THE CONTEMPORARY PACIFIC. FALL 1991

VANUATU

In July 1990, Vanuatu marked the tenthanniversary of independence fromFrance and Britain with a reenactmentof the initial raising of the Vanuatu flagin Independence Park, accompanied bythe obligatory 21-gun salute, brassband music, and a fly-past of planesfrom government-owned Vanair.

The twenty-first meeting of theSouth Pacific Forum was held in PortVila to coincide with the independencecelebrations, and was chaired by PrimeMinister Walter Lini. Lini deflectedsome of the island nations' resentmenttoward Australia and New Zealandover the Johnston Atoll issue (seereview of the region, preceding thisarticle) by observing that, while thetwo countries naturally belonged in theForum, they approached some issueswith a limited "European perspective."He also attempted to build bridgesbetween Australia and the islandnations on the issue of New Caledoniaby inviting Prime Minister Hawke tosit on the Forum's ministerial commit-tee to oversee the implementation ofthe Matignon Accord, but Hawkedeclined.

Given Vanuatu's continuing supportfor the Front de Liberation NationaleKanak et Socialiste (FLNKS), its rela-tionship with France is unlikely ever tobe exactly companionable. However,the prospect of increased financial andtechnical aid has encouraged a rap-prochement with the former colonialpower in recent years. Following Secre-tary of Foreign Affairs Nike NikeVurobaravu's official visit to Paris inNovember 1989, Prime Minister Linimade a brief stopover in Noumea in

March 1990, on his way to indepen-dence celebrations in Namibia. InAugust, Foreign Affairs MinisterDonald Kalpokas visited Paris to pre-pare the way for the reinstatement of aFrench ambassador to Vanuatu.Ambassador Crespin-Leblond hadbeen expelled in 1987 for allegedly pro-viding election funds to the fran-cophone opposition party. Kalpokascapped his visit with the revelation thatCrespin-Leblond had been framed byformer Vanua'aku Pati (vp) Secretary-General Barak Sope, now leader of theopposition Melanesian ProgressiveParty (MPP).

VP initiatives in reestablishing rela-tions with France reflect the furtherdilution of the old francophone-anglophone schism and the forging ofnew political alliances among ni-Vanuatu. Late in the year, GeorgeCarlo resigned as MPP secretary-gen-eral and applied for readmission to theVP, with the intention of contesting thenext general election as the VP candi-date for Tongoa-Shepherds. Prior tohis resignation, Carlo apologized in theparty's newsletter, Freedom and Jus-tice, which he edited, for the manyanti-vp articles it had published.Carlo's about-face followed the deci-sion of former Union of Moderate Par-ties President Jean-Marie Leye to flouthis party's boycott and serve on the VP-controlled Constitutional ReviewCommittee.

The establishment of the Constitu-tional Review Committee representsthe most important political develop-ment in Vanuatu during 1990, with thepotential to transform both the prac-tice and meaning of politics in therepublic. The committee, chaired by

POLITICAL REVIEW. MELANESIA

Deputy Speaker Tele Taun, withLeader of the Opposition VincentBoulekone as vice-chair, comprisestwenty members of the rulingVanua'aku Pati, four Tan Union dele-gates, and single representatives of theCouncil of Chiefs, the Christian Coun-cil, the National Council of Women,the Youth and Sports Council, charita-ble organizations, and the two extra-parliamentary opposition parties (withthe MPP maintaining its boycott of thecommittee's work).

Lini's expressed hope was that thecommittee would radically overhaulwhat he termed Vanuatu's "foreign,Western Constitution," particularly inthe areas of individual rights and free-dom, the administration of justice, andthe constitutional role of the president(Pacific Report, 12 April 1990). Forhim, the revised constitution shouldacknowledge that the role of the headof state is essentially ceremonial andperhaps should be open only to "thehighest traditional . . . chief or aretired religious leader." Lini also advo-cated a greater role in the country'seleven local government councils forcustomary chiefs, church leaders, andwomen's leaders, believing that thepresent electoral system "seems toalmost isolate the chiefs, the religiousleaders and the community leaders."Customary chiefs, according to Lini,should be given power under the Con-stitution to administer justice in theirown villages and islands. Perhaps hismost far-reaching proposal is that theredrafted constitution should recognizeonly those Christian churches that"were there when we were strugglingfor independence."

For Lini's political opponents, such

as Barak Sope and the MPP, the consti-tutional review represents further evi-dence that the vp is set on creating aone-party state. For others, such asJack Keitadi, curator of the NationalMuseum, the concern is that any fur-ther attempts to enshrine "traditionalchiefly powers" in the constitutionmight force customs of only limitedapplicability (such as the automaticsuccession of chiefly titles from fatherto son) on the entire country.

