By Losirene Lacanivalu, Cook Islands News
Minister for Foreign Affairs Tingika Elikana at his office on Monday. Photo: Cook Islands News / Losirene Lacanivalu
Cook Islands Cabinet ministers have confidence in Prime Minister Mark Brown's leadership and have endorsed the comprehensive strategic agreement the country will sign with China this week.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Tingika Elikana made this comment in response to calls from the Opposition leaders and some members of the public for the Prime Minister to step down.
Brown, who is in Beijing on a state visit, has faced scrutiny over the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) the country is signing with China, following concerns from New Zealand that it was not consulted as required under their special constitutional arrangement.
Elikana told Cook Islands News that the agreement, to be signed by Associate Minister for Foreign Affairs, Tukaka Ama, had already been seen by the Cabinet Ministers and they had supported and approved it.
He also said the Cabinet Ministers have full confidence in PM Brown's leadership.
"Well, at the last Cabinet meeting, we were all behind our Prime Minister. We all have seen the comprehensive strategic plan, and we all supported it and approved it. And we have approved for the Prime Minister, but in this case, the Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tukaka Ama, to sign the agreement on our behalf," said Elikana.
Responding to calls for public consultation before such agreements are signed, Elikana said: "Some people, as a result of lack of proper understanding of how diplomacy works, are jumping the gun.'
He also hit back at Opposition leader Tina Browne and Cook Islands United Party leader Teariki Heather, who said they have lost confidence in the Prime Minister.
Browne, the leader of the Democratic Party, on Sunday told PMN that residents were angry, and there is mounting pressure and strong feeling that the PM Brown "should go" (step down).
Elikana said: "I know a lot of questions have been asked about the Prime Minister stepping aside to resign. I think those are as a result of misinformation, misdirected views, and a lack of understanding and appreciation of our diplomacy works in the diplomatic world."
"Because it is remiss of any Prime Minister to sit back without doing anything to promote the aspirations and to realise the aspirations of his country. He is doing what any normal Prime Minister of the Cook Islands would have done. And I think the calls directed at him, some of them more personal, are ill-directed and unwarranted for."
Elikana stressed that they have aspirations to provide the best for the people and the country has its own development programmes.
He said that while the Cook Islands is thankful to New Zealand, PM Brown has always reiterated that the Cook Islands' first "port of call", in terms of development assistance, will always be its traditional partners: New Zealand, Australia and the United States (US).
"And that's a government policy, and that's ingrained in all of us … For development assistance will always be New Zealand, Australia and the US, UK, our traditional partners," Elikana said.
"The question then is, what if they can't provide that assistance? Do our people need us to just come back home and sit still? I think it will be remiss of any responsible government not to look outside our traditional partners for assistance. And that's what's happening in this agreement. It's nothing new."
-This article was first published by Cook Islands News.
