Ruta Maeve: Can you trust your government?

The purpose of the government’s constant lies is not to make people believe the lies, but to make sure no one believes anything anymore. When people can no longer distinguish between truth and lies, they can no longer distinguish between right and wrong. With people like this, you can do whatever you want. That’s how you get propaganda – “Water is free.”

In 2013, the government announced it would start taxing superannuation. Cook Islands Party Finance Minister Mark Brown led the government to tax seniors for the first time. He then struck a chord with seniors by retroactively taxing superannuation two years earlier when the Cook Islands Party was in power. They said in their election manifesto that they would look after the people, then once they got the votes they introduced a tax that no one had heard of – targeting the most vulnerable. Once confirmed, they demanded payment for the first two years of tax.

If they do give teachers a pay rise, will they push it back nine years from when they said they would? I don’t think so. Mark Brown said the 45% pay rise for MPs had been delayed for 15 years. Obviously the government will make selective decisions for itself.

The elderly were angry. They formed the “Elder Power” movement and together demanded the government reconsider. The then Financial Secretary ignored and ridiculed them, saying they had too much money and should be taxed. Hundreds of elderly people walked out of their homes and marched on the streets, waving protest banners and chanting “Stop the tax.”

The dangerous and scary part of this is that the government raided pensioners’ bank accounts and took out money to pay taxes without their consent a week before Christmas. Don’t you think this is a Christian and charitable act? What’s more, there are pensioners who are still paying this outstanding tax. If the government can steal money from pensioners’ bank accounts to pay “fake” taxes that they were unaware of, without any recrimination, what stops the government from doing the same to people who don’t pay their water bills?

On December 30, 2015, then Prime Minister Henry Puna said that by developing the country’s fisheries and seabed mineral resources, we can all become the people with the highest per capita income in the world. He said that this is our common destiny and the future of our children and grandchildren. The revenue from the sale of more fishing licenses will make it possible to increase the cost of pensions, child benefits and improve education and health services.

Puna denied that his government had signed a fisheries agreement with the European Union nine years ago, allowing the four largest purse seine vessels to fish there, and that although the agreement had not been formally signed, every page had been initialed. In addition, the Spanish government’s statement said they had permanent rights in the waters of the eastern Pacific and guaranteed to sign the agreement.

The only reason we know there is a deal is that it is a requirement of EU procedure. Prior to this, three deals with South Korea and one with New Zealand were all done in private, without public consultation at all. Puna said public consultation was important, then said “we should not waste this opportunity for political gain, nor be blinded by emotional stories and lack of vision”. Locals held protest marches in the streets at the time, chanting “WTF – where is the fish?” and “Less Puna = more tuna”.

A petition with 4,000 signatures to ban purse seine fishing was also presented at the meeting. Meanwhile, Pune signed the agreement behind closed doors without taking into account public comments.

He actually gave purse seiners eight years of skipjack tuna rights at about 16 cents a kilo, while locals pay $25 to $40 a kilo. How did we get richer? Seniors got $50 Christmas bonuses. Teachers waiting for a pay rise recently got $30 gift certificates. The police and health department are still waiting. Who got richer? The members of Congress. Our fisheries are worth twenty times what they are now.

So congratulations on coming together to negotiate collectively and working to sign petitions to voice your concerns, but be prepared to be deeply disappointed.

If you think this calm and quiet revolution against paying for water will be enough to provoke them into recognizing your voice, frustration or desperation – sadly it will not. Throughout the water project Mark Brown has shown his edge and fangs and he will not change his weakness. CIP has an agenda to trick you into believing they care when the opposite is true.

Know that if you want the truth, it lies within.