Former Turks & Caicos Governing Party, ousted by the British in 2009, adopts independence platform

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Resolution of the General Council of the Progressive National Party October 24, 2011

WHEREAS the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands have passed from hand to hand among European Powers finally resting with the United Kingdom in 1799.

AND WHEREAS since becoming a United Kingdom Colony in 1799, the Turks and Caicos Islands have been passed by the United Kingdom among its other colonies, most notably Jamaica and the Bahamas.

AND WHEREAS the peoples of the Turks and Caicos Islands were for many years following the failure of the Loyalist Plantations and the closure of the Salt Industry abandoned by the Government of the United Kingdom.

AND WHEREAS the peoples of the Turks and Caicos Islands notwithstanding this abandonment and abdication by the United Kingdom Government of its responsibility have made major strides and have brought significant prosperity and social justice to the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands and have put in place most of the major institutions needed in an independent and well functioning modern democracy.

AND WHEREAS the facts are that in recent times the United Kingdom has:

1. Taken away our Constitution, suspending our most basic laws and altering fundamentally the forms of our Government.

2. Trampled upon our democracy by suspending our duly elected Government and have declared themselves vested with power to govern over us without our consent.

3. Suspended our duly elected Legislature and have also declared themselves, without our consent, vested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

4. Refused and continues to refuse to allow us to again elect our own Government.

5. Stood up and called together in the place of a democratically elected government a mock legislature and a mock executive, none of which have the consent of the people over whom they preside and both void of any power to deliver for the progress of our people.

6. Endeavored to deprive the people of these Islands of their right to Trial by a Jury of their peers.

7. Established a multitude of new offices, and have sent to our Islands swarms of their own people to fill these offices and to harass our people and take away their chances to earn a livelihood, while at the same time they have cut the salaries, emoluments and pensions of our people.

8. Imposed Taxation upon us without our consent and without any meaningful chance of representation from our people.

9. Curtailed the inward investments into our Islands thereby ruining the buoyant economy which we once enjoyed.

10. Settled a new constitution for our Islands which erodes our human rights as a people and erodes the powers of our duly elected government.

11. Failed to consult with the people of these Islands in a meaningful and genuine way regarding the establishment of a new constitution.

12. Failed to take due account of the political aspirations of our people and have generally abdicated its responsibilities under Article 73 of the United Nations Charter to prepare these Islands for self-determination.

AND WHEREAS at every stage of these oppressions, the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms, and our repeated Petitions have only been answered by repeated injury.

BE IT RESOLVED THAT WE, THE PROGRESSIVE NATIONAL PARTY, relying on the Providence of God and accepting as we do that the relationship between these Turks and Caicos Islands and the United Kingdom is not in the best interest of the people of these Islands, and accepting further that the time has come that we as a people chart our own future towards progress and prosperity, hereby undertake to actively seek and pursue the independence of these Turks and Caicos Islands from the Government of the United Kingdom.

AND WE FURTHER RESOLVE AND DECLARE that the independence of these Turks and Caicos Islands from the United Kingdom is an objective of our Progressive National Party and we do require same to be a prominent plank in our Party's platform and we undertake the following:

1) As a party to engage upon a programme of educating the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands, particularly our youth to the responsibilities of citizenship in an independent county and to the boundless possibilities of an independent Turks and Caicos Islands;

2) As a government to secure as soon as practicable a referendum to signify the settled will of our people on the question of independence.

ADOPTED BY the National General Council of the Progressive National Party this 24th day of October, 2011.

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PNP vows to seek independence

Written by Richard Green

richard@fptci.com

FP Turks & Caicos Islands 

The Progressive National Party’s National General Council has passed a resolution vowing that — if it wins power in the next elections — the party will seek a national referendum for independence of the Turks and Caicos Islands from the U.K.

The resolution that was passed Oct. 24 says the PNP will launch a programme to education the public on the responsibilities of citizenship in an independent country and to hold a national referendum on independence.

The call for independence is the first official move by a political party to call for independence in many years. If the PNP takes power and holds an independence referendum, it would be the first national referendum in TCI history.

