Pacific Islands Monthly

Last Two Trust Territories

Chart Their New Course

As Australia’s Minister for Terri fies, Mr Andrew Peacock, said in ort Moresby at the August constitu onal talks with Papua New Guinea, iere is no universally agreed upon efinition of what constitutes self ovemment. But it’s interesting that le world’s remaining two UN trust uritories —Papua New Guinea and le Trust Territory of the Pacific (lands—are at the same time now ying to decide on a suitable formula f self-government, and that they are etting some of the same answers id have still to face some of the ime problems.

The Port Moresby talks were the rst in a series. The decisions there ill have to be approved by the PNG louse of Assembly meeting which egins at the end of August, and irther talks with the Australian Gov mment will take place in October.

The fifth in a series of Micronesian ilks was wound up in Washington n August 1. It will be discussed t a special session of the Congress f Micronesia in Ponape late in oigust, and further talks with the jnerican Government will take place i Hawaii in September.

Both New Guinea and Micronesia ave got down to the nitty-gritty of emulating timetables for self ovemment. The PNG Coalition 'ants it in December, 1973, followed y independence soon after. They ave already got agreement on some latters, but some others, notably ivil aviation, defence and foreign (fairs, will have to wait (see separate ory, p. 8). Financial matters will e discussed at the October meeting, nd a timetable for the transfer of lost of the remaining matters will icn be worked out.

Leader of the Opposition in New iuinea, Matthias Tollman, who took art in the Port Moresby talks only s an observer, and who did not sign le final communique, indicated that ic opposition would try to prevent le assembly from endorsing the greement.

“Our policies are not those of the oalition,” he said. “I speak of and

for the people in the villages whose thoughts may not have been taken into account in these meetings.” But Chief Minister Michael Somare said he was confident that his majority Coalition Government would approve the agreement in the House.

His confidence was well-based, but the Australian Government did say at the talks that Australia wanted to see a decisive expression of support on such an important question.

Australia undoubtedly wants the handover to go smoothly, and quickly, and if there is a serious division in the PNG parliament, Australia will be faced with a problem.

The Micronesians, too, are not agreed among themselves on the details of self-government. One of the six Micronesian districts, the Marianas, are to have separate negotiations to give them a much closer relationship with the US, and nobody knows the extent of other opposition until the draft pact now being worked out is properly debated.

In other words, neither Australia nor the United States as administering powers is now a serious obstacle to autonomy in the last remaining trust territories. Whether or not there will be a smooth passage depends now upon the shoals of New Guinean and Micronesian domestic politics.

The Micronesian timetable calls for the completion of the draft “Compact of Association” which was started at Washington. This will probably be done in September in Hawaii. The next moves are to have the compact approved by the Con gress of Micronesia, the United States Congress and then the people of the trust territory with a referendum, The referendum, next year, will probably be run in conjunction with a constitutional convention to discuss the form of the new State of Micro nesia. Legislation to establish the con vention will be discussed at the August meeting of Micronesian Congress in Ponape. The Ponape meeting, which will continue until early September, will be the final meeting of the Fourth Congress. There will be general elections on November 7, and the Fifth Congress will meet in January —to be faced with the real problem of establishing self-government. This will occur over a transitional period in which details will have to be worked out for the final handover, It has not yet been agreed on how long this transitional period will be.

The Micronesians have suggested five years, the US has suggested 15, and there has to be a compromise, But autonomy is arriving quickly in both New Guinea and Micronesia.