Support grows for U.N. to resume consideration of French Polynesia

Pacific Church Leaders Support Self-Determination For TahitiPacific Conference of Churches calls on Forum Leaders to do the same.

MELBOURNE, Australia (Radio Australia, Feb. 25, 2013) –Pacific church leaders say it's time for the region to support moves towards independence by the indigenous people of Tahiti, or Maohi Nui. 

worldatlas.com

A proposal to endorse the re-inscription of Tahiti on the United Nations Decolonization Committee's list will be on the agenda at the Pacific Conference of Churches' annual General Assembly in Solomon Islands this week, despite opposition from France, New Zealand and Australia. 

PCC Acting General Secretary and Tahiti native, Reverend Francois Pihaate, told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat program that it was time Pacific Island Forum Leaders showed their support for the move. "They should not try to 'play it safe' by dodging the real issue and trying to cover up by inscribing words of encouragement - this brushes aside the human rights struggles of the people of Maohi Nui," Reverend Pihaatae said. 

"For too long Maohi Nui has been fighting for her freedom and it's time we, as a Pacific family, stand up with a united voice to offer our support." 

A delegation from the World Council of Churches will visit the French-held territory in April for talks with authorities, churches and the people to listen to views on self-determination. The council will also send a delegation to the PCC General Assembly.

U.N. Decolonisation Committee opens 2013 session

21 February 2013

General Assembly GA/COL/3245

Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York

Special Committee on Decolonization

1^st Meeting (AM)

SECRETARY-GENERAL, AT OPENING MEETING OF SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON DECOLONIZATION,

URGES ‘FRESH AND CREATIVE’ APPROACH TO ENDING COLONIALISM

Members Elect Bureau, Approve Holding Regional Seminar in Ecuador, 25-31 May

Opening the 2013 substantive session of the Special Committee on Decolonization, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on that body to devise “fresh and creative” approaches in mobilizing the political will needed to eradicate colonialism, saying it had no place in the modern world.

“It is time for a new kind of fully inclusive dialogue about decolonization,” he said, adding:  “We no longer have the luxury of indulging in rhetoric and rituals.”  The risk of movement, while sometimes frightening, was preferable to the stagnation of the status quo.

Urging the Special Committee to review its practices so as to “maximize its effectiveness”, the Secretary-General said the common endeavour of eradicating colonialism required its “constructive involvement” with the Non-Self Governing Territories under its purview and with their respective administering Powers.

The Special Committee reviews the political, social and economic conditions in the 16 United Nations-listed Non-Self Governing Territories, organizes regional seminars to discuss the challenges of decolonization and works to ensure that the United Nations aids their development.

Echoing the Secretary-General, Special Committee Chair Diego Morejón (Ecuador) said that, well into the Third International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism, the body must create a “new momentum” and review each Territory to determine which should remain on its list and which should be removed.

Direct, constructive contact must be maintained with New Caledonia, which would enter a critical phase of self-determination in 2014, Mr. Morejón said.  He noted that the General Assembly had commended the positive steps taken by New Caledonian and French authorities since their signing of the 1998 Nouméa Accord giving the Territory transitional status until the holding of a referendum between 2014 and 2018.

Similarly, Papua New Guinea’s representative praised the active involvement of the Melanesian Spearhead Group and all parties under the Nouméa Accord.  Urging the Special Committee to break from “business as usual”, he called for concrete ways to help the remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories achieve their respective aspirations, and for the Special Committee to liaise closely with each of the administering Powers in a holistic manner.  In that regard, he applauded the cooperation between Tokelau and New Zealand.

Mr. Morejón spoke after having been elected by acclamation as Chair for the current session.  Also elected were Rodolfo Reyes Rodríguez (Cuba) and Shekou M. Touray (Sierra Leone) as Vice-Chairs, and Bashar Ja’afari (Syria) as Rapporteur.

The Chair proposed that the Special Committee’s annual seminar, scheduled for Latin America this year, be held in Ecuador during the last week of May, to coincide with the Week of Solidarity with the Peoples of Non-Self Governing Territories (25-31 May).

Cuba’s representative thanked Ecuador for its commitment to the Special Committee’s work.

The Special Committee approved the Chair’s proposal, as well as its proposed organization of work for 2013 (document A/AC.109/2013/L.2).  It invited Argentina, Costa Rica, Spain, Cyprus, Ghana, Mauritania, Namibia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates to participate in the session as observers.