“As the leader of the Progressive National Party, I say to you all that the question can no longer be whether there will be or whether there should be independence,” said PNP Leader Clayton Greene. “The question must now be when. Let us together and with confidence embrace our future.”

Talk of independence has been growing slowly since the U.K. suspended parts of the TCI Constitution and the elected government in 2009 amid allegations of government corruption and with government finances in peril.

Since the U.K.’s original date in 2011 for returning local government control was postponed — now expected near the end of 2012 — local support for the U.K. takeover has waned while the idea of independence is gaining supporters.

The British have said they would increase their presence in the TCI and would not allow a repeat of problems with corruption and government finances. However, the U.K. is not opposed to independence, as Foreign Minister Henry Bellingham reiterated in September during a speech in Bermuda:

“Let me be quite clear on the question of independence. Successive British governments have said that it is for the territories themselves to decide whether they wish to remain connected to the United Kingdom but that any decision to cut that link should be on the basis of the clearly expressed wish of the majority of the people of the territory in question. This government also supports that approach.”

In addition to the TCI, the nearby countries that are still Overseas Territories include Anguilla, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and Montserrat.

The most recent calls for independence have come in Bermuda and Anguilla, but they haven’t gained much traction. Recent polls in Bermuda show that 73 percent of its people are against independence.

A 2005 discussion paper prepared for the Bermuda Independence Commission (BIC) concluded that “independence is a meticulous, time-consuming and serious business. A business to be undertaken by a serious, meticulous, intelligent, mature and patient population.”

If the TCI followed an independence plan like the one envisioned by Bermuda, it would have to draft a new Constitution that not only defined powers and rights, but what kind of new government would rule:

Constitutional monarchy such as the Bahamas that still has connections to the U.K. as a member of the Commonwealth

Executive presidential republic like Guyana and the U.S.

Non-executive presidential republic like Trinidad and Tobago

Those decisions would be reached in an Independence Conference that would include members of both parties and the U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which would work out the complicated legal mechanics of independence.

Upon independence, the TCI government would be responsible for everything, including matters reserved under the present Constitution for the U.K., including international affairs, defence, internal security and police.

The Cayman Islands and Montserrat currently appear content with their territory status, the latter because of much needed U.K. financial support since the 1995 eruption of the Soufrière Hills Volcano that forced the evacuation of two-thirds of the island’s 12,000 residents.The following Caribbean countries have gained independence from the U.K. but remain Commonwealth nations:

Jamaica, 1962

Barbados, 1966

Bahamas, 1973

Dominica, 1978

Saint Lucia, 1979

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 1979

Antigua and Barbuda, 1981

Saint Kitts and Nevis, 1983

Former British territories that are independent but not members of the Commonwealth are Trinidad and Tobago (1962) and Guyana (1966).

Turks & Caicos return to elected government delayed again

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ELECTIONS PUSHED BACK?

By Hayden Boyce

Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

Turks & Caicos Sun

After stating that they intend to hold general elections in the Turks and Caicos Islands by summer next year, the Interim Government has once again changed course and is now saying they will be held by the end of 2012.

What is interesting and noteworthy, is that Philip Rushbrook, a spokesman from the Governor's Office, said that the new Electoral Register of voters, the final component of the election preparations, “is unlikely to be ready until September 2012”.

This, together with wide-spread uncertainty about the Interim Government’s ability to meet their own milestones, has fuelled speculation that elections to return the Turks and Caicos Islands to self-rule will not be held in 2012, but rather in 2013.

On Monday 20th September 2010, Overseas Minister Henry Bellingham announced the postponement of the elections scheduled for July 2011 in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The delay was to allow time for further important work to take place on public financial management and good governance reform in the TCI and allow time for the reforms to become fully embedded.

In a document to the media entitled “Preparations Required Before a Future Election”, Rushbrook said: “When the decision is made for the new Constitution to come into force an election is expected to follow within thirty days. Elections are not spontaneous events. Careful preparations are necessary, particularly in TCI where the new Constitution has made several changes to what existed before. These preparations are at an early stage and the aim is to complete them between now and next year. A programme of work has been planned and discussed recently at the Advisory Council. Its principal intention is to replace or update ordinances and procedures to ensure future elections are representative and conform to the new Constitution.”

