Terepai Maoate Ousted As Cook Islands PM
Ousted Prime Minister
of the Cook Islands, Dr Terepai Maoate may today be regretting his decision not
to accept the resignation of then-Deputy Prime Minister, Dr Robert Woonton last
week, following the former's unceremonious ejection from government. The former Prime Minister
survived a vote of no confidence initiated by Dr Doctor Woonton last week by
14 votes to 7, and refused to accept his deputy's resignation, saying that he
was entitled to express his feelings. Express them he did, and Dr Maoate was
ousted by a margin of 15 to 9 in a second vote of no confidence this week. Dr Woonton was immediately
appointed Prime Minister, and on Tuesday announced that his coalition government
will include former Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Henry in the role of Deputy,
Norman George, Tom Marsters, Jim Marurai, and Peri Vaevae-Pare. Robert Woontan has revealed
that he initiated the overthrow of Terepai Maoate as he felt that the cabinet
was becoming a mere 'rubber stamp' for policies already decided upon by the
former Prime Minister and his Chief of Staff. 'The country has been led
by bureaucrats, people in the prime minister's department - people who are just
appointed rather than people who are elected to run the country,' he explained.
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