GEIC's shaky road to self-government

The Gilbert and Ellice Islands are bout to take another step on the Dad to internal self-government with ne important question still un solved—the wish of Ellice Islanders > separate from the Gilberts. But lere could be a new legislative set -13 in 1974, with a House of Assembly placing the Legislative Council.

The Legislative Council, at its iceting in June, referred to the llice Islanders’ aspirations during a ;bate on a motion asking for an irly reply from the UK Government i the separation question.

Some speakers adopted the attitude at separation merely needed formal •proval and that each group of ands should now go its own way. id grants from the United Kingdom ould be made in two parts—one r the Ellice Islands and one for e Gilberts.

Mr Ibeata Tonganibeia (Makin), aver of the motion, said if there is separation, both sides might ffer in many ways. But delay in ming to a decision was causing ich difficulty and hampering con tutional progress. Implementation the development plan could be

seriously affected if there was no answer from London soon.

The Acting Chief Secretary, Mr Dick Turpin, said the government was aware that separation was of great importance, and had urged the Secretary of State to deal with the question as quickly as possible. The Secretary of State had said from the start he hoped that the investigations into separation and constitutional advance could go forward together.

That remained the case.

The council passed the motion.

The council also debated recom mendations from a select committee which reviewed the constitution. One of the major proposals was a House of Assembly to replace the present Legislative Council, and to have a life of four years, against the Legisla tive Council’s present three years.

The composition of the House of Assembly would be similar to that of the Legislative Council, except there would be no public service members, other than the Chief Sec retary, the Attorney-General and the Financial Secretary. This more or less follows the system adopted in Fiji as it moved to what was, in

effect, internal self-government, and then independence.

A Council of Ministers, to replace the Executive Council, would have the same three officials, but no other public service members. They would have ministerial status and respon sibilities as members, along with the Chief Minister and between four and six ministers.

Another big change recommended by the select committee was to reduce the voting age from 21 to 18.

In the debate on the motion of thanks to the Acting Governor, Mr John Hunter, for his address at the opening of the council, Mrs Tekarei Russell (Tabiteuea North), said the time had arrived to see what Ocean Island could be used for in a few years. Was it to be left a mass of rock? Who would want to live on a bare island? She referred to the decision of the Ocean Island land owners to lease more land, and hoped that in dealings with the Ocean Islanders, the GEIC would adopt the “Pacific Way”. There had been too much talk about grabbing as much as could be grabbed.