Rushbrook was careful not to be date-specific on the introduction of the new Constitution. He, however, keeps using the operative word “intention” when it comes to having elections next year, which some have regarded as creating space for the UK to change course yet again.

Rushbrook noted that four distinct areas of activity have been identified, namely: A new ordinance to define the responsibilities and standards expected from political parties and individuals during elections and in public office; a revision to the detailed election procedures prescribed in the Elections Ordinance to bring it up to date with internationally recognised practice; a new Boundary Commission to define the ten new territorial constituencies and an updated Electoral Register of voters.

He added: “Independent election monitors in previous years identified weaknesses in the procedures and manner by which elections were conducted. A modernised electoral process and an accountable system of political conduct underpin the reforms defined and expected in the Constitution. Consequently, a new ordinance will be prepared to define the responsibilities and conduct of all involved in election campaigns and holders of an elected public office.”

Rushbrook reminded that the milestones relate to completing a new constitution; introducing new ordinances on the electoral process, integrity in public life and public financial management; establishing transparent accountability of public finances; putting the government finances on track to achieve a fiscal surplus; implementing a transparent and fair process for citizenship; pursuing civil and criminal cases identified by the 2008 Commission of Inquiry; implementing a new Crown Land policy; and progressing substantial reform of the public service.

He said that case law and independent election monitors have identified deficiencies in a number of key areas in the existing Elections Ordinance. The underlying intention of an updated Elections Ordinance is to specify the procedures and duties to be performed when staging an election.

“These procedures are detailed and methodical and are designed to establish a scrupulously fair set of voting and election arrangements. The Electoral Reform International Society (ERIS) reviewed the existing TCI electoral procedures in 2009 and found several weaknesses. They concluded the present Ordinance no longer meets international standards. Supplementary work by the TCI Elections Office has identified further changes necessary to accommodate new voting arrangements described in the Constitution. To be ready, the Elections Ordinance must be revised well ahead of a decision to hold new elections. This work involves a thorough examination of existing election procedures by the Elections Office, with external support organised through the FCO in London on make the changes identified by ERIS. It is planned for this support to be available during the next four months. Once all of the changes are settled, revisions to the existing ordinance will be prepared and presented to the Advisory Council,” Rushbrook added.

He said the Census scheduled for February 2012 has a direct bearing on when the new election boundaries and Electoral Register of voters can be prepared, adding that both of these activities will benefit from access to the most up to date information on population distribution and it is now known the initial census data will be available in April 2012.

“This means realistically setting up a new Boundary Commission and compiling a new Electoral Register cannot take place until after April. Fortunately, if plans are in place beforehand it is estimated the implementation of these activities should be reasonably swift with completion in a matter of weeks,” he stressed.

The new Constitution requires ten new constituencies defined with broadly similar numbers of constituents and using the most up to date population information. Therefore, a new Boundary Commission is planned for spring 2012 and will comprise of three members appointed by the Governor. Detailed preparations will be made during the winter period by the Elections Office, with assistance expected from members of the Association of Electoral Administration in London. Once defined and approved by the Governor, the new constituency boundaries will be set out in a new Boundaries Ordinance.

The UK strategist said that the 2009 incomplete revision of the Electoral Register is now out of date and with the creation of ten new constituencies, from the present fifteen, it no longer reflects the new arrangements. To replace the Register in time for elections the Elections Office has started on plans to prepare a new one during summer 2012, he said.

“An important aspect of this work will be the development of a clearer definition of the voting district for each voter, particularly where an islander has family ties on one island but lives and works predominantly on another. Measures will be put in place to discontinue the practice by some voters to register in two districts,” he added.

A small Electoral Preparations Group involving the TCIG, Attorney General's Chambers and the Governor's Office has set up the initial programme of work. As the pace of this work is set to increase the Group will be expanded to include wider integrity and community interests. It will have the principal role to steer the programme of work to completion within the next twelve months.

The general approach to consultations, including where appropriate the seeking of views from all islands, will be broadly similar to the one followed to complete the new Constitution, Rushbrook said.

