The Cook Islands is the diamond of the Pacific, shining brightly. A diamond is forged from the ashes of fire and immense pressure and as we stand before the funding nations of the world begging for more of their funding - because we say without it, we cannot survive, writes Ruta Mave.

What pressure are we under compared to others. If our Prime Minister wants to compare our first world problems to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, maybe he should take light in comparing us to our neighbours and those closer to our type of lifestyle. We who shine brightly compared to our Pacific nations who earn less money, live in more poverty and are faced with the reality of climate change danger which will mean losing their islands and their island life.

Mark Brown poster boy stands by the concrete retainer barricade at the end of the runway saying how we placed them to save our lands and how climate change is affecting our way of life. The barricades were placed forty years ago and we have done nothing else and we have lost nothing compared to lower lying islands. But what an image he gave to the world stage.

We stand as a beacon of light shining brightly pointing to ourselves as the place where the concerned nations can send their green climate change funding which will not only satisfy their self-righteous consciousness of showing the world the noble notion that they care, they are also ‘helping the poor Pacific people’.

Many are true environmentalists, most however, are striking bargains with long range implications. Nothing is ever really for free.

Then when they visit and see the island full of shiny new cars and trucks, redundant government electric cars, the tarsealed roads, the newly built commercial buildings, the build at the old Sheraton site and recently renovated ministry buildings that are about to be replaced with a proposed 70 plus million-dollar government building.  They smile because they can see where their money is going. They can see the infrastructure around the island. They pat themselves on the back telling their government and the world their money is well spent.

Mark ‘Oliver’ Brown twists the narrative to suit his agenda, which is supposedly our agenda but we have yet to see it. Putting his Mark on the world he has convinced the world we are poor, we are going to drown from the sea rising, we are unable to support and create our own industry and business to become a true and independent nation. He has successfully secured the Cook Islands to be the recipient of millions of dollars in climate change funding and infrastructure funding but how are we benefiting from it?

Is the three-million dollars airport in Manihiki a great investment for us all? Do we receive an export revenue from our pearl industry? Or is it lost to us within undeclared suitcases travelling overseas being sold privately, secretly?

Our water warriors say we can’t afford to pay for water due to over 60 per cent of the population earning less than 20 thousand dollars per year. But not all locals are poor. The large houses being built above Black rock are locally owned. How do they come about their money for such an extravagant display of wealth? Is it from good business acumen?

We recently had a question about our dark shipping. Is it valid to question how we make our money from boat flag licences? Do the government get any money from the sale of our flag on these dubious boats?

Having any connection with the Russians sanctioned or not right now - can it be justifiable? Over the years our flag has been in headlines around the world for various shipping altercations. In 2015 a Cook Islands flagged Turkish tanker was attacked with fire power by Libyan military jets not once but twice. Over the years reports of a cargo boat confiscated in Italy for carrying drugs, another detained in Scotland due to human abuse and or human trafficking. A coincidence? Or do we really have no filter to care who we deal with so long as we make money? So many unasked questions, who decides who gets to represent and wear our flag? They certainly don’t do it with pride.

Our Prime Minister has painted us as poverty stricken and needy for money at every turn. The truth is we have a developed nation status due to our earnings from tourism. He is recently promoting us as a safe haven for banking and investment when not so long ago we were under the microscope as a popular destination for money laundering. By hook or by Crook who are we? Are we for real?