// LETTER
Kia Orana Editor,
I know politics is extremely important but surely it is not as important as the needs of the people they are supposed to represent.
We suffer on Atiu uncomplaining (until now) waiting for reliable power.
Ever since Cyclone Meena Atiu's power has been successively - rationed (because of no fuel), non-existent for weeks (because power lines were down), destructive of appliances (when it was restored with phase and neutral switched), rotated around the villages (because of insufficient generating capacity), erratic (because the remaining generators could not be synchronised so power went off 5 or more times a day as capacity was juggled), weak (with low voltage) and constantly tripping on overload.
This we put up with, as these faults were the consequence of not being prepared for the cyclones and the consequent difficult recovery.
What we can't put up with is the fact that parts to repair our power supply have been sitting on Atiu since the boat of the 7th of April and nothing is happening.
Our businesses are suffering. Faxes are stuffed with power failure reports. Faxes go missing. Meals are fragmented, dark and limited in scope. Computers grunt and spit garbage. Electronics burn. A TV program is a jigsaw of scenes and half events. Miserable are we.
And why do we blame politics? We see our electrician, our officer in charge, island secretary and mayor in Rarotonga for conferences and rumoured important decisions on who should be the next PM.
How can the needs of the people of Atiu compete with that?
Powerless Atiuan.
I know politics is extremely important but surely it is not as important as the needs of the people they are supposed to represent.
We suffer on Atiu uncomplaining (until now) waiting for reliable power.
Ever since Cyclone Meena Atiu's power has been successively - rationed (because of no fuel), non-existent for weeks (because power lines were down), destructive of appliances (when it was restored with phase and neutral switched), rotated around the villages (because of insufficient generating capacity), erratic (because the remaining generators could not be synchronised so power went off 5 or more times a day as capacity was juggled), weak (with low voltage) and constantly tripping on overload.
This we put up with, as these faults were the consequence of not being prepared for the cyclones and the consequent difficult recovery.
What we can't put up with is the fact that parts to repair our power supply have been sitting on Atiu since the boat of the 7th of April and nothing is happening.
Our businesses are suffering. Faxes are stuffed with power failure reports. Faxes go missing. Meals are fragmented, dark and limited in scope. Computers grunt and spit garbage. Electronics burn. A TV program is a jigsaw of scenes and half events. Miserable are we.
And why do we blame politics? We see our electrician, our officer in charge, island secretary and mayor in Rarotonga for conferences and rumoured important decisions on who should be the next PM.
How can the needs of the people of Atiu compete with that?
Powerless Atiuan.
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