy prime minister, now speaker of parliament, and as chairman of Telecom Cook Islands.
Trevor Pitt has been a member of the country's little known National Information Infrastructure Committee, as well as other positions inside and outside of government.
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cooks | sacked media boss threatens government
anti-corruption vs. pro-governance
opinion – editorial Cost-cutting is seen as a way to cut corruption, which has somehow become mixed up with achieving good governance. However good governance is not achieved just by stopping corruption, as nice as that would be. Even if corruption were to be cured by the same miracle as MPs cutting their own costs there would still be plenty of room for mismanagement, mistakes and plain old incompetence. As well as being anti-corruption, political reformers must also be pro-governance. If we are to start a war on corruption, we must also plan for good governance in peace-time. If we don’t plan for good governance, any country risks falling back into corrupt practice all over again. To avoid that possibility, we must look into proper due process.
second thoughts on the purple book
opinion - editorial By now, readers of Avaiki may be getting the message that it is time for new thinking on political reform. Way over time. It has been seven years since the 1998 Political Review Commission report, in it’s eye-catching purple cover. Desire for political reform stretches back at least a decade before that, with huge dissatisfaction over the country’s first coalition era. Currently ruling again, the formerly innocent Democratic Party campaigned at the 1977 elections – nearly 30 years ago – on successful slogans like “time for change.” Much of that sentiment was re-captured in the 1998 report by one of the Demo founders, Iaveta Short, and sidekicks from the intelligensia, Ron Crocombe and John Herrmann. However, as we will show, there are plenty of good reasons to have second thoughts about that purple-covered report.
part-time corruption
opinion editorial Another reasons why cost-cutting will not achieve political reform – or good governance. What happens if we follow suggestions from the 1998 Political Review Commission? An instant increase in corruption, perhaps, for one. Making democracy a part-time affair expects our elected representatives to make money from other means – increasing, not decreasing, potential conflicts of interest. Endorsed by the recent Higher Salaries Commission report in recent months, a move towards part-time democracy could lower standards rather than raise them.
99% effort for 1% return
opinion | editorial
Less than $5 in every $100 tax dollars spent goes on direct pay for our elected representatives.
As a component of gross domestic product, politicians cost the country an even smaller percentage – about 1%. And yet, it often seems like political reformers spend 99% of their time on calling for cost-cutting measures for MPs. Lower salaries. Fewer perks. Smaller allowances. Less seats in Parliament. Will this achieve anything? Let’s say a miracle happened. Let’s imagine some MPs, for the good of the country, sacrifice their seat in Parliament. And surviving MPs agree to now long-standing suggestions to make their positions part-time i.e. cheaper. Will that solve anything? Does a fire burn brighter with less wood? Hardly seems likely.
Performance, not pay, is the real issue. Corruption is the real problem. We can have cheap governance. Or we can have good governance. We can’t have both.
reasons for the petition
PRESS RELEASE | group for the protection of maori land
Under customary law, as landowners, we are custodians of the land, entrusted with title to the lands of the Cook Islands. Our duty and that of all other landowners is to preserve that title and pass that title onto our children, grandchildren and those children not yet born.
We respect the views of our Ariki and Koutu Nui:
Our Ariki through the Ariki Council and Koutu Nui have expressed that the Bill is still hasty especially when the consequences of the act are still being determined.
Existing laws covering Land leases, Foreign Ownership, Building height and density restrictions, environmental issues, and Immigration should be looked at and all loopholes which ill benefit landowners and our people should be closed, before the Unit Titles Bill is passed.
Under the present system landowners are consulted and must give approval for any resale of their land. Under a Unit Titles Lease the landowner is not consulted if the developer or owner of the unit wants to onsell their Unit.
The Unit Titles Bill is a Bill which encourages intensive development If laws are not put in place to control foreign investment and development, then we will have more foreigner investors who do not have knowledge or concern for our land, our people, our customs or our environment. The Cook Islands is a small land mass with a very small local population. And this intensive development will very quickly impact negatively on the people, the land and the environment and therefore the whole culture and social structure of our country.
If we look at other Pacific Nations such as New Zealand, Hawaii and Fiji we can see that the Maori people of the land are the poorest people in their own country. Intensive development encourages speculation of property which drives up the cost of land, housing, and rents, making it difficult for local people to turn down exorbitant land lease prices. Our people are left with money in their hands, while the Developer or Investor has their land for 60 years or more if released. This is their own choice. In the end they make the choice; money or land. Rents and land prices will increase, and many Cook Islanders who do not have land will not be able to afford to lease land or pay local rentals.
We have a wonderful way of life on our Islands. Our people are happy and afford a good standard of living, better than most of our neighbouring Pacific Nations. We have to ask ourselves do we want to hold on to this or do we want to become another Fiji, or Hawaii. It is still our choice.
“We are caretakers of the lands, the lands our god has gifted to our forefathers to look after and pass on to us, today’s generation. We in turn must pass those same lands on to our own future generations – and definitely not to developers/investors.
The Unit Titles Bill suits people who want to develop land. We can see that a number of landowners will benefit from the Bill, but the overall impact on the majority of people in the country will be negative.
When a Bill is to be passed that effects the customary land laws of our people it must be considered seriously and given time, and all doubts and questions cleared before it is passed and perhaps it should even go to referendum
It is dangerous and irresponsible that the government of the people of the Cook Islands should allow a single development such as Vaimaanga and Ootu Aitutaki , to cause this Unit Titles Bill to be rushed through, without relevant laws to protect landowners, culture, environment and social structure.
We pray that the Honourable members delay the passing of the Unit Titles Bill, until relevant laws which effect this Bill are put in place to protect our land, people, culture, environment, and social structure.
If you have any doubts, find a copy of the Petition in a local store and sign.
GROUP FOR THE PROTECTION OF MAORI LAND
Notes:
The Unit Titles Bill does change the nature of Landownership by turning our customary land into a commodity which can be bought and sold.
The Unit titles Bill Grants Unit TITLES to investors buying units on lease land.
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