Cayman 'People for Referendum' Encouraged by UN Seminar to be held in its Territory

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PEOPLE FOR REFERENDUM
(STEERING COMMITTEE)
C/O P. O. BOX 900
GRAND CAYMAN KY1-1103
CAYMAN ISLANDS

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 4, 2011

Contact: Dennie Warren Jr.
Phone: 345-926-0716
E-mail address: d@warrens.ky

UN Decolonisation Seminar Set for Cayman Islands 24-26 May

People For Referendum welcomes the announcement from the United Nations Decolonisation Committee that their annual UN Decolonisation Seminar for 2011 will be held in the Cayman Islands May 24 to 26, 2011. Dennie Warren Jr., Chairman of People For Referendum said:

“For many years our organization and all other organizations in the Constitutional Working Group requested government to first work towards ensuring that the Annual UN Decolonisation Seminars be held only in one of the remaining sixteen (16) listed Non-Self-Governing Territories (NSGT’s) and that the Cayman Islands be one of those NSGT’s hosting this very important UN committee. Governance education in the NSGT’s is generally very poor and holding these meetings in the NSGT’s is one way to educate the public on their governance system thereby enabling the electorate to make informed decisions in elections and referendums.”

All matters discussed by this UN committee directly relate to the governance relationship between the territories and our respective Administering Powers. Holding seminars in the NSGT’s helps to educate the people about the governance options UN Resolutions obligate all Administering Powers make available to their NSGT’s:

A) Integration with the Administering Power or,
B) Free association governance relationship with the Administering Power or,
C) Becoming an independent state.

Some UN member states such as New Zealand , France and Holland appear to be compliant with their UN obligations by allowing the electorate in their various territories the UN mandated self-determination right of choosing between the three available options.

Unfortunately for the UK NSGT’s, the UK is historically non-compliant with their UN obligations by repeatedly stating that all of their NSGT’s must take the constitutional relationship the UK decrees or go independent. They retain the power of “Order in Council” in the UK maintains total governance by decree powers in the Colonies, in all governance subjects; in retaining the power of “Order in Council”, the UK refuses to devolve any governance powers to their NSGT’s.

Dennie Warren said:

“In the constitutional negotiations People For Referendum called upon our government and the UK government to hold the constitutional negotiations in the Cayman Islands, to make all meetings open to the public and to make all proceedings freely available on the internet. Some of the negotiation meetings were held in the Cayman Islands but behind closed doors. Since then, and for the first time, proceedings of the constitutional negotiation are now available to the public on the internet.”

People for Referendum is again calling on the UN, the UK and the Cayman Islands government to hold the UN Decolonisation 2011 Seminar in the Cayman Islands open to the public.

For more information visit:

2011 UN Decolonisation Seminar Press Release:

http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2011/gacol3217.doc.htm

http://overseasreview.blogspot.com/2011/03/un-decolonisation-seminar-set-for.html

UN Decolonisation website:
http://www.blogger.com/goog_736652239

UN Decolonisation Cayman Islands 2011 Working Paper:
http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N11/237/29/PDF/N1123729.pdf?OpenElement

Overseas Territories Review:

Constitutional Reform and Political Identity in the Non-Independent Caribbean http://overseasreview.blogspot.com/2010/01/constitutional-reform-and-political.html

Political Analyst Questions Direction of Bermuda - UK Relationship
http://overseasreview.blogspot.com/2011/03/political-analyst-questions-direction.html

Wikileaks Reveals U.S. Perspectives on British Dependent Territories
http://overseasreview.blogspot.com/2011/02/wiklileaks-revels-us-perspectives-on.html

"Colonial situations are completely outdated" - U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
http://overseasreview.blogspot.com/2011/02/colonial-situations-are-completely.html

Wikileaks Reveals US Synopsis of UK Dependent Territory Developments
http://overseasreview.blogspot.com/2011/02/wikileaks-reveals-us-synopsis-of-uk.html

