Transcript
DOMINIC GODFREY:
Well the MP for Tengatangi-Areora-Ngatiarua, Tehani Brown, as recently as yesterday morning, Wednesday in the Cook Islands, assured the Democratic Party of her loyalty.
This followed what were seen as claims by Deputy Prime Minister Mark Brown that the MP would join the government ranks in the interest of the country.
It's significant as there is currently a hung parliament following Agnes Armstrong's win in the Ivirua by-election. She is also with the opposition Democratic Party.
Each side currently holds 12 seats.
The defection of Tehani Brown would give a 13 to 11 seat majority to the ruling Cook Islands Party led coalition.
DON WISEMAN:
What has the leader of the opposition said?
DG:
Well Tina Browne told me yesterday afternoon that the deputy PM had been using government projects for political leverage.
She said that there was an implication in comments from Mark Brown that if MP's wanted government projects to go ahead in their constituencies, they needed to side with the government.
There are significant government projects underway in Tehani Brown's electorate according to Tina Browne.
She says she hadn't heard anything from Tehani Brown to suggest a defection.
Today however, the MP released a statement confirming she'll cross the floor.
Tina Browne says this is a betrayal of her constituents who voted her in on the Democratic Party ticket.
DW:
Any word from the MP Tehani Brown?
DG:
No. She appears to have gone to ground and no one, including the Democratic Party has heard from her.
In her statement she says she made her choice in the interests of her electorate but as Tina Browne says, they voted her in as the Democratic Party candidate.
DW:
Where to from here?
DG:
Well Tina Browne says the ultimate test will come when parliament next sits and Tehani Brown will have to declare her hand.
There are party-hopping rules in the Cook Islands and Tina Browne says if the Tengatangi-Areora-Ngatiarua MP does cross the floor it will force a by-election.
She says the other alternative is to resign from the party before parliament next sits which would also result in a by-election.
Of course there is the other option which no doubt the party is actively working on and that's to woo her back on board.
But at this stage the clerk of the house Tangata Vainerere has told me he hasn't received any notification from the opposition advising parliament of any resignation so it's business as usual.
He also says the prime minister has yet to advise them when the next sitting of parliament will be.
But Henry Puna will likely declare a date once he's confident of a majority.