Virgin Islands Liberty Day - A Pan Africanist Perspective

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What Liberty Day means for you

K. Leba Ola-Niyi 

Pan-African Support Group

When we observe Liberty Day -and the United Nations has declared this the "Year of the Peoples of African Descent" - we should reflect on our victories, setbacks, and challenges as African workers and people in the Virgin Islands.

Our history of African labor gives an account of our ancestors who had waged a just war against racial oppression, economic exploitation, and political subjugation. The descendants of the emancipated Africans have the vocation of achieving the goals of African liberation, unity, and dignity.

Let us remind the Western world that African labor - the multitude of slaves, servants, and subjects - contributed to the economic development and high living standards in European capitalist societies and cities. Let us never forget that the enslaved and colonized Africans produced the wealth reaped by the ruling elites of Europe, the United States, and some countries in South America for over four centuries.

We can learn from the progressive legacy of David Hamilton Jackson, a great working-class and African leader. Jackson's qualities of leadership included humility, militancy, African consciousness, integrity, race first, courage, critical thinker, visionary, activism, and solidarity with other freedom struggles.

Our people demanded and secured the basic rights of freedom of the press and freedom of association. The St. Croix Labor Union was a large social movement that organized, informed, and empowered 6,000 African agricultural laborers. The Herald, the first African newspaper, was the voice of the poor and powerless African masses. The union owned a press, credit union, and several properties in the town and countryside. Land was purchased and distributed to small black farmers. Other labor rights included collective bargain and strike.

In addition, there were Garveyites who participated in the African labor movement that strived to assume power, improve working and living conditions and higher wages for its members and their families. Like Marcus Garvey, D. Hamilton Jackson used African/Black history to emancipate enslaved minds and empower the African masses to chart a new direction for freedom and justice.

Progressive labor leaders such D. Hamilton Jackson and Rothschild Francis led the struggle for home rule, democracy, political rights, and social justice.

In this colonial, capitalist, and class society, African people and workers are abused by free markets and neoconservative extremists. Right-wing economic and political elites are waging class warfare on poor people and workers. They change labor laws such as collective bargaining and union rights to destroy the labor unions and labor movements. The courts impose TROs on labor unrests such as strikes and job actions. Governments and corporate giants impose harsh and unfair austerity measures such as salary cuts, frozen wage increases, mass layoffs, and benefit reductions.

Governments slash public social service programs such as education, health, food, and housing. Governments bail out greedy economic behemoths at the social and economic expenses of the poor, powerless, unemployed, uninsured, hungry, and homeless. The richest citizens, CEOs, and corporate owners reaped the lion's share of tax cuts, giveaways, or exemptions without meeting their social obligations. Most workers are working harder and longer for part-time pay. High unemployment, poverty, and income inequity are the triplets of social misery for many workers and poor people in this so-called American Paradise.

In this colonial arrangement, African people produce what they do not consume and consume what they do not produce. Corporate giants control the commanding heights of the local economy. The commanding heights include tourism, commerce, retail, transportation, manufacturing, bank, insurance, and communications.

While most Africans are workers and consumers, the multinational corporations and non-African merchant class have the most market shares, reap the highest returns from the sales, and secure the biggest proportion of local, regional, and global production and services.

African people must organize and participate in the social and political movements to achieve qualitative changes in this unjust society. You should start or join labor unions and labor movements to level the paying and playing fields. You should form a nationalist movement to eradicate colonialism in all its manifestations.

We must construct and develop a new society and viable Virgin Islands nationality based on African principles. To build and share the wealth, workers should own and manage cooperatives and companies in the profitable sectors of this island economy. In our effort to define ourselves as an African, Caribbean, and Virgin Islands people, you must embrace, know, value, protect, and practice our African cultural heritage.

Finally, you must opt for an economic alternative to the unfettered free market economics that have failed to eliminate or reduce poverty and inequity in the midst of plenty. We must organize, centralize and act now to make a peaceful world possible.

