Trust Territory
pp. 5-7 · Read in the full issue
Letters
What’s wrong
with the U.S.
Trust Territory
I have just returned to Europe following a six weeks’ visit to the South Pacific on the MV Lindblad Explorer which took me to several islands collec tively referred to as the United States Trust Territory but with such singular-sounding names as Merir Island, Palau Atoll, Yap, Sorol, Woleai, Ifalik, Lamotrek, Satawal, Pulap, Tamatham, Truk, Ponape and
Pingelap.
There is no doubt that among these are some of the most attractive coral and vol canic islands I have ever visi ted, inhabited by some of the friendliest and most colourful people in the world.
But as an individual with considerable experience in the running of an island archipel ago (Chief Minister of Seychelles 1970-75, Prime Minister 1975-76 and President 1976-77), I could not help being appalled at what I con sider to be an obvious lack of a defined, comprehensive and coordinated policy for the islands on the part of the
administering power.
Knowing the American people and the bureaucratic system which characterises their government relatively well, I am certain that the prevailing situation is more the result of benevolent neglect than benign malice. That is why I have not hesitated to seek publication of the follow
ing observations:
1. On several islands visited it was shocking to see in the midst of authentic native settlements of thatched houses that the re
cently completed churches,
hospitals and schools were mostly built of corrugated iron sheets, without the least regard for the aesthetic beauty of the islands. Surely it would have been more heartwarming if
those responsible for these necessary contributions to island life would have used the occasion as an opportunity to promote and encourage the survival of traditional skill and
craftmanship instead of putting
up what can only be described as ‘ugly scars on a beautiful face’.
In my view a church built in the style and image of one of those impressive native fish traps would have been far more in harmony with the local
setting and certainly more
pleasing as the House of God in the eyes of both natives and visitors! Native skill must be preserved at all cost. The US Government must look at their welfare hand-out philosophy with a better sense of enlight enment. The motivation could be kindheartedness but the long term consequences of such an attitude must not be overlooked. For example I saw very little fishing going on around the islands but noticed around several villages hun dreds of empty tins of canned fish from California and Japan.
It was also obvious that the skill to build and operate tra ditional outrigger canoes may
soon disappear. The backyards
of several homes were ‘decora
ted’ by huge outboard engines
prominently displayed on
imported stands. This reminded me of what hap pened in Seychelles when the engine craze hit our shores. It spelt the end of an era when one could tell a fisherman just
by looking at the healthy body
he sported!
2. In as much as I am a tra ditionalist, I can see no reason able argument to justify the preservation of customs and habits that are non-hygienic and a threat to health. In this respect I believe there is an urgent task of educating people on those islands where the beachfronts are now being used as latrines and refuse
dumps.
3. Certainly one of the more serious problems on some islands is alcoholism resulting from the tap
ping and drinking of toddy.
When one realises that the av erage coconut tree can produce four bottles of toddy a day, that fresh toddy can be as potent as wine and four days later be
come as strong as whisky, gin or vodka, one can see the danger inherent in a situation where an island is covered with coconut trees and the inhabi tants enjoy maximum leisure hours. In Seychelles where a similar situation prevailed for many years we were compelled to introduce a licensing system under which a householder could only legally tap one tree at a time. 4. Perhaps the greatest prob lem I see on the horizon of tomorrow is the political fu ture of the 2000-plus islands spread over 7.7 million square kilometres of the Pacific which constitute the US Trust Terri tory. What will happen to them when the US Trusteeship expires in 1981?
At the moment I find the
trend towards political frag
mentation most disturbing and
the following questions appear
to me most relevant and im portant for urgent consider ation: a) Bearing in mind the in ternational climate for independence or so-called independence is the US doing enough to prepare the islanders for the challenge of
responsible nationhood?
b) Considering the actual state of affairs, is there time
enough?
c) Can an island or a group of islands, not economically
viable, be truly indepen
dent? d) Will the islanders be able to safeguard their peace and relative happiness when they find themselves in the middle of the vicious current of big power politics where
geo-political considerations
are far more important than
the well-being of indigenous
people?