While the Constitutional ReviewCommittee will take heed of suchwarnings, there can be little doubt thatit will recommend fundamentalchanges to the constitution. TheVanua'aku Pati as a whole is commit-ted to going beyond the inherited West-ern parliamentary model. Lini alsoexpressed the party's collective viewwhen he argued that independence, if itis to be more than political rhetoric,has to extend right down to the villagelevel. The party is acutely aware thatfor many young ni-Vanuatu the politi-cal achievements of the past decade areless significant than the government'sinability to meet their rising materialexpectations. With their eyes on the1991 national elections, the party'shope would seem to be that the processof constitutional review will providea new independence struggle for Vanu-atu's disaffected youth to identify with.

The extent to which the review com-mittee's recommendations endorse theprime minister's own reform proposalswill reflect the degree to which he con-trols the Vanua'aku Patio At the end ofthe year he seemed better placed thanever before with respect to day-to-daygovernment business. A major reallo-cation of cabinet positions in Novem-

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420 THE CONTEMPORARY PACIFIC. FALL 1991

ber gave him the key portfolios of for-eign affairs, energy, fisheries, civil avia-tion, and tourism, in addition to publicservice, planning, and immigration.Although this reshuffle was ostensiblyto give senior ministers more time forthe Constitutional Review Committee,and for the upcoming election cam-paign, Lini made it clear that itreflected dissatisfaction with the per-formance of ministers. Some hit backat what were effectively their demo-tions. Notwithstanding Lini's endorse-ment of him as his eventual successor,Kalpokas made clear his resentmentabout losing the foreign affairs portfo-lio. Education Minister Sethy Regan-vanu was one of only two ministers toemerge unscathed from the reshuffle.Despite generally poor relations withthe country's teachers, Reganvanuappears to be "untouchable" within thegovernment.

Lini's move against his ministers fol-lowed the departure in October of hislong-standing secretary, Grace Molisa,after her public opposition to his serv-ing of deportation orders ("green let-ters") against seven expatriate busi-nessmen in Port Vila. The men weredeported ostensibly because they poseda threat to security, but this was inter-preted to mean that they had links withBarak Sope. Molisa is reported to haveobjected in particular to the expulsionof two New Zealanders and the gov-ernment's refusal, on fairly technicalgrounds, to allow them to engage aNew Zealand lawyer to challenge theexpulsion orders. The expulsionsbecame a key topic at the Vanua'akuPati Congress in October, which hadbeen preceded by reports of a leader-ship challenge by Grace Molisa's hus-

band, Sela Molisa. He subsequentlylost the housing portfolio in theNovember Cabinet reshuffle.

In the event, there was no directchallenge to Lini, and, given his statedintention to step down as party leaderand prime minister by the next elec-tions, it is unlikely that any will beforthcoming. However, key figures inVanuatu public life were known to beextremely concerned about some of thegovernment's actions during 1990.Religious and women's leaders spokeout strongly against government sup-port for the establishment of theTusker brewery by the Swedish brewerPripps, which commenced operationsin August. There was also oppositionto the government's encouragementof casinos. Newspaper pictures ofthe prime minister trying his handat the official opening of the RadissonPalms Resort Casino in July (andbefore the introduction of any legisla-tive controls over casino operations)did not endear the former Anglicanpriest to the Vanuatu ChristianCouncil.

The brewery and the casinos prom-ise to be lucrative money-spinners for agovernment still heavily reliant on for-eign aid (though not, as it often pointsout, for its recurrent expenditures).Three weeks after the brewery opened,Tusker presented the government withthe first monthly payment of 4.1 mil-lion vatu in excise duty, and Radissonwill make over 10 percent of the casi-no's turnover each month. However, inencouraging this kind of foreign pri-vate investment, the government hasbeen accused of creating long-termproblems that political and customaryleaders will be unable to cope with, no

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matter how much power they might begiven by the revised constitution.

Similar disquiet was evident withthe government's encouragement ofJapanese real estate investment inVanuatu. During 1990 the Japanesedevelopment company Narita Golfadded Efate's White Sands CountryClub to its Bali Hai Tourism Develop-ment Plan, which includes Iririki IslandResort, Fisherman's Wharf, and ClubHippique. White Sands will be redevel-oped into a world-class eighteen-holefacility, likely to appeal to Japanese

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tourists. In July a party of Japaneseinvestors arrived in Vila on a directflight from Nagoya as guests of theVanuatu government for the tenthanniversary celebrations. Some ni-Vanuatu feared that the visit mightforeshadow further large-scale touristdevelopment and direct access toVanuatu for Japanese tourists. The fearis that political independence will neverbe matched by economic indepen-dence.

RON ADAMS