Ruta Maeve: Who are we, what are we, are we real?

The Cook Islands are a shining diamond in the Pacific. Forged in fire and under great pressure, we stand before the world’s donors and plead for more money – because we say we cannot survive without it, writes Ruta Marv.

How stressed we are compared to other countries. If our general ideal compares our first world problems to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, maybe he should compare us to our neighbors and countries with a closer way of life. We shine brighter compared to the Pacific countries who earn less, live in greater poverty, and face the dangerous reality of climate change, which means they will lose their islands and island life.

Mark Brown’s poster boy stood by the concrete barriers at the end of the runway and told how we put them up to protect our land and how climate change is affecting our way of life. These barriers were put up forty years ago and we have done nothing and we have nothing to lose compared to the lower lying islands. But what a great image he put on the world stage.

We are like a beacon, shining brightly, pointing to ourselves as the place where concerned countries can provide green climate change funding, which not only satisfies their high-minded sense of showing the world that they care, but that they are also “helping poor Pacific people”.

Many are genuine environmentalists, but most are making deals that have long-term consequences. Nothing is truly free.

Then, when they visit and see the shiny new cars and trucks all over the island, the surplus government electric cars, the paved roads, the newly constructed commercial buildings, the buildings where the old Sheraton Hotel was, and the recently renovated government building (soon to be replaced by a proposed $70+ million government building). They smile because they know where their money is going. They can see the infrastructure on the island. They pat themselves on the shoulder and tell the government and the world that their money was well spent.

Mark “Oliver” Brown has twisted the narrative to suit his agenda, which should be our agenda, but we have yet to see it. He has made his mark on the world, he has made the world believe that we are poor, that we will be drowned by rising sea levels, that we cannot support and create our own industry and businesses and become a truly independent nation. He has successfully made the Cook Islands the recipient of millions of dollars in climate change funding and infrastructure funding, but what benefit have we gained from it?

Is the $3 million Manihiki airport a huge investment for all of us? Is our pearl industry bringing us export revenue, or are our pearls being shipped overseas privately and secretly, hidden in undeclared suitcases?

Our water warriors say we can’t afford the water bills because more than 60% of the population earns less than $20,000 a year. But not all locals are poor. The big houses being built on Black Rock are owned by locals. How did they acquire such extravagant wealth? Is it because they have good business sense?

We have recently had questions about our dark ship business. Is it reasonable to question how we make money from our flag licenses? Does the government receive any revenue from the sale of our flag on these dubious vessels?

Is this justified, regardless of any current links to Russia? Over the years, our flag has made headlines around the world for various shipping disputes. In 2015, a Turkish tanker flying the Cook Islands flag came under fire from Libyan military aircraft twice. Over the years, there have been reports of a cargo ship being seized in Italy for carrying drugs and another being detained in Scotland for abuse or human trafficking. Coincidence? Or do we really not care who we deal with as long as we can make money? So many unasked questions, who gets to decide who gets to represent and wear our flag? They certainly don’t do it with pride.

Our Prime Minister portrays us as a poor, money-starved country, when in fact we are a developed country only because of the income from tourism. He has recently promoted us as a safe haven for banks and investments, when not long ago we were in the spotlight as a popular destination for money laundering. Who are we anyway? Are we real?