“Amin speech” jibe in Tuvalu’s

House of Assembly

From a Special Correspondent in Tuvalu

The first session of the Tuvalu House of Assembly elected on August 29 (PIM, Sept, p2O) pro duced some interesting con frontations between Toalipi Lauti, member for Funafuti, who was re elected Chief Minister by a clear majority of members, and Henry Naisali, newly elected member for Nukulaelae.

Naisali, a long-term civil servant in the Gilbert Islands and an early member of the old .Legislative Council there, decided in August to resign from his top post as Financial Secretary for Tuvalu and contest the Nukulaelae seat formerly held by firebrand Isakala Paeniu. Having won the seat, Naisali took over Paeniu’s role as scourge of the government and with the support of two other new members Sione Tui Kleis, the former Speaker, and Dr Tomasi Puapua and one veteran, Meauma Moeanga, formed the first organised opposition group in the two-year old House of As sembly.

In a debate on the Queen’s speech, read by Mr Thomas Layng, the Commissioner, Naisali accused the government of having no ideas of its own but needing outsiders to inject them, and said that the only finan cial policy known to the government was to be spoonfed by foreigners. He called the speech “a rubbish speech, an Amin speech, fit only for the waste-paper basket”, charging that it made no plans for the future and threatened the rights of citizens in its emphasis on the sovereignty of the House of Assembly. The Chief Minister, while admitting that Tuvalu was starting out “with not a single cent in the bank”, replied that nothing was to be gained by heated arguments and that some members appeared to think they knew every thing and were “too big for their boots”.

In two adjournment motions, Naisali accused the government of financial mismanagement, and of failing to protect the good image and reputation of Tuvalu in the world by controlling the behaviour of its representatives when overseas.

The Chief Minister pointed out that as Financial Secretary Naisali had been largely responsible for finan cial policy, and said that aggressive behaviour in the House of Assembly did as much as anything to spoil the image of Tuvalu as a peaceful coun try.

When it came to voting, the op position group was never able to get the support of any other members so that the government always had a comfortable 10 to 4 majority, and looks secure for the period leading

to independence.

On the independence issue there was no dispute, and the house voted unanimously to ask the com missioner to arrange for a London Conference in February 1978, with a view to independence on or about October 1, 1978. The Chief Minister was due to fly to London in late Oc tober for preliminary talks, and the

final debate on the details is to be held in December.

Meanwhile, building work con tinues in Funafuti, the capital, where the main government offices and Government House were finish ed in May. A bulk store for the Tuvalu Co-operative Wholesale So ciety has just been completed, and a new church building for the Church of Tuvalu will be ready soon.

The recent completion of a new house for the Chief Minister was the cause of one of the biggest official gatherings since separation. Of the same design as Government House, and right on the edge of the lagoon, it is a gracious addition to the Funafuti scene. About 200 guests gathered to watch Mr J. M. O.

Snodgrass, head of the Pacific De pendent Territories Department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Of fice in London, cut the ribbon and declare Tuvalu House open. They then heard the Chief Minister emphasise that the house would not change his Polynesian life-style and that the house would always be open for anyone without a place to sleep.

It remains to be seen whether that is literally true!

Wharf for Funafuti Australia will provide up to $ 1.36 million to construct a wharf on Funafuti, main island of Tuvalu.

The new wharf will replace a small-scale jetty and whale boat operation which has been found by investigating engineers to be ineffi cient and costly and is unable to cope with Tuvalu’s needs now that it is approaching independence.

Chief Minister Toalipi Lauti ... for independence talks in London.