John Amagoalik says ITK needs reform

At the risk of not getting any votes if I offend the board members of ITK, who will elect the next president on Oct. 23, I must comment on the story about the election in your Oct. 3 edition. (Kusugak: It’s an offer I can’t refuse.)

There was once a time when ITK (ITC then) was a respected organization which did important work for the Inuit of Canada. Now, it seems the national organization has been transformed into a semi-private club where behind-the-door deals are made to decide who will be its president. Many Inuit, who still care about ITK, say it is now almost invisible and irrelevant.

The cancelled elections in June and the off-again, on-again candidacy of job seekers has deeply injured the credibility of ITK. The fact that only a handful of insiders and their chosen few who will elect a president makes it appear that an old boys’ club rules ITK.

After all the public relations disasters of cancelled elections and closed-door deals, the sitting president compounds the problem by sounding like the Mafia. He actually said the board had made him “an offer I can’t refuse.” Who’s The Godfather and what is the offer?

Mr. Kusugak also admits that he spoke to most of the ITK board members “as well as several federal cabinet ministers” before deciding to run again. Since when does the federal government have any say on who gets to be president of the national Inuit organizations?

To have a good working relationship with the federal government is okay, but, inviting them to express an opinion about internal Inuit elections is getting too cozy. Yes, we need to “get along” with the powers that be but they must also understand that ITK will take a tough stand whenever it is necessary to protect Inuit interests. Getting too cozy compromises that principle.

ITK needs to reach back into its roots in the homes of ordinary Inuit from the Beaufort Sea to Labrador. It should not be a private club. ITK needs reform. It needs a mission. It needs leadership. Will the chosen few choose a change of leadership or stick with a compromise puppet? We shall see on Oct. 23.

John Amagoalik
Iqaluit