Survey The

Cook Islanders

Problems Ahead

From a Rarotonga Correspondent Hard on the heels of the recent announcement that the Cook Islands are to have in ternal self-government in 1965 comes the New Look in politics in the Cooks, ALMOST overnight comes the re alisation that the art of admin istration requires a lot of skill when you have to carry out the details yourself. Somehow the problems be come a little larger and the details a little more thought-provoking and urgent when the responsibilities are moved on to your own shoulders from a disembodied group of bureaucrats who owe allegiance only to bigger bureaucrats, and unsympathetic and stupid politicians, in Wellington.

It’s only a short time since Western Samoa found itself in the same posi tion, with the result that Samoa is easily the territory in the South Pacific most sensitive to criticism to day.

On several occasions Prime Min ister Fiame Mataafa has shown his displeasure at criticism of his Gov ernment’s policies and has even threatened darkly to control the Press. Some of his Ministers support his views—some of whom were most vocal in their criticism of New Zea land policies when New Zealand had the responsibility of running Samoa.

Breathing Space

Breathing space is what the Samoan politicians—and many African politicians insist they want—breath ing space, without criticism, in which to get their country working. But unfortunately they never say for how long they want their critics to pull their punches.

The realisation that there are wolves ready to tear into the policies of the emerging Cook Islands shone through every paragraph of the New Year message given to the people of the Cooks by the newly appointed Leader of Government Business, Mr. D. C. Brown (who is tipped to be first Chief Minister of the Cooks.) Mr. Brown asked for support.

He said: “A transitional government is a government caught between two tides, the old and the new, the past and the future, and as the result of which it may either ride safely to shore on the incoming waves, or be dashed to pieces on the exposed edges of the reef.

“Now the Government which I have the honour to lead, has neither wish nor any intention, of breaking up on the reef of political failure, ‘There is a parallel between us here today and our ancestors who left these shores 500 years ago.

“When the long canoes pulled out of Ngatangiia, they sailed into un

charted seas with no instruments of navigation other than the compass of faith and the chronometer of de termination ... a faith that even before the voyage began, it would end in success, and a determination to achieve that success.

Voices Raised “But is it unreasonable to assume that when days and nights had passed without sight of the new homeland, there were not some voices raised to question the leaders? Those of faint heart, who argued that it would be better to change course, even to re turn to Ngatangiia? Or critics, who argued without offering a bettei

plan? And some perhaps who even secretly coveted their leader’s positi on ?

“I think it is reasonable to assume that there were such people 500 years ago, because they are still with us today. But we are now in the more fortunate position of being able to chart a course with every expectation of reaching our destination.” £ 4 Mr. Brown said he felt the first duty of a government was to make work and a home available to all.

The Cook Islands would be operating on a limited budget and the problem was not how to spend money but on what to spend it. The more

that was set aside for economic de velopment the less there was to spend on social services and on agriculture.

The Government had never to for get the needs of the outer glands and it was because of this he had selected in his Cabinet men represent ing the lower and northern groups Mr. Brown added that members of his shadow Government would speak once every month on the Cook i s i an ds Radio about the work of the departments in their charge, Mr R j Dashwood, in charge of Health, Social Development, Broadcasting, Justice, Police and Prisons, made the first broadcast on New Year’s Eve.