The Editor's Mailbag

"The Church Is Wed"

I refer to Mr J. Garrett’s version 3f this year’s Assembly of the Presby erian Church of the New Hebrides leaded “Wooing the church in the Vew Hebrides with elections in mind”

PIM July).

Mr Garrett is not known to me but lis fabricated report shows clearly lis political bias towards the British \dministration and the New Hebrides National Party.

Mr Garrett in his quest for political mleage paid little attention to the acts. I would like to correct a few )f the errors in Mr Garrett’s report )efore showing my own political bias. 1. I attended the Assembly of the Vesbyterian Church as an observer or the Nagriamel movement who had a fact been invited by the assembly o attend. This was explained to the issembly. I did not explain to the issembly that I “was along to fill the issembly in on the recent land deals ti South Santo ...” 2. The details of the joint venture greement between Chief Buluk (not Puluk” as spelt by Mr Garrett) and local French company were only •rovided in response to a question rom the assemblv. 3. This “land deal” (as Mr Garrett •refers to call it) did not concern and in South Santo; it is land in the : anfo village area. 4. Mr Garrett’s article suggests ome clandestine reason for the pre ence of the two Resident Commis ioners at the assembly. In fact, the Resident Commissioners were also at he assembly in response to an invi ation from the Presbyterian Church. 5. The relevant land was not “ac uired from individual land proprie ors”. The land was in fact leased rom Chief Buluk who is recognised s the sole owner according to Cus om law. 6. Mr Garrett’s suggestion that many people are asking how much •f the money will flow on to the adividual family proprietors and iow much will remain in the hands •f a few at the top who sealed the leal” is below contempt. “The few t the top who sealed the deal” were he two parties to the agreement, r hief Buluk’s eldest son and the en ire Nagriamel committee. Their sig latures were witnessed by 10 Custom aw chiefs from surrounding islands.

The sealing of the deal” in fact ook place at a public meeting in

front of an estimated crowd of 4,000 people. The only cheque to change hands was handed by the writer to Chief Buluk and this represented the first year’s rental and the premium of the lease. I understand that this money has been applied for village com munity improvements.

Whether or not the Presbyterian Church ‘ stresses it is not officially for any one narty” in the New Heb rides is academic.

I would suggest that there simply is no room for “wooing the church in the New Hebrides”. So far as the Presbyterian Church is concerned, it is already firmly wed to the National Party.

If you do not accept this then look at the list of National Party candi dates for the elections; listen to a few sermons and ask the “man in the street” in Vila what church the National Party controls.

As a Presbyterian I was ashamed at this year’s assembly to see an elderly New Hebridean pastor literally shouted down by other politically minded clerics when he advocated that it was improper for the church to be involved in politics.

It seems of little concern to the Presbyterian Church that people are turning away from the church be cause of the political preachings of some of its younger pastors.

It is obvious from correspondence between the writer and the Presby terian Church in Australia that the New Hebrides Presbyterian Church has the full backing of the Australian church.

It is now openly admitted that the World Council of Churches contri butes handsomely to the funds of the National Party. It is understood that the other major contributor to the National Party’s funds is Tanzania.

I would suggest to the editor of Pacific Islands Monthly that if PIM wishes to retain its credibility for objective reporting it should insist that its various correspondents in the South Pacific provide their names.

Articles signed “Vila correspondent” are likely to be mistaken as a reflec tion of the editor’s views.

The “Vila correspondent” who has contributed generously to PIM over the last year is in fact an executive member of the National Party. The PIM coverage of New Hebrides poli tics over the past year has been dis tinctly one-sided and anti-French.

The largest political parties—Nagri

amel and UCNH—have barely been mentioned by PIM correspondents when dealing with New Hebrides poli tics. I notice that Mr Garrett did not even have the courtesy to men tion that the president of UCNH, Mr Remy Delaveuve, was present at the Presbyterian Assembly.

In the article headed “Perfidious Albion Again!” (also PIM July) your “Noumea correspondent” asserts that the French admit “the superior in fluence of the British over the in digenous people in the Condo minium”, I challenge your Noumean correspondent to provide his authority for this assertion. Perhaps he could also provide his name. Certainly, this “superior influence” is not obvious to the writer after living in the New Hebrides for four years.

David Curtis.

Vila, New Hebrides.

New Hebrides Land Laws

In order to have the Fleming papers on the subject of unifying land laws acceptable by both the British and French Governments, a lot of facts had to be omitted and covered up with what outsiders pre tend to think are the cause of resent ment and frustration among indigen

ous New Hebrideans over Custom lands and lands in general.

The Fleming report claims that the factors causing the above-mentioned feelings among New Hebrideans are: • Having no title to their land; • Not being able to participate to any great extent in land development, the potential of which has been ap parent over the past few years and, • They cannot borrow on the security of their land and therefore cannot enter into business arrange ments or partnerships involving de velopment schemes, using their regis tered land.