U.S. Virgin Islands Honours D. Hamilton Jackson, national hero, on Liberty Day

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V.I. honors Jackson as a liberaton

By Joy Blackburn

Virgin Islands Daily News

ST. CROIX - An educator. A judge. An editor. A labor leader who organized the first union in the territory and won better working conditions and wages for agricultural workers on St. Croix. A man of principle and courage. Someone who spent his entire life fighting injustice and working to improve the lives of his people.

The Black Moses.

Those were just some of the words used to describe Virgin Islander David Hamilton Jackson on Tuesday at an annual event in Grove Place commemorating Jackson's life and contributions to the people of the Virgin Islands.

Tuesday was the territorial holiday set aside to honor Jackson, who was born on St. Croix in 1884 and died in 1946. D. Hamilton Jackson Day also is known as Liberty Day or Bull and Bread Day.

More than 200 people gathered at D. Hamilton Jackson Park in Grove Place for the annual commemoration, which featured remarks by politicians and a keynote speech by historian and radio talk show host Mario Moorhead, along with music and introductions of beauty pageant contestants.

As always, the celebration featured the traditional serving of bull and bread. Moorhead made history come alive as he described Hamilton's life from birth to death, his struggles, his accomplishments and his legacy to the people of the Virgin Islands in a lengthy keynote address.

Moorhead said Jackson's birth to two school teachers was "a rare if not a unique circumstance," noting that Jackson's parents were among the "fortunate few" in the Danish West Indies who were of African descent and also educators. At the time of Jackson's birth, "more than 90 percent of our people could neither read or write," Moorhead said.

He spoke about Jackson's intellectual curiosity and noted that Jackson taught school "until his quick intellect required more of him," and he moved to Christiansted, where he went to work for the owner of a dry goods store.

There, Jackson was able to meet and socialize with people of "like minds," who were troubled by the conditions under which those of African descent were living in the Danish West Indies, Moorhead said.

Eventually, Jackson was able to convince his peers that he needed to go to Denmark to persuade the Danish Crown to grant them freedom of assembly, Moorhead said. Jackson motivated people to make donations to help pay for the trip and went to Denmark in 1915.

While there, Jackson convinced Denmark that the last thing it needed was conflict and social unrest in the islands and that granting freedom of assembly would make the Danish West Indies a more productive place, Moorhead said.

Jackson also won the right to print a newspaper. When Jackson returned to St. Croix, "he was like a rock star, traveling from estate to estate all over the island," using his skills as an orator to electrify and solidify the community, Moorhead said.

On Nov. 1, 1915, the first edition of Jackson's newspaper, The Herald, was published. Moorhead spoke extensively of Jackson leading the effort to form the St. Croix Labor Union and of his demand for better working conditions and wages for agricultural workers. There were 6,000 members "within days," Moorhead said. At the time, wages were 20 cents a day, Moorhead said.

Moorhead described the workers going on strike when planters refused Jackson's demands, and Jackson's pronouncement that "we will eat bush, but we are not going to give in.There was a solidarity on this island that today seems not just unlikely, but impossible," Moorhead said. After some time, the plantation owners asked Jackson to come to the table, Moorhead said. As a result of the negotiations, wages were doubled.

By 1920, the St. Croix Labor Union was so successful that it had negotiated wages of $1 a day, he said.

Moorhead also spoke eloquently of Jackson's struggles and of his lifelong fight to better the lives of people in the territory.

Jackson's accomplishments include campaigning for greater self-governance and human rights in the islands and taking a leadership role in marshaling support for the transfer of the islands from Danish to American rule.

After the United States purchased the Virgin Islands from Denmark in 1917, Jackson made several trips to Washington, D.C., to protest naval rule in the islands and to lobby for a civil government. He was influential in the formulation of the 1936 Organic Act, the set of laws by which the territory was governed. He served as a member of the Colonial Council and was a judge in the police court, Moorhead said.

"David Hamilton Jackson was a liberator and a fighter for the people right down to the end," Moorhead said. Moorhead also described Jackson as "one of the greatest Crucians who ever lived," and urged the audience to pressure today's educators to teach young Virgin Islanders about Jackson's social philosophies.