Remaining on the list of Non-Self-Governing Territories are the Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Gibraltar, New Caledonia and Western Sahara, as well as American Samoa, Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Guam, Montserrat, Pitcairn, Saint Helena, Tokelau, Turks and Caicos Islands and the United States Virgin Islands.

The Special Committee will reconvene at a date and time to be announced.

21 February 2013

Secretary-General SG/SM/14827 GA/COL/3246

Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York

RISK OF MOVEMENT PREFERABLE TO STATUS QUO STAGNATION, SECRETARY-GENERAL

TELLS SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON DECOLONIZATION AS IT BEGINS 2013 SESSION

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks at the opening of the 2013 session of the Special Committee on Decolonization in New York on 21 February:

Thank you for this opportunity to address the Special Committee at the start of its annual programme of work.  We are now well into the third International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism.

Against the backdrop of ongoing financial crises and growing budgetary pressures, we must all strive to work with a results-oriented approach.  I have recently invited the General Assembly to consider reviewing mandated activities.  I would also appeal to this Committee to review its practices to maximize its effectiveness.

The international community is more convinced than ever that colonialism has no place in the modern world.  The eradication of colonialism, in keeping with the principles of the Charter and the relevant United Nations resolutions, is our common endeavour.  This requires the constructive involvement of all concerned — the Special Committee, the administering Powers and the Non-Self-Governing Territories — working on a case-by-case basis.

The Special Committee should be at the forefront in identifying possibilities for change and in promoting priorities in the decolonization process for the benefit of all.  As the intergovernmental body exclusively devoted to decolonization, the Special Committee is expected to devise fresh and creative approaches to mobilize the political will to advance its agenda.

As we know, the world is in a great transition.  Many old structures are breaking down.  New arrangements are taking shape.  In the area of decolonization, 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories require our attention.  As we look ahead, the narrative cannot again be portrayed as “decolonization deferred”.

We no longer have the luxury of indulging in rhetoric and rituals.  Concrete action and tangible results are essential.  It is time for a new kind of fully inclusive dialogue about decolonization.  The risk of movement, while sometimes frightening, is far more preferable to the stagnation of the status quo. (emphasis added - OTR)

As you begin your work, I assure you that the Secretariat will continue to provide the necessary assistance to the Special Committee.

I wish you every possible success in your efforts.

* *** *

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See:  A Conversation on the Challenges to Contemporary Decolonisation

See also: Innovative Plan for International Decolonisation Proposed to UN

British Governor, Attorney General and CFO must go, says Turks & Caicos Islands Premier

In a new letter to Britain’s Foreign Secretary, William Hague, Premier Rufus Ewing has said that Governor Ric Todd, Attorney General Huw Shepheard and Chief Financial Officer Hugh McGarel-Groves must be recalled and replaced by persons who will better accommodate Ewing’s government.

Premier Rufus Ewing

It is unclear what caused the letter of February 10 to be written, while Ewing was at the same time conducting press conferences, not mentioning the strong messages in the letter.

One of the principal complaints of Ewing’s letter was that the prosecution of the former PNP cabinet members was “a farce”. This, Ewing said, was because British and other expatriates who took part in corrupt dealings had opted to pay millions in fines to escape prosecution by the special investigation and prosecution team (SIPT). 

Ewing did not explain in his letter why he felt the prosecution of former ministers Floyd Hall, McAllister Hanchell, Lillian Boyce and Jeffrey Hall was not justified.

Ewing seemed to associate Governor Todd with the interim government, saying that, when Todd arrived to run the direct rule government, he acted as a dictator. However, the interim government came into being in August 2009 under then Governor Gordon Wetherell. Todd arrived two years later in mid 2011 and within little over a year called for elections to return local rule. 

Ewing did say in his letter that Todd had promised that actions by the House of Assembly would be respected. It appears this portion of the letter anticipates the governor’s veto of the VAT repeal bill, which was brought by opposition leader Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson and which received overwhelming support. Only the two parliamentary members appointed by the governor, Lillian Misick and John Phillips, voted against the bill.

This also has raised questions about the letter because, at a press conference held the day after the letter is dated, Ewing acknowledged that it was the governor’s constitutional right to veto the legislation.