I hope that the observations I have made and the questions I have raised will be taken notice of, or at least be the sub ject of discussions and debate by those involved and/or interested in the political and
socio-economic development
of this area.
In conclusion let me state that I remain ready at all times to lend my personal support and share my own background experience with anyone engaged in the complex task of
formulating and defining a
policy for the future good
government of these beautiful islands and the well-being of its people.
James R. Mancham
Ex-President, Republic of Seychelles
London
Courage of the
Tannese dancers
For me the most moving spec tacle at the December New Hebrides National Arts Fes tival was the entrance of the Tannese dancing group.
This group had been stood over by the Tanna Kapiel strongarm men and threatened with their houses being burnt and families killed if they attended the festival. They were prevented from going to Vila on the ship which was
despatched for them, simply
because the ship was turned away by the ‘Moderate’ party representative, or so he claimed. These frightened
people were eventually
escorted onto various ships and aircraft which were passing by, and so arrived in Vila. They hastily teamed up with some of the Tannese in Vila and made up a troupe which emerged on the second last day of the fes tival.
A spontaneous cheer went up from the audience and many a tear was shed for these courageous people, who danced with gusto and aban don.
The Kapiels and Jonfrums threatened to beat them on their return but the people of Tanna rose in wrath and a large force of young men occupied the whole beach area to meet the ship that brought the dancers back and escorted them ashore. The would-be attackers retired in confusion to the sanctuary of the French
District Agent.
Tanna New Hebrides
Katherine Paul
Tribute from Neil
Naessens’ fan
While I am appreciative of the standard of PIM, I feel I must make one critical comment.
Here in Suva, we have TWO
daily newspapers, The Fiji
Times and the Fiji Sun.
Anyone outside Fiji regu larly reading PIM would not be aware of this simple fact, as I can’t remember ever having seen a mention of the Sun in
your columns. The Times is fre
quently quoted, but you totally
ignore the Sun, obviously
deliberately.
I would have to agree that the Times is possibly the better paper, but the Sun does have a wide following here, par ticularly since the arrival of Neil Naessens eight months or so ago. Naessens is without a doubt the best-known journal ist in Fiji today, while still remaining a bit of a mystery figure. Few people know him personally or have seen him around the social scene; he doesn’t appear to mix very much.
I would have thought PIM would at least have made men tion of Naessens’ existence, and possibly do a story on him. where he comes from, what sort of man he is, etc. I travel a lot around the Pacific be cause of my business, and from what I have seen elsewhere I am pretty sure there isn’t
another journalist anywhere in
the Pacific (including Hawaii) who could hold a candle to him. That isn’t just my opinion, there are thousands of people here who buy the Sun for no other reason than to read Naes sens’ daily column. Today’ and his articles are being discussed all day in factories and homes all around the country.
He has an amazing, easy flowing style and manages to come out with some very strong
viewpoints without being of
fensive. I simply don’t under stand why PIM has not bothered to tell us more about the man. I, for one, am curious.
Have you got something against the Sun, or Fiji, for that matter?
Hasan Subramani
Suva. Fiji i •We wish to assure PIM readers that we have met Neil Naessens, consider him to be an admirable member of our craft, and are satisfied he did not write us this letter under the nom-de plume of Hasan Subramani. - Editor.
East is East,
not South-East
Your article on the Easter Island Conference (PIM Dec p2l) quoted me as saying that for the next century, South East Asia will be the most important influence on the Pacific
Islands. What I said was East Asia (ie Japan, China, the Koreas, Hong Kong and one should include that piece of overseas China, Singapore).
South East Asia, I would have thought, is likely to be of interest to the Pacific Islands, but not of great significance.
R. G. Crocombe
Director, Institute of Pacific Studies Suva Fiji
‘lntelligent
comments’?
Apropos of the article by Bob Jones about Tonga (PIM Dec p 34) I would like to make the
following comment.
Having read Bob Jones’ printed thoughts about my own country, New Zealand, I have not been surprised that a poor boy who has become a finan cially rich man can think that he can make intelligent com ments. What does surprise me is that a rich magazine (which
is now obviously becoming
poor) thinks that Bob Jones can make intelligent comments about a Pacific nation such as
Tonga.
