Marurai Demos hope conference next month will show the way

The Demos are heading for a general conference next month. The only question is who will turn up?
The battle for the hearts and minds of the Democratic Party was on open display on Monday at Princess Anne Hall in Tereora.
And it was the Marurai Demos who came out strong, while the Maoate Demos mainly stayed away.
The meeting was chaired by Sean Willis who was appointed assistant president at a general conference in September 2009.
After explaining how the Democratic Party constitution provided for his appointment, Willis told the meeting he wasn’t happy with certain developments.
He said he wasn’t happy with the way his MP Aunty Mau resigned from Cabinet without first discussing the matter with the Nikao/Panama Committee who had worked hard to get her elected. He said it was difficult even now for the Committee to see that resignation as being in the best interests of Nikao/Panama.
He said he also couldn’t understand an executive that goes about sacking MPs from a party without referring those decisions to the main party. When he asked to see the minutes of the executive meeting which “sacked” the Prime Minister Jim Marurai from the Democratic Party, none was forthcoming. When he asked other executive members, nobody knew of any meeting so he was forced to conclude that the President did it on his own illegally, in response to the PM’s decision to remove Sir Terepai as Minister of Finance in the wake of the disastrous Toagate scandal (which was recently revealed to have the potential of costing taxpayers $10 million over the next few years).
Willis said he was making a stand for what he thought was right and seeing if there was general support in the party for the calling of a new conference where burning issues can be addressed properly and democratically. The Maoate Demos has already rejected a petition for a general conference.
The strategy behind the meeting was to obtain the support of the Democratic Party executive which includes two people from each constituency to call a General Conference. A total of 15 persons are required for a quorum and this number was easily attained on Monday. In total, 10 constituencies were fully represented.
The meeting agreed to hold a General Conference on 12 or 14 May 2010. The conference is important to the Marurai Demos because it represents their chance to remove Sir Terepai Maoate as leader and Makiuti Tongia as president of the party. They will not otherwise be able to stand as Demos in the General Election this year unless the party leader and president, who they don’t trust, sign their candidate nomination forms.
In keeping with a meeting called by supporters of the group in the Marurai Government, the three Rarotonga constituencies of Titikaveka, Ruaau and Matavera were well represented on Monday.
Clearly, it will be difficult for the supporters of the Maoate Demos to find credible candidates to stand on their behalf in those three electorates.
The Maoate Demos may also find Murienua and Akaoa slipping out of reach judging from Monday’s participation. Another worrying sign for them was the smattering of Demos from Nikao, Takuvaine, and Tupapa indicating party division appearing in those electorates.
However, there was one bright spot for Maoate supporters. The absence of anyone from Ngatangiia and Avatiu indicated Demo support in those constituencies solidly for Sir Terepai Maoate as leader and Makiuti Tongia as president.

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