Background To A Troubled Birth

The Condominium of New Hebrides, jointly estab lished by France and Britian, was set up in 1906 and in the 74 years since then the island group has been administered by these two powers. As this issue of PIM went to press the New Hebrides were about to achieve independence as an autonomous Pacific nation known as Vanuatu, and con stituted as a republic.

But the approach to inde pendence has been the most troubled of any new Pacific nation, even throwing doubts on the date when independence was to be de clared.

Three factors contributed to the unrest and uncer tainty. The first was the

emergence of a rebel secessionist movement known as Nagriamel on the island of Espiritu Santo. Its leader is Jimmy Moly Stevens he declared himself President Moly on Santo who comes from Santo but has spent long periods in USA.

The second factor involves evidence of external influence in the Santo uprising, including a link with an organisation in USA known as the Phoenix Foundation.

The third factor in the troubled approach to independence stemmed from the dual authority of the administering French and British governments, with their differences in attitude and reaction to the mounting tentsions.

The man who was democratically elected to head the new national government as prime minis ter is Father Walter Lini who has found himself in a situation of extreme sensi tivity because of the politi cal developments. His pol itical party known as Vanuaaku, legitimately chosen for office with a majority of well over 60%, has been in the centre of conflicting politics arising from the secession troubles, external influences and the dual metropolitan presence.

Mr George Kalkoa, deputy chief minister in the transitional period before independence, was elected to be president of the repub lic.