Nukualofa Tonga
J. G. Roberts
Small storm
in a desert
Finally I received a copy of the November issue of PIM. The reason the November issue was not available in Hawaii this year only you know. Some friends of mine from the South Pacific sent me a copy.
In regards to your November Pacific Report item (US REAL
Estate Agents Active
IN PACIFIC) it is obvious that you don’t know what you are
talking about.
(1) The real estate agents are not U.S., the land is. The company selling is not Human Resources and Development but C.I.L. of Hong Kong. (2) The selling price is not SUSSOOO an acre, it is SUS6OOO for FIVE acres. (3) By implication you are making a liar out of a highly respected U.S. agricultural scientist, Dr Sam Little, whose credentials are B.S. in agronomy, M.S. in soil fertility and a Ph.D. in soil chemistry.
He also has over 20 years ex perience in the Texas area.
(4) The Van Horn area where the land sold is located is known for its vast under ground water resources. (5) Desert land as a rule is very fertile (ours is) and can be made to produce in abundance if water is available. Israel is making a fortune from its des ert land.
To back up the above I have enclosed the following docu mentation. An agricultural re port by Dr Sam Little; a brochure by the Van Horn Chamber of Commerce, who credit our development worthy enough to include it in their brochure, and a company bro chure. So next time you feel in clined to write about this land, you at least can know what you are talking about. Further more, the subdivision meets all US legal requirements.
In my book honest people don’t hide behind an unnamed official; to do that usually means a made-up story. This letter was written at the urgent request of Mr Bula O’Brien, a very fine gentleman to those who know him, which obviously excludes you. I usually don’t bother to reply to
slander magazines.
Also upon his request copies will be sent to all Pacific Governments, agencies and other potentially interested parties including all land pur chasers.
A. Holgen
(Chairman Board of Directors) Collateral Investments Ltd 407-409 Gloucester Building Hong Kong Exactly what Mr Holgen is going on about is beyond us, unless it is a ham-fisted effort to
get some free publicity for some
real estate deal he may have in the wilds of Texas. PI M’s brief report was a warning from a US government official against Islanders investing in real estate in America unless they first saw the land. It was sound advice, and worth repeating. The report did not mention the Van Horn area, Dr Sam Little, Mr A. Hol gen or Collateral Investments Ltd, none of whose names we had heard before the receipt of
Mr Holgen’s slightly hysterical
letter, but we thank him for giv ing us the opportunity of adding his name and his company to our research dossiers. In view of Mr
Holgen’s charges of dishonesty
and slander, might we suggest he ponder his own likely position in respect of libel before he sends his letter to ‘Pacific govern ments, agencies’, etc. The November PIM was on sale in Honolulu as usual Editor
Back in the
Time Before
The article by Percy Chatterton
(Afterthoughts, PIM Sept,
p 87) on the subject of booze and money in Papua New Guinea is most saddening and takes me back to the time span 1927-1941 when I was a resi dent of Salamaua.
It was then a criminal act to
supply an indigene with liquor.
There were rumours that the occasional house-boy had been known to dip into his master’s household supply, but in all my years there I never experienced any instance of this in my household, where beer was kept in an unlocked ice box and spirits stood openly on a sideboard. To my houseboys it
was something quite apart
from their lives and experi ence.
Before ships unloaded at Lae all cargo was discharged at Salamaua, 18 miles away, and taken by launch to Lae for air freighting to Bulolo and Wau.
Beer came in straw-encased bottles, four dozen to a wooden case, and I remember a stack of 40 such cases remaining unguarded on the beachside at Lae for several weeks.
Similarly security screens
and locked bedroom doors were not necessary. Few bed rooms sported a door.
What an uncomplicated existence we led.
Bert E. Weston
Wollstonecraft NSW, Australia • Percy Chatterton’s popular
thought-provoking column
Afterthoughts, will in future
make only an occasional ap pearance in PIM, when he feels I have something to say’. Percy adds, T’ve recently celebrated my 81st birthday and feel a need to relax. ’ PIM has never published a column from Percy Chatterton in which he had nothing to say, but agrees he has earned the right to relax, even though he is unlikely to take it.
Editor.