Constant lying by governments is not aimed at making the people believe a lie, but at ensuring that no one believes anything anymore. When the people can no longer distinguish between truth and a lie they then cannot distinguish between right and wrong. With such people, you can do whatever you want. It is how you sell it – ‘Water will be Free.’

In 2013, government announced they would start taxing the old age pension. Cook Islands Party finance minister Mark Brown led the charge of first government to ever tax old people. Then he put a stake into their elderly heart, by back taxing it two years to when CIP became government. On the election platform they said they will look after the people then once they got their votes, they introduce a tax no-one knew was coming - for the most vulnerable. Once it was confirmed, they demanded it be paid for the two years previous.

If they ever give teachers a wage rise, will they backdate it nine years since they said they would get one? I think not.  For the Parliament members 45 per cent wage rise, Mark Brown said it was 15 years over-due. Obviously, government make selective decisions for themselves.

The feel amongst the elderly was outrage. They formed the Grey Power movement to work together to ask the government to reconsider. After being ignored and taunted by the then financial secretary who said they had too much money and deserved to be taxed, hundreds of elderly got out of their houses and marched the streets with their walkers waving protest banners and shouting – stop the tax.

The dangerous and scary part of this time was the government took it upon themselves to raid the pensioners bank accounts and take out money for tax without the person’s consent one week before Christmas. Such a Christian and charitable thing to do don’t you think? What’s more, there are pensioners still paying off this back tax. If government can steal money from pensioners bank accounts for ‘made-up’ taxes, they didn’t know they had, without any recrimination, what is there to stop government doing the same to those people who don’t pay their water tariffs?

In December 30, 2015, the then prime minister Henry Puna said we could all be among the richest people in the world per capita from harvesting the country’s fisheries and seabed minerals resources. He said this is our shared destiny and the future of our children and revenue selling more fishing licences would make possible increases in the old age pension, child benefit and pay for improved education and health services.

Nine years ago, Puna denied his government had entered into a fisheries agreement with the European Union for four of the biggest purse seiners to fish here, even though it had not been formally signed, every page had been initialled. Plus, statements by the Spanish government said they had permanence in Eastern Pacific waters and signing was assured.

The only reason we knew there was a deal was because it was a requirement of the EU process. Prior to this, three deals with Korea and one with New Zealand had been formed and concluded in private with no public consultation at all.  Puna said public consultation will be important, then said “We should not squander this opportunity for political gain or be blinded by the lack of vision from emotional stories”. At the time locals were holding protest marches on the street shouting WTF – where’s the fish? and Less Puna = More Tuna.

A signed petition of 4000 signatures to ban purse seining was also presented. Meanwhile, Puna went behind closed doors and signed off the agreement without taking the public voice into consideration.

He effectively gave purse seiners eight years of skip jack tuna for approximately 16 cents per kilo while local people pay 25 to 40 dollars per kilo. How have we been made richer? The elderly got a 50 dollars Xmas bonus. Teachers waiting for a pay rise recently got a 30 dollars gift voucher. Police and Health are still waiting. Who got rich? Members of Parliament that’s who. Our fishing waters are worth twenty times more money.

So, well done for coming together for the collective consultations and for making the effort to sign the petition, voicing your concern, but prepare yourself for disappointment at the deepest level.

If you think this calm and quiet revolution against paying water tariffs is going to ruffle their feathers enough to acknowledge your voice, dismay or despair - sorry it won’t.  Throughout this water project, Mark Brown has shown his stripes and fangs, he will not change his spots. CIP have an agenda to fool you into believing they care when the opposite is the truth.

Realise, if you want the truth; it lies amongst the lies.