V.I. Delegate to Congress Donna Christensen, Senate President Ronald Russell and Lt. Gov. Gregory Francis also gave remarks about Jackson at the event. Gov. John deJongh Jr. did not attend.

The commemoration, put on by the Grove Place Action Committee working with the Grove Place Weed and Seed Teen Youth Group and supported by donations, wrapped up with the traditional serving of bull and bread: beef, potato stuffing, rolls and gravy, accompanied by taddy, a citrus drink made from sour oranges and limes.

Protesters condemn cancellation of University of Puerto Rico daily news program

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Journalists call nixing of UPR newscast ‘censorship’

By Rafael R. Díaz Torres
Puerto Rico Daily Sun

Outraged professors, employees, students and former reporters of the cancelled Hoy en Las Noticias morning news program at Radio Universidad gathered Tuesday outside the radio station in the Río Piedras campus of the University of Puerto Rico to condemn the elimination of the more than two-decade-old newscast and demand its return.

Radio announcer and journalist Roberto Morales Cabán said the end of Hoy en Las Noticias (Today in The News), announced on Friday, is in response to censorship by the university administration, which he noted had tried to suppress station news coverage of recent student strikes on three occasions.

He said Contrapunto, the new investigative news program proposed by UPR School of Communications Director Eliseo Colón, Radio Universidad General Manager Yolanda Zabala and journalist professor Nora Soto to replace the radio newscast, will be a prerecorded program airing once a week and will not compensate for Hoy en Las Noticias’ social contribution as an hour-long live show airing from Monday to Friday.

Colón announced Friday that personnel from Hoy en Las Noticias will be transferred to Contrapunto, which is scheduled to air in January.

“There is not the least doubt that this is censorship because they are preempting and limiting the space journalism students use for their practice,” Morales said. “It’s not the same having a [directly transmitted] daily program than one that is prerecorded and controlled.”

Puerto Rican Journalism Students Association President Laura Quintero regretted the elimination of one of the most important workshops for members of the organization to acquire their first professional experience.

“Radio Universidad, as well as Diálogo, has been, for many years, a laboratory that has allowed students to grow in the journalism field,” she said.

Journalism professor Norma Valle, one of the creators of Hoy en Las Noticias in 1988, highlighted the journalistic excellence of its reporters, including the work of journalist Natalia Ramos Malavé, who was nominated to the prize of best explanatory news report from the Puerto Rico Overseas Press Club.

Puerto Rico Journalism Association President Rafael Lenín López sent a letter to Colón expressing dismay over the cancelation of the newscast, calling it an “indispensable workshop” for the island’s journalists.

“Given that [the newscast] is so dear to our members and their audience and because public radio processes, more than at any other place, should be public and transparent, we demand an explanation and justification for Hoy en Las Noticias,” López says in the letter.

In a letter sent to López, Colón denied that censorship was behind the cancelation of the newscast, saying the move was made to increase the station’s audience. He said that after a “careful and thoughtful analysis,” the station decided to develop a weekly one-hour program that will carry out “exhaustive news reports and in-depth interviews.”

“This project is being done with a view to the future expansion of Radio Universidad’s News Department, and takes into account... the continuous development of journalism skills and knowledge,” he wrote, saying the news department was reorganized for the purpose of developing in-depth reports.

Colón said Soto returned to her teaching post at the School of Communications to integrate students to the new radio program. During the next two months, he said, reporters and journalism students will participate in workshops on investigative journalism given by experts in the field, including journalist and attorney Oscar Serrano, cofounder of the nonprofit Center for Investigative Journalism at Inter American University.

“The new program will be placed at an hour when the ratings show that it would have the best opportunities to reenforce and expand its audience, which in past years has shown a dramatic decrease,” Colón wrote, adding that Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding for the station depends on the station improving its community reach and base of donors.

Morales said, however, that public stations are not measured by audiences. His allegations are consistent with broadcast radio principles established by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission in the 1940s, reserving the 88 to 92 megahertz band for public and non-commercial stations offering content aiming for the common good.

“Still, the information I have confirms that the news show is among the first,” said Morales, who also questioned the use of Arbitron ratings, developed for commercial radio but not for public radio stations such as Radio Universidad.

