Brown ‘forced’ out of Cook Islands Party

RAROTONGA – Cook Islands Party MP Rose Brown has announced that she will be standing as an independent candidate for the Atiu electorate of Teenui-Mapumai.

Brown, who was elected as the CIP candidate for Teenui-Mapumai in 2014 and later became the Cook Islands’ first female opposition leader in 2016 before returning to her party in 2017, says CIP members Nandi Glassie and Man Unuia “have been trying to influence my nomination in Teenui-Mapumai”.

“They want to stop me being nominated as the CIP candidate for Teenui-Mapumai,” she explained.

Brown claims Glassie and Unuia also told CIP president Nga Jessie that she should withdraw the nomination of her daughter Tehani Brown as the Demo candidate in the other Atiu electorate of Tengatangi-Areora-Ngatiarua, a seat currently held by Glassie.

Brown went on to say that she had been made to feel unwelcome and untrusted by the CIP, hence her decision to stand as an independent.

“I had no intention to move from the CIP, and my constituency committee did not want me to,” said Brown.