New beginnings as Cook Islands gears up for Election 2010

The political situation points to an early election and rather than trawl over the embers of last year, Cook Island Herald is looking to the future and will present aspiring politicians who intend to stand for Parliament in 2010.

Mark Brown is well known as an Avarua businessman who runs various family interests so it was a surprise to learn that he began his career in the Cook Islands as a public servant after he completed his government scholarship as a science student in New Zealand in 1991.
Background
His first posting in 1991 was in the Prime Minister’s Office in a special unit dealing with policy issues under the tutelage of Professor Glynn Cochrane from UNDP who was a mentor to Brown.
Any submissions to Cabinet were to be commented on by the special unity specifically by the Public Service Commissioner, Financial Secretary and Prof Cochrane (who was seconded to the unit for two years).
There were many deficiencies such as not having any provision for ‘fiscal responsibility’ which the unit insisted on having added to the MFEM Act.
It was also a time when a HOM had no control over the spending in their own and it was not unusual to arrive at work and find extra people suddenly appear on the payroll without his knowledge. When asked the extra staff would simply say they were “told to come to work”.
The good professor predicted that “if we don’t change our ways, the country would go broke by 1998” but as history showed, in fact it happened two years earlier.
The unit was involved in the whole reform period and legislation was introduced to address these issues, specifically the Public Service Act 1995-95, MFEM Act (finance/economics) and PERCA (public expenditure and audit)
Mark was moved to Public Service Commission where he had a role in introducing the new regime for HOMs who were given control of their Ministries subject to contracts, performance reviews and so on.
He was later seconded to run Agriculture which “went broke” and the HOM was removed. Drastic measures were taken and many workers were let go and Agriculture relocated to the Totokoitu Research Station and started from scratch under ‘very tight purse strings’.
After leaving the public service in 2000, Mark went into private enterprise and then in 2006 ran as a candidate for Takuvaine but was defeated by current MP, Hon (Mama) Ngai Tupa.
Any comments on the current situation?
There need to a lot of changes at political level and in his view, it is no good sitting on outside looking for change, people need to step back and get involved in the party machinery. Mark reveals he has been officially endorsed as the Takuvaine candidate for the Cook Islands Party.
The more the merrier as that will mean having a broader perspective of what the community wants in each Puna (for the 24 electorates).
The CIP way is to have all policy decisions approved by the Conference which has a special meaning whereby two reps from each Puna (constituency) come together and make decisions collectively. In addition, there are four executive plus 5 directors of policy, development, women, youth and finance. All major decisions must be approved by the Conference.
What about the anomaly of having a party leader but who is not an elected Member of Parliament?
Mark explained that the situation has never occurred before and attributed it to the fact that in their history they only ever had two leaders, Papa Arapiti and Sir Geoff.
There has been a change to the party constitution where in the event a party leader fails to win his seat, the President will convene a Conference and elect a new leader from those who do have seat to ensure that the leader of the Party is always a Parliamentarian.
There is a candidate selection process which is made by the respective Puna (constituency). There is a policy of inclusion whereby village persons can join not just as supporters but can be part of the machinery and ‘get in and help’, The more there are, the better the party can reflect the views of the people.
What about political reform?
Definitely in favour of reform but Mou Piri and Economic Taskforce seem to be advocating having the “least of amount of people at the least money” which he things is ‘ridiculous’.
The notion of national votes has merit (the exact number is basis for more debate) but it should be about ‘fair representation’. How can having 4 islands fairly rep by one person be fair?
“It is about getting rhe right MPs in place, getting the right type of people and about changing the way voters think to choose the best person for the country”. Mark said voters need to consider whether their own candidates are capable to reading Bills and passing good laws and not just about what the candidate can do for them just before election time.
Mark is also a devoted family married to Daphne and with two children, Tiarn and Tiki at Emmanuela Akatemia. His parents are Henry and the late Kopu Brown who were staunch CIPs.

Herald Issue 463 10 June
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