There is no mention of alienated land whatsoever. This is the true cause of resentment and frustration among New Hebrideans. However, it has to be left out deliberately as the Fleming papers would be rub bished should they ever have any thing to say about alienated land.

New Hebrideans are frustrated not for the reasons given in the Fleming report, but because they feel and know that their Custom lands are being unjustly alienated by outsiders.

Some scandalous measures adopted in alienating land in the New Heb rides are still being described in the Joint Court as just.

The awareness of injustice on land matters had, at times, initiated in

cidents such as destroying Ernest Young’s fence in Santo; disputing land with Peacock in Santo and Efate and barring the way of the French High Commissioner with a barrier of barbed wire and people with placards.

To produce a unified system on land matters acceptable to indigen ous folks would require re-examin ation of the judgments passed in the Joint Court. Often, these judgments were passed in favour of only one party while completely ignoring the other. Others seemed to have been influenced by outsiders.

Outsiders are pushing out New Hebridean owners of land by persu ading the Joint Court to pass judg ments in their favour and giving them the right to own what does not belong to them.

P. J. Roan.

Vila, New Hebrides.

Nauru House

The article by Melbourne column ist John Stevens (PIM, July, p 15) on the Nauru House office structure being erected in that city represents a typically nationalistic viewpoint prevalent throughout the world, especially in the attitudes of the big and powerful states towards those

Letters

that are small, weak, and almost in variably populated by dark-skinned races.

This country is one of the worst offenders in this respect.

To refute the inference that this development is an exploitation of the Australian people, let’s look at the balance sheet.

Nauruan benefit: • Rental income from office and store spaces (less four floors for their own use).

Australian benefits: • Jobs for the predominantly Aus tralian work force constructing the building; • Material, supplies, and equip ment sales for Australian business firms; • Modern, air-conditioned work ing environments for Australian busi ness and industrial firms and their employees (equal facilities which have been sadly lacking for Nauruan employees on the island); • Various and sundry taxes to be levied by Australian government en tities; • Upgrading the appearance and amenities of a section of the city by providing a spacious plaza (which generates no income).

Since the top four floors of the edifice will be occupied by employees of Nauru organisations (including a number of Australians) busily en gaged in buying and shipping Aus tralian goods to the island, it appears that Australia should be damned glad that the Nauruans decided to put the building up in Melbourne rather than in Tokyo, Taipei, Hong Kong, or Singapore.

A. Hansvold.

Seattle, USA.

Cook Islands Stamps

My purpose in writing to you is not to criticise Dr Coppell’s ex tremely interesting article about the Cook Islands stamps (June, p 37) but to contradict to a certain extent his statement that “the Cook Islands Philatelic Bureau has made great use of current events when producing new issues and overprints”.

In fact most events of local sig nificance have been overlooked by the American philatelic agency solely responsible for the design of the Cook Islands stamps.

As an instance of unfortunate oversight, I may mention the tri

umphal visit of Queen Elizabeth II early last year. But other important occasions were also missed: the adoption of the new Cook Islands flag, the inauguration of the Raro tonga International Airport, the start of the direct jet service operated by Air New Zealand between Auckland and Rarotonga, the promotion of the tourist trade, etc . . .

The establishment of the Cook Islands National Park has been very much in the news of late months. If and when the project is carried out, can we expect the Cook Islands Post Office to issue a series of pictorial stamps, including some aerial views, likely to do justice to the scenic beauty of Rarotonga?

In the meantime, there is no lack of philatelic topics in the Cook Islands and, for my part, I would be only too pleased to add to my col lection some colourful stamps depict ing a typical dancing-team, various local productions, etc. That would be a bit of a change!

Robert Rousseau.

Paris, France.

Any Help?

The Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta has for a number of years maintained a Department of Anthropology within the Faculty of Letters. Until recently, the depart ment has been almost exclusively concerned with studies of the Indo nesian archipelago. Now, though, with the help of an Australian staff member, they have set up a pro gramme of Oceanic studies which will enable students to learn about

the diverse peoples of the Pacific from Malaysia to Easter Island, and from Tasmania to Hawaii.

However, the programme has been hampered to date by a lack of books, journals and periodicals. A number of prestigious journals have kindly donated subscriptions for current issues, but there is still a need to obtain back issues to complete the collections. This is an expensive pro position far beyond the available funds.

I wonder if any of your readers might be able to help the Anthro pology Department? Money dona tions to help offset the cost of the journals would be greatly appreciated.

In addition, I would be glad to enter into correspondence with any one who might have books or old issues of journals which they would like to give the department.

Dr Masri Singarimbun,

Anthropology Department, Gadjah Mada University.

Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Apologies To The Mekeo

The “Highlands warrior” on PlM’s July cover does not come from the Highlands, but from somewhere very near Bereina in the Central District of Papua. We Maiva people, and our neighbours, the Mekeo of the Bereina sub-district, take great pride in our way of dressing up for ceremonial occasions. I can only say that I find this error most disappointing in your otherwise fine magazine.

T. O. Godwin (Mrs)

Nightcliff, NT, Australia.