Curacao Independence Declaration presented to Netherlands Queen Beatrix

***** Amigoe

WILLEMSTAD — PS chairman and States member Melvin Cijntje presented the declaration of independence of Curaçao from his party to Queen Beatrix this morning during a meeting with the Royal family and the members of the States. The Dutch Minister Piet Hein Donner (Kingdom Relations, CDA) received the declaration. The declaration dates from July 2nd last when PS-leader Helmin Wiels, who was not present at the meeting today, read it. Among other things, the declaration states that Curaçao has been living under the colonial flag for three centuries and that all means – locally and internationally – will be used to realize an independent Curaçao. According to Cijntje, the party wants to present the declaration during all possible meetings, to declare ‘the endeavor of the Curaçao people for independence’.

INDONESIAN POLICE ARREST HUNDREDS AT PAPUA GATHERING

‘People’s Congress’ ends in beatings, chaos
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (Radio New Zealand International)

 

 Indonesian police have detained hundreds of delegates from the the Third Papuan People’s Congress which ended in chaos on Wednesday in Papua’s provincial capital Jayapura.

The arrests came after security forces opened fire to disperse people at Taboria Oval, where this major congress on Papuan self-determination aspirations took place.

Johnny Blades reports, "The detainees include the Customary Council Chairman Forkorus Yoisembut, who was proclaimed as President of the State of West Papua. Immediately after he read a declaration of independence, police and military opened fire and stormed the stage to begin mass arrests."

Pacific Islands Reported noted that Indonesian military troops reportedly fired on participants in the Papuan Peoples' Congress two days ago, and while casualties have been reported, how many people have been shot is unknown. Military leaders have said the shots were warnings and denied injuries or death.

"Reports emerging from Papua say between 300 to 800 arrests were made. Witness accounts via online social media networks describe beatings and ensuing panic in which hundreds fled. Many delegates remain missing. Police say they fired shots to disperse people committing violations such as raising the Papuan Morning Star Flag," according to Blades.

Bonaire protests during Dutch officials short visit

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picture by Edsel Sambo Amigoe.com KRALENDIJK — De emoties laaiden even hoog op tijdens het bezoek van de Tweede Kamerleden aan Bonaire. Ze werden opgewacht door demonstranten, die tevens het Passangrahan met leuzen hadden besmeurd. The demonstrators had signs with slogans, protesting against the current situation on the island. Everything has become more expensive and the situation has not improved since the island became a Public Body of The Netherlands. The chairmen of the parliamentary parties were on the island for only a few hours. They had cut down the visit due to a debate on the Euro top, scheduled for Saturday in The Hague. Not only did the parliamentarians speak with the Board of Governors in the Administrative Office, but also with youngster’ representatives from several organizations, Radio Netherlands World Broadcast reported. Melanie Soliana was one of the youngsters allowed to speak with the parliamentarians. “It was only this week that I heard I was allowed to speak with them. That didn’t leave us much time so we were unable to raise every issue, which is a pity. Many things have changed due to the new situation. The prices have gone up, there’s more crime and that causes stress within families.” Protest The chairmen of the parliamentary parties appreciated the youngsters’ meeting. “We haven’t had such a meeting on any island and the youngsters give energy,” Chamber chairperson Gerdi Verbeet stated enthusiastically. “It’s beautiful to learn what they are doing and what their plans are.” Melanie thinks the parliamentarians now have a better idea of what’s happening on Bonaire. “I believe we could have given more details if we had had more time.” Several dozen protestors carrying signs were chanting slogan, when the chairmen of the parliamentary parties left the Administrative Office. The latter took the time to talk with the protestors. One Bonairean, who was especially concerned about the Dutch laws on euthanasia and the homo marriage, unexpectedly met a supporter, the Christian Chamber member Kees van der Staay. “It may surprise you, but we of the SGP also oppose this,” the SGP-member said. “I am not seated in the government, but I’m a delegate of the people also on your behalf, so I will convey this message when I return to The Hague.”

