government accepted

Ministerial member government accepted in the GEIC

Constitutional changes to a “membership” ministerial system and increased Islander partici pation in legislation, were ap proved by the Gilbert and Ellice Islands House of Representatives in May. The House asked the Resident Commissioner, Sir John

Field, to implement the changes

“as soon as possible”.

The changes, including proposals to have the House replaced by a Legislative Council and the Govern ing Council replaced by an Executive Council, were introduced at the House’s March meeting ( PIM , Apr., p. 24).

In a considerable debate on the changes, which included suggestions by some members that the Ellice Islands could later “go it alone”, Mr.

Naboua (Marakei, northern Gilberts) said there were two important points to the new constitution.

"Rather late"

Firstly, it meant elected members would attain legislative power. “This is not a trail-blazing exercise,” he said. “We have come to this rather later than other territories.”

Secondly, it meant that the Resi dent Commissioner for the first time could assign certain elected members responsibilities which would give them a direct say in the formulation of policy. “This is something very close to every Gilbert and Ellice Islander’s heart,” he said.

“With due respect to our able expatriate administrators, local people find, time and again, that the solu tions to some of the problems put forward by expatriate policy makers, have something missing in them, which sometimes quite negates their usefulness.”

The May meeting of the House, as usual, dealt primarily with parochial matters. However, the following facts came out: • Prisoners in the outer atolls were sometimes sent out fishing in order to provide a change of diet and to help to keep down the cost of rations charged to the colony government. • The GEIC Government had again approached Fiji Airways Ltd. for a further reduction in air fares from Fiji.