Transcript
LYNNSAY RONGOKEA-FRANCIS: There was a decline in the population, in the voter population in the outer islands so therefore that should be reflected in terms of the number of MPs in the constituency.
JENNY MEYER: And how much support is there for that amongst the political parties that are standing in the election that is you know only three weeks away now?
LRF: Well actually no-one is you know the political parties actually haven't commented on it, you know on any reform. I have to say that when we were pushing for a reduction in the seats, we weren't actually saying the 15 islands shouldn't have representation, we were saying instead of having three Members of Parliament for a population of less than 500, that they should just have one, you know one representative. There was a strong push for abolishing the New Zealand seat and I have to give credit to the Member of Parliament, Dr Joe Williams at the time, who cast that casting vote to abolish his own seat. And we would like other Members of Parliament to take a stand and make their voices heard on 'do they think that there is fair representation of Members of Parliament?' and 'should the constitution be changed?' At the moment parliament only has to sit for a single day a year. And it's clear that since 2015 to 2018 they've sat for 54 days and they get paid a full salary. What do they do in most of that time? Because you know for example some of those Members of Parliament representing the outer islands don't even live on their own island for a good part of the year.
JM: Is that one of the other parts to the reforms?
LRF: Yes I mean these are recommendations that were raised in the 1998 Commission Report those issues are still relevant today. We pushed in 2002 the GPC the Group for Political Change was formed, 18 years on some of those issues are still relevant. There is not the political will to push for change.
JM: The incoming government would be the one who have to look at those changes but you're saying that things are pretty quiet when it comes to discussing that as an election issue?
LRF: Yes it is quiet, very very silent in that area. Actually it was the Cook Islands Party who commissioned that 1998 report. And you know there is a tendency to set up select committees and have these reports written and then once they're written they gather dust.
JM: What's the mood there in terms of this election coming up? What are the core issues? Are there any or is it all about personalities?
LRF: I think, I along with a number of others, I think perhaps apathy has set in. The thought that nothing will change. It doesn't matter which political party will get in, nothing will change. And I think that the women, my colleagues who set up the Group for Political Change, you know we say it is time for a new generation to push for these reforms. Because it actually takes a lot of time and a lot of energy.