Cook Islands king maker crows

By Florence Syme-Buchanan

It’s 8.00 a.m. the morning after. The new prime minister elect is dressed in the same blue flowered shirt and white trousers that he wore the night before, his eyes are bloodshot and he looks exhausted - worried supporters keep streaming into his home, anxious to know what’s going to happen next.

After 20 years in politics, prime ministership of the Cook Islands remains elusive for Dr Terepai Maoate, Democratic Alliance Party (DAP) leader.

His party may have toppled the ruling Cook Islands Party’s (CIP) ten year administration with all 10 split in favour of the DAP - but the day after the General Elections, the victory is fragile.

And may be shortlived.

At least four seats have margins of under six votes the final count of special votes expected a week later, could toss the June 16 provisional results out the window giving Maoate a reasonably comfortable lead.

If that happens, the prime minister elect won’t need the coalition solution to secure governance of the Cooks.

While things looked highly uncertain for both Maoate and former prime min ister Sir Geoff on June 17, one politi cian was crowing. New Alliance Party leader Norman George had secured four seats in the 25-member parliament.

While it was still very early days, he looked like holding the balance of power and shortly after preliminary election results came through, was mak ing his demands known to the media.

Norman George expects the post of

- deputy prime minister and wants three ministers in the seven member Cabinet.

On election night he told local daily Cook Islands News, “people always have the wrong impression of me, that I am a power hungry person. If I was power crazy, I would be demanding everything now - I’m not feeling like that but at the same time. I’m not going to be a walkover, whoever wants to be my partner will have to compromise on many things.

Moate finds that prospect of a coal tion with Norman George unappealing, but he would go with that if it means stabilityand avoiding another election.

He described George as a “trouble maker within our organisation”, but that’s probably an understatement.

Back in the early 80s, with his eye already on the top jobs, George was responsible for orchestering the sack ing of then prime minister Sir Thomas Davis, He split from the Democratic Party after failing to secure leadership and formed the Alliance Party.

George then rejoined the main oppo sition Demos and the party was renamed Democratic Alliance.

Sometime later, infighting and dis satisfaction within the DAP inner cir cle saw Norman forming the New Alliance.

Moate believes trustung Norman George in a coaltion partnership will be difficult. But the prime minister elect is just as unenthusiastic about forming a working relationship with Sir Geoff’s CIP, saying he doesn’t want a repeat of the coaltion While it Maoate says he ‘d need a lot of con vincing that Sir Geoff won’t repeat thecoalition walkout of 1984 and 85 when “after a short period of time peo ple wanted to get out and breakup the coaltion.”

Moate says he’d need a lot of con vincing that Sir Geoff won’t reapeat the coaltion walkout of 1984. But with the tiny margins, it’s unlikely Maoate

Outgoing Prime Minister Sir Geoffory Henry with his wife during the etections. Photo by Alex Sword, Cook bloods New

and Sir Geoff will be rushing into any permanent deals with each other or Norman George.

In the meantime, George is enjoy ing holding the aces and has asked both leaders for coalition proposals.

The morning after he was demand ing that a freelance national radio reporter from his home island of Atiu

be replaced.

At the time of going to print, Minister of Marine Resources Tepure Tapaitau had lost his seat by one vote to lawyer Wilkie Rassmussen.

Another Cabinet casualty was Agriculture minister Vaine Tairea, who lost his Mauke island seat to school principle and political new comer Mapu Taia. And Sir Geoff’s former deputy prime minister, Inatio Akaruru held his Pukapuka island seat by just three votes.

What Maoate may do to avoid a partnership with George is try to woo CIP candidates over by offering min isterial posts or other cherries like Speaker of the House. Crossing the floor has always been part and parcel of post-election tactics in the Cooks but this time, no one needs friendly defectors more than the tired prime minister elect. ■

The man who could be king maker. New Alliance Party leader Norman George and his wife None shortly after learning NAP hold the balance of power. Nanesays her husband "loves politics, it's his choice, I just back him up."

Democratic Alliance Party leader Dr Terepai Maoate talks to the crowd who gathered at his home on election night