Anguilla Eyes Complete Internal Self-Government in Wake of British Colonial Pressures
http://overseasreview.blogspot.com/2011/01/anguilla-eyes-complete-internal-self.html

UN Adopts 2011 Decolonisation Recommendations for Island Territories
http://overseasreview.blogspot.com/2011/01/un-adopts-2011-decolonisation.html

UN Member States Formally Commemorate Decolonisation Achievements, Acknowledge Need for Implementation of Mandate
http://overseasreview.blogspot.com/2010/12/un-member-states-formally-commemorate.html

The United Nations Decolonisation Declaration 50th Anniversary
http://overseasreview.blogspot.com/2010/12/united-nations-decolonisation.html

UN Decolonisation Committee Faces Serious Issues
http://overseasreview.blogspot.com/2010/06/un-decolonisation-committee-faces.html

M Oscar Temaru new president of French Polynesia

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Special to Overseas Territories Review

The Assembly of French Polynesia (Tahiti Nui) deposed on the 1st of April the government of M Gaston Tong Sang, leader of the autonomous political party TTA (To tatou aia : Our Nation), political party close to president of France Nicolas Sarkozy.

A vote of no confidence handed in by union of political parties UPLD (Union for Democracy) and TMM (Te Mana o te mau Motu: The power of the islands) has been voted by 29 out of 57 representatives of the Assembly.


The pro-independence leader M Oscar Temaru is now president of the government of Tahiti Nui (French Polynesia).

During the debate at the Assembly, M Gaston Tong Sang who reported on his activity as president, strongly criticised the move of the representatives of TMM who rallyed the pro independence parties in this vote of no confidence. After, the debate, the so-called autonomous representatives left the assembly and did not participate in the vote.

The independist leader M Oscar Temaru, in his speech in French and Tahitian, reaffirmed his ideology for sovereignty and his wish to see Tahiti Nui on the UN list of countries to be decolonised.

In a Polynesian metaphore he adresses the autonomous members: 

"We could not let our canoe O Tahiti Nui Freedom in such a desperate state. If you do not know where you are going, we do know where we are going."

The members of TMM and UPLD which now form a new majority at the assembly agreed that French Polynesia should be listed on the UN list of countries to be decolonized as is the case with New Caledonia, the other French non self-governing territory of the South Pacific.

Since 2004, this is the fifth time that M Oscar Temaru comes back to power.

According to an Oceania Flash news report, Temaru indicated that one of the objectives of his government would be to put back on the agenda the question of self-determination for French Polynesia in order to achieve a "sovereign State".

The other pillar of his action would be based on moves to restore a fledging economy, already badly affecter by over five years of chronic instability due to regular changes of governments caused by shifts in alliances and subsequent votes of no confidence motions, according to the news report.


TAHITI POLITICAL PARTY TO LOBBY MELANESIA TALKS

Radio New Zealand
Huiraatira seeks support for UN decolonization

French Polynesia’s pro-independence Tavini Huiraatira Party is to make a fresh push to get the region’s leaders to support its bid to have the territory re-inscribed on the UN list of territories to be decolonised.

The party’s Richard Tuheiava, who is also a member of the French Senate, (recently went) to Fiji...to lobby the Melanesian Spearhead Group.

The MSG includes New Caledonia’s pro-independence FLNKS Movement which has had regional support to be put on the UN list.

Mr Tuheiava has told Tahitipresse that he and his party’s leader, Oscar Temaru, will make their case in the next few weeks throughout the region and also attend the Pacific Islands Forum in Auckland in September.
He says if a resolution is adopted it could be taken to the UN in December.

Mr Temaru’s 30-year decolonisation campaign has been ignored by both France and Pacific Islands Forum countries, including New Zealand, which still has Tokelau on the UN list.

See also:


http://en.tahitipresse.pf/2011/04/oscar-temaru-becomes-french-polynesia-president-again/
http://tahitipresse.pf/2011/04/motion-de-defiance-adoptee-chute-du-gouvernement-tong-sang/