Vanuatu PoliticsTwo Into One WonT Go
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
PACIFIC ECONOMIC BULLETIN Note Vanuatu politicstwo into one wont go David Ambrose Convenor, State, Society and Governance in Melanesia Project …the best actors in the world, either Politics 1995–97 for tragedy, comedy, history, pastoral, pastoral-comical, historical-pastoral, tragical-historical, tragical-comical- The general elections in November 1995, historical-pastoral… Vanuatu’s fourth since independence, led (Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act II (ii)) to the formation in late December of a coalition government between one faction For anyone interested in studying the of a divided UMP, under Party President practice of democratic politics or in the Serge Vohor, as Prime Minister and Fr. problems of governance, Vanuatu has Lini’s NUP, with him as Deputy Prime always presented a fascinating spectacle. Minister and Minister for Justice, Culture Of late, however, it is hard to know, for one and Women’s Affairs. not entirely detached from the outcome of the processes at work, whether the By the end of February, after a success- spectacle is tragical or comical, at least in ful motion of no-confidence, there was a the larger sense of the comedie humaine. I am new government under former UMP Prime reminded often of the ridiculous hyperbole Minister Carlot-Korman, plus six break- of Polonius in Hamlet quoted in the away UMP MPS, and the former Opposition epigraph. Vanuatu has it all, from its history Unity Front, led by the Vanua’aku Party’s as ‘Pandemonium’ through the tragic- (VP) President Donald Kalpokas as Deputy comedy of recent political behaviour to the Prime Minister. Getting there, however, was repeated promise of the Air Vanuatu pilot extremely fraught: first, Prime Minister as you come in to land at Bauerfield Vohor, unable to avoid a vote of no- Airport in Port Vila—‘the weather is fine in confidence in the House, announced his Paradise today’. Between Pandemonium resignation and the President, the and Paradise, between government and following day, first purported to dissolve anarchy, contradiction is in-built and the Parliament, and then revoked his contradiction provides the only unity, a action. Vohor, similarly, sought to revoke unity of oppositions. his resignation and to resume office and A brief recital of events, bewildering in Justice Minister Lini, in his last hours its scene-changes, yet mesmerising in its before the Parliamentary sitting, moved to dramatic boldness, will give substance to suspend or dismiss the Commissioner of the point. Police, the Chief Justice, the Attorney- 115 PACIFIC ECONOMIC BULLETIN Note General, the Clerk and deputy Clerk of the Between 20 August and 30 September Parliament and contemplated action Carlot-Korman, in seeking to avoid defeat against the President. All these actions in the Parliament, embroiled the govern- were beyond his legal authority and, once ment and the Speaker in a succession of the President had failed to dissolve technically doubtful procedural stratagems, Parliament, seem intended to have effected all challenged by the Opposition and a coup d’etat by administrative means. defeated in the Courts. In the process Appointed Finance Minister in Carlot- Carlot-Korman exposed the Speaker to Korman’s government, Melanesian citation for contempt of court, first Progressive Party (MPP) leader, Barak Sope, reconciled with and then, only days later, began very actively to promote economic repudiated his UMP rival, Vohor, who development projects, of sometimes rather nonetheless succeeded in replacing him as dubious viability. His most adventurous Prime Minister after a successful no- initiative was the issue of ten US$10 million confidence vote. negotiable instruments, guaranteed by Barak Sope, for whose scalp Vohor and Vanuatu’s Reserve Bank, to be traded on his adherents had clamoured while in international financial markets by an Opposition, was now re-appointed Deputy Australian broker and some American Prime Minister and promptly sought to associated companies. The guarantees revive the bank guarantee scheme. were signed by the Prime Minister, Finance The Ombudsman released another Minister, Governor of the Reserve Bank and report condemning Sope, for alleged First Secretary to the Minister. breaches of the leadership code and other The Ombudsman, in July, after an infractions of his legal authority, which urgent investigation of the scheme provoked Sope to the memorable remon- recommended that the President stration, ‘the fact that the Ombudsman can reprimand the Prime Minister who should investigate a Minister is detrimental to the in turn dismiss the other three from office. operation of a democracy.’ The Prime Minister, politically in pawn In mid-October, Lini and Kalpokas to Sope and his MPP support, denounced conducted a formal custom reconciliation the Ombudsman’s action in publishing her which might have ended the fatal rift in the report and accused her as a ‘foreigner’ of major anglophone parties, which had interference in Vanuatu’s internal affairs. occurred in September 1991 and ended In August, responding to public their domination of government in post- pressure and from his VP coalition partners, independence Vanuatu. Carlot-Korman reshuffled his Cabinet, Almost certainly as a consequence of moving Sope from Finance to Trade. the VP/NUP reconciliation, Prime Minister Sope’s response was to resign from the Vohor dumped Sope and his MTF Ministry (his version of the story; according colleagues, brought into his government to the Prime Minister, he was dismissed), the most able and experienced politicians form a new political grouping MTF (with from the VP, and thus established a large Tan Union (TU) and Fren Melanesie Party parliamentary majority, free for the first (FMP)) and enter into negotiations with the time from the recurrent threat of motions of Opposition which, thus strengthened, no-confidence. requested an extra-ordinary session of It also introduced into government a Parliament at which to unseat the govern- two-thirds anglophone majority, for the ment by vote of no-confidence. first time since 1991. 116 PACIFIC ECONOMIC BULLETIN Note In October, Father Lini also In January this year, the government accomplished what he had failed to do in began public consultations on a Strategic February, to dismiss the Chief Justice and Review of Vanuatu’s security situation, to deport him. Both actions were restrained designed to reassess the country’s security by court injunction and, at the time of outlook and the appropriateness of writing, the Chief Justice’s action for resource allocations to future foreseeable wrongful dismissal is still before the court threats. In the aftermath of the VMF undecided. insurrection, and pending committal and The para-military Vanuatu Mobile trial of the ‘Stand-Down Group’, the review Force, impatient with the government’s was widely seen as a device by which to failure to redress a member of outstanding abolish the Mobile Force. In fact, the review conditions-of-service grievances, took the had been agreed during bilateral Defence law into their own hands on 12 October and Cooperation Program (DCP) consultations abducted the President, commandeered a with Australia before the crisis began to civil airplane and pilot, made a surprise unfold. Father Lini, and his first Secretary, pre-dawn visit to the acting Prime Peter Taurokoto who chaired the Minister, then in the north, and finally Committee, strongly backed the process wrung from him an inquiry into their claims and ultimately pushed it through to and impunity for their actions! Thus completion and to final acceptance of its emboldened, the VMF Stand-down Group major recommendations by the Council of was able thereafter to force the replacement Ministers. of their COs and veto the appointments of With similar boldness, Prime Minister unacceptable replacements. They then Vohor announced in February the abducted and physically abused an government’s decision to undertake a expatriate officer of the finance department comprehensive program of economic and for dilatoriness in resolving their public sector reform, with the assistance of grievances. the ADB and other donor countries. He Vohor, absent again from a domestic established a senior Ministerial task force crisis, delegated Father Lini to deal with to oversee the process and a Secretariat the mutinous VMF which he did, in early chaired by former SPF deputy Secretary- November, with a bold, brave and decisive General Nikenike Vurobaravu who not police operation to arrest 100 plus only conducted public hearings, but a rebellious soldiery. weekly press interview of question and At the end of 1996, while the country answer on the principal issues and the had survived two probable coups attempts, implications of change. and the dismissal of its Chief Justice, the No progress was meanwhile being New Year was gravid with further political made with the trial of the VMF, who while insecurity carried forward by the detention in detention fomented unrest and and indictment of the VMF mutineers, the disobedience among prisoners; the Chief of impending prosecution of Peter Swanson Justice’s claim remained in limbo and in the bank guarantee scheme, the hearing although the trial of Peter Swanson was of the Chief Justice’s claim for wrongful concluded, no sentence had been handed dismissal and revived rumours of a down, a year after his arrest. Rumours of reconciliation between Vohor and Carlot- and some realignments in political Korman which would necessarily involve affiliation continued within the UMP and dumping one