A Cabinet that stands ready to serve with conviction
On Thursday 2 December 2010 the Prime Minister announced the appointments to his Cabinet at a media conference at his office at 9.30am after which those Ministers present (4 )were sworn in at the residence of the Queen’s Representative.

On the surface at least, the Cook Islands Party was all happy families Thursday morning as four of its own were officially sworn in as Cabinet members.
But there was a dark undercurrent beneath the smiling faces and the “we’re-all-one-big-happy-team” rhetoric and it revolved around one question: Where is Norman George?
“He’s sulking,” one attendee ventured after the ceremony at Government House that saw Tom Marsters, Teina Bishop, Mark Brown and Nandi Glassie elevated out of the caucus and into Cabinet. Marsters was also announced as the deputy prime minister.
Teariki Heather was also named to Cabinet but was attending to a family matter in New Zealand and was unable to attend the ceremony.
Not only was George not given a Cabinet posting, he was also a no-show at the ceremony.
Asked at an earlier press conference why George, a senior MP from Atiu, was not made a Cabinet minister, Puna replied that he didn’t think he needed to give a reason for the omission.
Puna went on to say that the focus of the new government is on stability.
“Obviously, the country is crying out for it and my mission is to ensure that we deliver on that important requirement,” he said. “Other than that, no, I don’t want to say anything further.”
Interviewed after the swearing-in ceremony, Glassie, the other half of the self-proclaimed Atiu Warriors tag-team, refused to speculate on why George was not joining him in the Cabinet.
“As far as I’m concerned, we’re still together, in spirit,” Glassie said. “And I’m sure that the Hon Norman George will provide help and assistance throughout the process.
“I will ask for his advice. It’s a matter of his great wisdom, great knowledge and lots of experience. I will definitely lean upon him for advice every now and again.”
Asked for his opinion on the Norman George situation, Brown also adhered to the party line.
“I’ve got no comment to make on that,” said Brown. “I’ll leave that to the prime minister to answer those questions.”
“This is a Cabinet that I present to you with utmost confidence,” said Puna in his speech during the swearing-in. “It’s a Cabinet that stands ready to serve with conviction. A Cabinet that I will be proud to lead in the months and the years ahead.”
Puna said he was “heartened and encouraged” by the mixture and balance of the new members of Cabinet.
“I’m equally encouraged by the quality, ability and enthusiasm of our new members in our wider team,” he added. “I’m determined to ensure that these qualities that exist within our caucus will contribute to the better governance of our country.”
Of the six in Cabinet, four, Puna, Brown, Heather and Glassie, have not previously been Ministers. Brown has not previously been an MP.
Glassie said he was humbled by the honour of being named to Cabinet.
“But I’d like to say this very clearly indeed: this is an honour that I’ve dedicated to all those who voted me back into Parliament,” he added “And also those who voted and supported the Hon Norman George in Atiu.”
While the allocation of portfolios has been put on hold until Heather can be sworn in, Glassie said he is passionate about working to improve conditions on the Outer Islands.
“I hope to make a difference, to become a changing agent for a lot of the frustrations, the struggles that occur in the Outer Islands,” he said. “I hope to bring some equity in the distribution of Government resources to the Outer Islands.”
Brown admitted to being overwhelmed by the occasion.
“But I’ve been encouraged by so much support, words of encouragement, words of advice and prayers from so many people,” he said.
Asked if he was angling for a particular portfolio, Brown said he is content to leave those decisions to the prime minister.
“I’ll be happy to take whatever I’m given,” he said.
Puna repeated the party’s rallying cry of ‘Together we can’ during his speech.
“It was a theme that we fully believed in as a team and one that we will take as the cornerstone of the new administration,” he said.

By John Ireland

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