A plague on both

your houses

I find John Parkison’s com ments (in his letter in PIM September 1984, p.ll) on articles which are published by PIM from time to time on French attitudes in the Pacific somewhat misleading and out of place.

Having lived in the Pacific Islands for 20 years (including New Caledonia and French

Polynesia which he enjoyed the most), and also having travelled all over the world for 30 years in over 70 countries, Mr Parki son comes to a conclusion that the “English” people not only are the most racist and hypocritical people in the world, but also the most ignor ant about foreign cultures. And that their inability to learn lan

guages is famous the world over.

I am neither an anglophile nor a francophile and as a citzen of a country which has just been emancipated from joint French and British rule (Condominium), I find it hard to agree that only the English people are racist, hypocritical and ignorant. The French are the same or even worse.

Quite the contrary to what Mr Parkison claimed concerning the English people’s inability to learn languages, we in Vanuatu find that people from English speaking countries such as Canada, Australia, etc, are more able to learn our lan guages easily (in particular Bis lama which is the lingua franca in Vanuatu) than French people.

The fact that Mr Parkison enjoyed living in New Caledo nia and French Polynesia the most despite the struggle of New Caledonia’s Kanak people for freedom from French rule, and the Polynesians’ pleas for an end to nuclear testing by the French on Moruroa, suggests that he supports those who oppress.

Simeon Nelson

Santo Vanuatu