the Cook's political pot

Sir Albert, a new Kissinger, heats the Cook's political pot

From KATHLEEN HANCOCK in Wellington

In Avarua, the Cook Islands political pot was beginning to boil in January. Prior to his departure for the Law of the Sea conference at Caracas, Sir Albert had announced that he would be looking for full independence for the Cooks in the near future.

In government circles in Welling ton there was speculation as to the motives behind the Premier’s state ment. Some suggested that the dis covery of huge manganese deposits near the Cooks had triggered off the new approach; some considered it the outcome of pressure from the more radical section of his own party; others thought it was a logical move after 10 years of self-government.

Certainly the necessity for the Premier to be introduced by New Zealand at Caracas emphasised the fact that the Cooks couldn’t speak on their own account at an international meeting, and this was an embarrass ment to both the Premier and New Zealand. As Sir Albert passed through New Zealand he said, “It’s time for the Cooks to take their place with other nations. Our right to identify is stifled by the place we hold in the international community.”

Nevertheless, Sir Albert doesn’t want to lose the privileges Cook Islanders already have as New Zealand citizens, and he is emphatic about this. “Why can’t we make a unique situation more unique still,” he demands in best Henry style. He has offered to government in New Zealand the idea of dual citizenship, which has raised the eyebrows of Kiwi jurists, who can’t see how law could be administered in such a situation. Mutterings about wanting to have his cake and eating it were heard on Parliament Hill, But Sir Albert insists, “Let’s still be partners.

We can show the world that two independent countries can remain married but go their own way”. (However, on his return from the conference, he said there was now no need to move quickly to> inde pendence.) Whether Sir Albert succeeds or not with his Utopian ideal of dual citizen ship in the best of two worlds, the Premier’s words set off a political hubbub in the Cooks. No sooner did Sir Albert step off the plane at Rarotonga on his return from Caracas than Opposition Leader, Dr Tom Davis, took off on the return

flight to Auckland to get among the large Cook Islands population there and to make contact with govern ment in Wellington. He told the Minister of Islands Affairs, Mr P.

Amos, that Penrhyn, Mangaia, Raka hanga and Atiu would break away from the Cooks and join New Zealand if full independence was chosen. He said he personally was against this step, but he didn’t blame them. And in the meantime he addressed meetings of Cook Islanders in Porirua and in Auckland, where he said there was unqualified op position to independence. Dr Davis also warned that NZ aid could be on an entirely different basis if a referen dum brought independence to the Cooks. “It would have to be in the form of loans, not aid,” he said.

And he also prophesied that immigra tion from the Cooks into New Zealand could be based on a quota system similar to that which applies to Western Samoa.

It is possible that neither of these factors would worry Sir Albert un duly, though he continually under lines the desire to maintain the status quo as far as citizenship goes. A quota system for Cook Islanders wishing to emigrate to New Zealand would go a long way towards stop ping the drain of brains and brawn from the Cooks, which has always caused the Premier much heartburn ing. Ana in his search for dignity and identity for the Cook Islands people, he might just consider loans and trade preferable to handouts and aid.

Sir Albert is a great conciliator.

And it’s just possible that the title “Kissinger of the Pacific”, bestowed in Wellington half seriously and half in fun, may yet prove an apt label.

His forays into Pacific councils and world conferences may enable him once more to have and eat his cake.

Sir Albert hit the big time at Caracas and received a standing ovation for his speech, stressing the need for his country and other Island territories to control the wealth of the seas and the seabed in an economic zone which, he suggested, should extend for 200 miles around each island.

He also had his sights on the recently-discovered manganese de posits near Rarotonga over which he is expecting to do a deal with New Zealand.