No votes for Cooks exiles in NZ

Using a little legal fencing, Cook Islands Premier Sir Albert Henry has almost certainly ensured victory for his Cook Islands Party in the elections on December 3.

As the voting regulations make no provision for absentees to vote by postal vote—as they are able to do in Australia and New Zealand elections—Sir Albert refused voting facilities to more than 3,000 Cook Islanders living in New Zealand. And the majority of them, so observers in Auckland say, would have voted for Dr Tom Davis and his Democratic Party. That could have meant defeat for the CIP.

“But why should we let them vote in New Zealand?” asked Sir Albert. speaking in Auckland on October 18.

Accusing Dr Davis of visiting New Zealand to “stir up strife”, the Premier said: “Cook Islanders in New Zealand were quite happy with the situation until the Leader of the Opposition started stirring up strife.

“Whv should we chance the law just because one man cannot Let sum

rort intoe CooT lsLnds? f doiPt

analyse* the law I am iust’ a candi date in to? ekTction*™ d Z a , Modestly he added, You need a

lawyer to interpret the law—l’m just a politician.” J He agreed that Cook Islanders living in New Zealand were eligible to vote in New Zealand elections but he preferred the people living in the Cooks to decide who would govern them; not those who lived outside.

“I can see no reason to change the law,” he added, and pointed out that since self-government came to the Cooks there had been three elections but no one in New Zealand had raised the question of voting.

“It has only come up now that the Leader of the Opposition thinks he is getting no support,” the Premier said.

The Cooks electoral regulations allow an islander, who has been away for not more than three years, f° t V ?i e . as , soor as be returns home, but , lf be ha f bee P awa J longer, he !? ust b ? Ve been back , not l ess ~a n three mont hs before being

all £ wed Jo vot f',

i V*™ 6 C °° k Islanders m New Zea ' Am ™ y TCt T< t 0 V u° te but Sir A,bert u mana g ed f from the outset to f°° k the g °° Se °l th ? se intended re ’ * urn,ng vot l ers who had been away for more than three years.

When the election date was set

for December 3, it was just under! three months from the date of the declaration to polling day, so that! none of the voters who had been away for more than three years could qualify.

Cook Islanders in New Zealand] have sought the help of NZ politi cians in their endeavours to exercise their vote but the Prime Minister, Mr Bill Rowling, refuses to get in volved.

Opposition Leader Mr Muldoon raised the matter in Parliament urging that the government should do all it could to ensure that Cook Islanders living in New Zealand were able to vote there.

Mr Rowling said New Zealand had no right to interfere in matters which were quite properly the domestic concern of the Cook Islands Government and people. 1 Cook Islanders in Auckland have prepared a test case for the High Court in Rarotonga to check the eligibility of islanders abroad to vote.

The action was in the name of Teariki Mahurangi, of Grey Lynn.

The action complained that Mahu rangi, a Cook Islander, on the Cl electoral roll, would not be able to vote while living temporarily in Auckland. If the High Court throws the case out, it will be referred to the Supreme Court in New Zealand. 1