The Na-Griamel viewpoint on

the New Hebridean scene

From JIMMY MOLI STEVENS in Santo, New Hebrides.

For some time now people in the Pacific have been given a false impres sion of what is happening in the New Hebrides Islands, and in the northern islands in particular.

This false impression has been created by the National Party (NP) of the New Hebrides because they have found it in their interests to have peo-. pie believe they represent both the will and the best interests of the New Hebridean people.

It is true the NP does have a great deal of strength, especially in the southern islands of the New Hebrides, but in the northern islands, and on Santo, the biggest of all the New Hebridean islands, the NP is only one of several political-cultural influences.

In a recent election it was clear that the Na-Griamel (NG) movement, which has been active for more than 10 years in the struggle for the rights of the native people, had emerged as one of the two dominant forces in the northern islands.

The NG is based on respect for tribal custom and personal freedoms, and the belief that freedom of enter prise is the best method of developing the country. Because we have little wealth and few natural resources we feel it will be necessary to attract in vestment to our islands in order to create new jobs for our people and progress for our children. As long as the land rights of the native people are acknowledged we need have no fear, nor jealousy, toward those who would come here to do business. The debate over economic development and respect for tribal customs is the main area of conflict between the NG and the NP.

Some people in the NP seem to think they can threaten property con fiscation, heavy taxes and nationalisa tion, yet still attract people to the New Hebrides to invest. Some people in the NP openly reject investment, saying jobs created by it would be degrading. They call them “slave jobs”. With this attitude there will be no new jobs at all, and what kind of dignity is there in that? No new wealth will be invested in the islands if those

who are expected to invest have a fear that what they bring to the islands might be taken from them.

We in NG realise we may have to work at jobs like deckhands, or bartenders, or truck drivers, so that our children may some day have a better life. There is nothing degrading about this. We feel that by offering leases to those who wish to invest here we can attract wealth, guarantee a certain amount of income for our schools and other functions, as well as create jobs for our people.

Businessmen can make all the money they want during the period of the leases, and after the time period of the lease is up there will be more wealth for all. To threaten confiscation or heavy taxation will mean there will be no new jobs and no progress for anyone, just political power for the NP because it is basing its power on making those who have less jealous and hateful towards those who have more.

How can the NP expect to develop the islands if investment is frightened away? Maybe they plan to beg the super powers for aid. Is it more dignified for people to beg for a hand out than it is to work at jobs which will develop the country and give progress to the children? What will happen if the West refuses to give such aid? Will the NP then go to China or Russia for help? What would such countries demand in return for

that kind of help? The NG symbol of native plants is a far cry from the NP symbol, which so closely resembles the hammer and sickle.

One of the other areas of disagree ment between the two parties is respect for the culture and the tribal customs of the people.

The NP pays only lip service to these customs, while the NG has made the respect for them a basic part of its party’s philosophy. The reason for this conflict between the parties is that the NP is dominated by, and is indeed a creation of, European mis sionaries. These missionaries hope to use the NP as a tool in building these islands into a kind of theocracy, or religious dictatorship. It is feared that this theocracy would have little respect for the tribal customs of the native peoples.

Those of us in the Pacjfic know the missionaries have been both a blessing and a plague to our islands. It is true they have done good things like offer ing us some schools and medical ad vice, and, yes, giving us the chance to hear about Jesus Christ. But they have at times been very arrogant in relation to the customs of the people whose islands they visit. Many of our people in NG are Christian, and we only demand that the customs of the native people be respected as well.

Some of the missionaries have gone so far as to tell people they would go to hell if they so much as spoke to anyone from any political party beside the NP. We in NG feel that God is too important to be taken down to this level.

It seems that for centuries the Europeans lime and again have done this thing of saying God is for me, and then using it to justify doing what they want to do. Now the NP is doing the same.

One of the NP attacks on the NG has been to claim we are “controlled” by some Americans and the French. It is true we have accepted help from some Americans. We are happy for their advice, but let me stress we make up our own minds. If, knowing that we have the final decision, they still

Jimmy Stevens

give us some advice, we are glad to get it.

It is important to remember we in NG were actively opposing the colonialists before the NP was ever conceived of by the British and their missionaries. Never have we in the NG received the kind of financial aid pumped into the NP by the European missionaries, the World Council of Churches, and the British.

The British colonialists see the NP as a party in their own image which will simply take over the colonial government they have established.

The stupidity of following British ideas can easily be seen by looking at the way they run their own islands in Great Britain. There is no country in Europe whose economy is as stagnant as that of the British, and now the NP wants to use their ideas as a basis for our society.

Yes, NG has received support from the French. It has not received the massive help given to the NP by the British, but we have got help from the

French.

The French apparently see we do not hate them for the colour of their skin. They see that even after we learn all the skills necessary to run our country they would still be welcome to stay. We don’t need their government, but French people will always be welcome here. Many of them have already become as much citizens of these islands as they are citizens of France. They work the land and in many cases have married natives, un like the British who seem merely to be filling colonial positions.

In conclusion let me say: we in the northern islands do not intend to follow the rest of the New Hebridean Islands to economic failure because of the anti-business attitude of the NP.

If the NP forces these ruinous policies on the New Hebrides we will go an in dependent course in these northern islands. If this happens then all will be able to see whether it is our policies or theirs which will lead to greater hap piness and progress for our people.