The danger of ill concieved reforms
Statement by Hon Norman George, MP for Teenui Mapumai Atiu

Recent commentary about the failure of our Parliamentary system is alarming. The reasons given by those postulating these ideas without solid evidence; calls to question the depth and sincerity of their scheme.
To say that we are losing young Cook Islanders abroad because of the failure of our Parliamentary system is childish trite leading to intellectual epilepsy.
Would a new Parliamentary system stop the tide of the young emigrating to New Zealand and Australia?
Who is going to deny the right of our young people to get their O.E. (overseas experience)? Who is going to be stupid enough to get in the way of our youth and say “We have a new parliamentary system now you can’t leave!”
In other words don’t ruin our theory with facts or reality. Anyone who uses the passage of the migratory youths as a reason to blame our political system is dealing in high octane emotional drivel! Come out with real answers, not untested academic wish wash.
The answer to reversing the tide of emigrating young people is to allow them to go for their overseas experience, and then attract them back. Set up a huge reverse Emigration Fund worth at least $20million to fund qualified and active Cook Islanders to return home.
The fund will assist their passage home and provide a soft loan deposit to the local banks toward the construction of their new homes. Pay the local bank loan and then pay the soft loan fund deposit.
New Zealand, Australia the Asian Development Bank, UNDP and the European Union should be sourced to finance this Reversal Emigration Fund. Past attempts to set up road shows to Australia and New Zealand, by visionless politicians failed because no funds and proper facilitation offices were set up first to process the returnees, Food for thought!
The national seats and the nationally appointed Prime Minister, with non Parliamentary Cabinet will be so destructive as to ruin our democratic system.
What is being suggested by the wish washers is in fact a new Management Plan for the Restructuring of our political system.
This is no different to setting up a board like the Tourism Board. All based on Management, revenue management, profit and loss, statistics, productivity, plans and reports. All are very important in the tourism industry.
However, a nationally elected M.P. and P.M. is like a List M.P. and answerable to no specific faces. How will the man in Tauhunu Manihiki have access to his (List) national M.P?
How can they know who elected them? Would they care to account to anyone they have never met or known? There will be no personal link between the elector and the M.P.
The system will favour the two islands with the most population, Rarotonga and Aitutaki.
The recent erratic behavior of “Cowboy Jim” and his Cabinet of six is an example of how a few people in power can create havoc in our political system by refusing to call Parliament in order to stay in office!
That is an example of a system run by a minority; it is tyranny by the minority. But hold on; don’t rush to use this as an excuse to make sudden changes and give in to those demanding change. All that is needed is to make changes to the Constitution to tighten the role of the Queen’s Representative. The Q.R. is given too much authority to pick and choose what he wants, that has to be stopped.
What the so called reformers are demanding is not Parliamentary reform; but political restructuring. The two are not the same, but I suspect they are hiding under the umbrella of Parliamentary Reform, when what they are doing has nothing to do with Parliament.
In fact, what is being suggested by the reformists will destroy Parliament as we know it! They want Parliament reduced in membership and undermined with little authority.
We will end up with a dictatorship by a Presidential style Prime Minister and his non- M.P. Cabinet! There will be no transparency and accountability! Who will they be accountable to?
Can one imagine the huge salaries these new Cabinet Ministers will demand in order to leave their $150,000.00 a year job to join the so called idealistic Cabinet? How much will they demand?
Will the cost of Government be reduced? No-way ho-se! Government will be three times more expensive than the present system.
Check the meaning of Parliament- it is defined as an assembly that makes the laws of the country. (Oxford Dictionary)
No one has complained about the law making ability of our Parliament! People complain about the few sitting days of our Parliament. It is no different to the Parliament of Tasmania and other Pacific islands.
Surely we do not want Parliament to meet just for the sake of holding meaningless meetings and discussions, then eat their lunch and go home?!
Parliament should be active by regular select committee meetings to make law changes. In this field the Democratic Party Government failed to deliver dismally! Out of 8 Select Committees only 2 functioned during this term of government. Both “Cowboy Jim” and his “Kerosene Breathing former DPM” failed the country in not pushing Parliamentary Select Committees to do their work!
This is what I mean by visionless, unthinking and unconscionable politicians!
To change the present Parliamentary system will also change the balance of power in our social system. The system as it stands now divides our power sharing system into two. They are the economic power which is held by the powerful expatriate community; I have no complaints! The political power however remains with the indigenous community! Excellent!
If a non- elected Cabinet is introduced, ALL power will end up with the expatriate power group, reducing locals to no more than second class citizens in their own country!
Remember the greatest benefit of having your own village MP is the personal touch, the shoulder to cry on, the comfort in moments of distress, the helping hand in hurricanes, floods and other national calamities. This is the one on one human non-plastic approach I have been educating a few through the media about!
The village MP can be woken up at night for help. He/she can transport you to hospital, donate money to church or to any community group. They contribute cartons of lamb chops and chicken on demand especially around Constitution celebrations!
Those misinformed that want these taken away don’t need this service, but their numbers thankfully are few. The majority of our people want to keep and preserve the present system. If anyone wants the seats reduced, let the villagers at the taro patch level decide and not the Plastic Maori, not the academics and not the political wannabes who cannot find electorates that will accept them to represent them in the first place!
I will conclude with the following quote from President Ronald Reagan. “Let us make a vow to the dead, some day long after the signs come down, the crowds stop cheering the band stops playing, may it be said we kept the faith”

Herald Issue 463 10 June
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