looms?

Fresh poll looms?

The need to replace President Tima kata has thrown a wildcard into Vanuatu politics

To elect a new presi dent requires a two thirds majority vote of an electoral colleague comprised of all Mem bers of Parliament and representatives of local government councils.

Carlot Korman has said that, on the basis of an earlier agree ment, he stood ready to nominate Lini as president. However, such a proposition is like a red rag to a bull as far Lini’s former colleagues-turned-foes in the Vanua’ku Pati are concerned. “He is

not acceptable,”

Melisa said. “Even be fore NUP was split it was short of the two thirds majority in the electoral college which

is required. “Our legal

advice is that if a new head of state cannot be

elected, parliament

has to be dissolved and new elections held.”

The Vanua’ku Pati has said it was willing to consider joining the UMP to form a new government without

either of the NUP factions. But Melisa said such a coalition would only be acceptable if it was for the purpose of preparing for early national elections.

Melisa said even if the government

reduced the number of local councils in order to gerrymander the electoral college, it was still unlikely to se cure the majority mar gin it needed to choose a new president.

He maintained that, however the goal was achieved, new elections would be “stabilising” for Vanuatu because there was currently a deep-seated paralysis in government decision making. To understand the current situation, it is necessary to look back at series of schisms which have dominated Vanu atu’s politics since the days of joint British/ French condominium colonial rule. At inde pendence in 1980, Lini moved further away from his past as an Anglican minister to preside over a long period of dominance by the Anglophone Vanua’aku Pati.

Lini ushered in a new brand of nationalistic “Melanesian socialism,

supporting liberation

struggles in various parts of the world and attack ing remaining pockets of French colonialism in the Pacific. The

Francophone UMP,

which accused the gov ernment of being too leftish, languished in the political cold. By 1988, tensions had built-up within the Vanua’ku Pati, partly over the

question of succession to Lini. Firebrand politician Barak Sope split with Lini to form the MPP in the wake of bitter in fighting linked to disputes over tra ditional claims to urban land.

Rival: Lini

President: Timakata

PM: Carlot Korman

In 1991, there was a second split, as detractors of Lini led by past party stalwarts Donald Kalpokas and Melisa won a legal battle for control of the Vanua’ku Pad. Lini, despite health problems and alienation from many former political comrades, stormed off to form NUP. It was this bitter in-fighting which helped Carlot Korman’s UMP

secure an election victory in December of that year. Machiavellian manoeuvring led to the formation of the post-election coalition between NUP and UMP but Lini himself took a back-seat role outside the ministry. Things went fairly smoothly for a while, then problems started. Carlot Korman has had difficulties with internal aspirants for his job, including ministers

Willie Jimmy and Serge Vohor.

And frictions developed between Lini and several of the NUP ministers over various government decisions, some of them said to have adversely affected various business interests. The ramifi cations of the latest political twist include the possibility of a court battle for control of NUP, mirroring what happened two years ago with the Vanua’ku Pad. Firm predictions are hard to make about Vanua’ku politics because there are so many variable, including double-crosses and pay-backs. But the bottom line is that pre-occupation with politicking tends to divert much needed attention from important social and development issues facing the country.

Political uncertainty also makes it harder for honest decision makers to bring into line, or sack, politicians and officials who might wish to corruptly pursue their own financial rather than national interest. • Attempts over five days to get comment from the Vanuatu government on the political situiation were unsuc~ cessful. Senior officials in the prime minister’s office did not return calls, □

Parliament: in session in 1991 when Lni was PM