in the New Hebrides
p. 14 · Read in the full issue
All change at the top in the New Hebrides
Sweeping and unexpected
changes in top French person nel in the New Hebrides in July gave some hint of dramatic developments in stores for the troubled condominium.
Mr Bernard Pettier, who took up his post as French Resident Commissioner only in January, was recalled to France without explanation.
His work has been taken over by one of France’s most senior civil servants, Mr Jean-Jacques Robert, Inspector-General of Overseas Departments and Territories, who came specially from Paris for the purpose, as he put it on his arrival, “of car
rying out the government’s
directives concerning the ac cession to independence of the New Hebrides”.
Also in July, Mr Louis Mer met, chancellor at the French Residency, who had been in the post only since December last year, was recalled to Paris.
Official French sources offered no comment on the changes, but in light of the striking redirections of French policy announced by the re sponsible minister, Mr Paul "Dijoud, during his visit to New Caledonia (see PIM, Political Currents) it is impossible to
avoid reading political impli
cations into them.
Chief Minister Kalsakau ex pressed “astonishment” that the two senior French officials had been replaced without the New Hebrides Government being consulted. “Does this sig nify a change in French pol icy?” he asked. “Is what we have worked on with Messrs Pettier and Mermet, in all seriousness, to be recon sidered?”
On the British side, it has been announced that Resident Commissioner, Mr John Champion, will leave in October at the end of his three year term. He will be replaced by Mr A. C. Steward, at present counsellor at the British Embassy in Jakarta.
Apart from these develop ments - and a go-slow strike in the public service - main focus of attention in the New
Hebrides has been the extra ordinary session of the Rep resentative Assembly which opened on July 18. Its chief business concerned the report of the ad hoc committee on electoral reform, on which rep resentatives of the Vanuaaku Party have been working together with those of the government of Chief Minister Kalsakau.
The assembly rapidly ap proved more than half of the 37 recommendations made by the committee, including one that the voting age be lowered from 21 to 18, which will add about 8 000 voters The assembly rejected the idea that each assembly mem ber should represent a clearly defined constituency. Noting that this system already applied on the island of Efate, the as sembly pointed out that most islands were represented by a bloc of several members.
On the crucial point in the report, on which the decision of the Vanuaaku Party whether or not to take up the offer of three seats in the government could well depend, the assembly said “no” to the committee’s recom mendation that the next gen eral election be held on April 16, 1979.
The 10 members of the com mittee had been evenly divided on this point, but decided that the April 16 recommendation should go forward. Five didn’t agree that a date should be fixed, in case the government could not keep to it. Those in favour thought that a fixed date would serve as a target, which, if it proved to be too early, could be put back.
The assembly, for its part, decided that the election should take place as soon as possible after the census pro duces information for electoral lists.
It is no secret that the French colon interests represented in the assembly are opposed to an early election. They feel that much more time is needed for the new government to con solidate its position, and that an early election would greatly favour the Vanuaaku Party.