Norman selfish says Prime Minister

Prime Minister Henry Puna publicly expressed his disappointment with the decision made by Norman George to resign from the Cook Islands Party. It is sad that an individual has chosen to put aside the interests of the Cook Islands people for his own selfish reasons said the Prime Minister.
Since we have been established as Government following the elections in November, the expressions of goodwill and encouragement from all parts of our community have been overwhelming and most welcomed by me and my colleagues in government, said the Prime Minister. This is a very clear indication that our people have a strong desire to see a stable Government in place that is committed to the principles of good governance and that will provide strong leadership in the years ahead.
This latest announcement from Norman George is a clear contradiction of the wishes of the people. There are very clear moral and legal issues in Norman’s decision that will concern many Cook Islanders said the Prime Minister. Of greater concern is the apparent wilful disregard by Norman George of the fact that he was elected to Parliament as a CIP member, and his casual dismissal of that fact by simply saying that he is now an independent member. His denigration of the Cook Islands Party to suit his own purposes is most unfortunate and unwarranted.
It is clear to me that our people do not accept the way in which individual members of parliament have continued, in recent times, to shift alliances, once elected, for no other reason than for selfish personal gain. It is a sad indictment of our political and parliamentary process and a mis-representation of the wishes and expectations of our people that have been clearly stated during the recent elections. It is an area that my Government hopes to address in the current term of Government.
Despite this development my Government is solid and united as we move forward in addressing the needs of our nation said the Prime Minister. It is certainly not a 3-man government as Norman would have our people believe. There is much work to do across all sectors of our community, and we remain committed to delivering on the many promises that we have made to enhance the quality of life for all Cook Islanders.

PM Press Release

 

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