Movement’s aim is to serve not dominate

On Friday morning, property developer Tim Tepaki, who chairs the Rarotonga Branch of Te Kura O Te Au people’s movement spoke to the Times about the movement and its intentions.
He confirmed that Dr Jon Jonassen, who explained the difference between the movement and other political parties in last weeks Herald, is one of the advisors to the movement who meet at his residence in Arorangi weekly to review the plight of Cook Islanders and debate policy. He also confirmed that Dr Jonassen’s concept of remaining a movement rather than becoming a political party has been adopted by Te Kura O Te Au and is fundamental to the movement’s political activities. He reiterated that political parties as we know them in the Cook Islands are for those who thirst for power and wish to dominate the people whereas the movement is for those who wish to serve the people, - a significant point of difference.
The chairman said another significant point of difference is that current political parties are shackled to their private sector driven policies, which Cook Islanders cannot survive in and the reason for depopulation, whereas the movement is not tied to such policies and is able to reinvent an economy that Cook Islanders can survive in. He said all Cook Islanders know the economic is decaying and fueling depopulation and Cook Islanders will soon become the minority in their own country if the economy is not reinvented and depopulation arrested.
The chairman said another significant point of difference yet again is the movement’s sovereign partnership concept, whereby government intervenes in private sector activities and develops key assets in partnership with skilled private sector interests, in other words develop the economy, as the current dependence on handouts from NZ Aid and donor countries that incumbent political parties fiercely embrace has failed, and condemned the Cook Islands to forever remaining a third world outpost of NZ. He added that it will not surprise if the budget is tabled but not debated, as no amount of tinkering with the budget is going to change an economy teetering on deficit and recession and debating over a collapsing economy will only lead to political embarrassment.
Asked how Te Kura O Te Au can be confident its sovereign partnership will work the chairman simply said it works for other nations and there was no reason why it won’t work for the Cook Islands. He said Te Kura O Ta Au didn’t invent sovereign partnership, it simply looked at what smart governments around the globe are doing to rescue their economy and people. He said political parties have to wake up and realize that global recession is real, it’s not a problem unique to the Cook Islands, it’s not their fault, and get on with reinventing an economy that can rescue the Cook Islands and its people and is sustainable.
He added it is evident from the increasing number of individuals standing as independents and distancing themselves from the current parties that people out there share the frustrations of the movement. He said the matter of independents came up for discussion at last weeks meeting and the movement decided to leave the door open to independents who want to join the movement in its fight to stop depopulation, rescue the economy from further decay and recession and reinstate the dignity of Cook Islanders.
Asked if Te Kura O Te Au hasn’t left its selection of candidates and leader a little late the chairman said “not at all”. He said the movement decided it will select its candidates after the other parties select theirs as it did not want its candidates exposed to the usual character assassination that invariably follows candidate selection, preferring instead to leave that style of politicking to the incumbent parties.
Asked if independent candidates are a threat to the movement the chairman said “not likely”. He explained that independents by and large share the concern of Te Kura O Te Au and are smart enough to figure out they will not win on a handful of protest votes and will need a party machine. He said the door is open for them to come and join the movement and stand for the movement if they wish, adding that the movement sees independents as warriors who are prepared to stand and fight for their constituency and have the heart for their people, and be part of the movement.

By Charles Pitt

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