Guam Legislature to conduct Forum on Decolonization

 LEGISLATURE TO HOST DECOLONIZATION FORUM 

Pacific Islands Report 

By Therese Hart

Marianas Variety

HAGÅTÑA, Guam (Marianas Variety, Oct. 26, 2011) – The Legislature, in collaboration with the University of Guam (UOG), will host a forum on Guam’s quest for decolonization on Friday, Oct. 28 in the Legislature’s session hall from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Speaker Judi Won Pat yesterday said she looks forward to the dialogue, and her hope is that the forum will further solidify the determination of Guam’s people to realize a dream that has been kept alive, generation to generation.

The forum will feature speakers Dr. Carlyle Corbin, an international advisor on governance and self-determination, and Dr. Robert Underwood, former congressman and current president of UOG.

Included in the program are perspectives from the legal community presented by a panel that includes former Chief Justice and current Vice Speaker Benjamin J.F. Cruz, in addition to Attorneys Julian Aguon, Leevin Camacho, and Therese Terlaje.

"As we move forward, we realize that there are those who do not wish us to achieve self-determination. As a person who comes from a unique indigenous people, I believe that as we move forward, we will encounter more resistance, but we must prevail; failure is not, and never was, an option. Believe me, we will prevail," said Won Pat.

Counteractive dialogue, which could be misconstrued, does promote lively debate, but even those who have fought for Guam’s political self-determination know this is part of the process, said Won Pat.

[Pacific Islands Report editor’s note: As the Westernmost U.S. soil in the Pacific, Guam today remains a strategic outpost for the U.S. military. In 1949, U.S. President Harry S. Truman signed the Organic Act making Guam an unincorporated territory of the United States with limited self-governing authority and granting American Citizenship to the people of Guam.]

The Speaker and her colleagues are encouraging and inviting the island community to participate in the forum. "This is the opportunity for our community to hear from a world-renowned speaker of the challenges we on Guam and other colonized indigenous natives experience, and the tools we need to move forward."

During the "Second International Decade For The Eradication Of Colonialism" held in Nouméa, New Caledonia in May 2010, Dr. Corbin spoke about the United Nations’ responsibility in recognizing the existence of the international mandate of the integration of the non-self-governing territories in the work of these organizations, and devising ways and means of implementing that mandate.

"The extent of participation of the territories in these UN bodies is not as extensive as it could be, owing mainly to insufficient awareness on the part of the territories regarding their eligibility to join such UN bodies," said Corbin in his speech.

Corbin also said many of the agencies do not consider the participation of the territories a priority, despite annual resolutions of the General Assembly 13 and the Economic and Social Council requesting that the issue be taken up in the governing councils of these agencies.

"Thus, when the Secretary-General makes his annual request for information from the specialized agencies on their assistance programs to the territories, only a few agencies reply. Even a number of agencies which include territories in their programs do not reply," said Corbin.

The international advisor said a better approach needs to be found for the UN system "to acquire this important and relevant information."

He said: "The direct participation of the territories in the UN system provides the territories with access to the dialogue on some of the major economic and social issues facing the sustainable development of small island countries. Equally as important, it provides them with essential exposure to the international dialogue, and the developmental space to enhance their capacity building."

Corbin said the support for principles of self-determination and decolonization by the General Assembly is useful, "but it is the support for such tangible assistance, such as the participation in the technical work of the UN system, that is equally important to the development process of the territories in a globalized world. Flexibility must be shown by member states if these territories are to be adequately prepared to assume increasing levels of self-government."

Marianas Variety: www.mvarietynews.com

Legacy of Frantz Fanon honoured at Casa de las Americas

Havana’s Casa de las Americas to Honor Legacy of Martinican Frantz Fanon

Thursday, 20 October 2011 06:34

Havana, Cuba, Oct 20.- The life and work of Martinican intellectual Franz Fanon
(Black Skin, White Masks) will be the focus of a colloquium to be held
at Havana’s Casa de las Americas cultural institution, on the occasion of
the 50th anniversary of his death.

The meeting, entitled "Topicality of Frantz Fanon: towards renewed humanism,"  is part of the cycle Caribbean Social Thinking, and will take place from October  24th through the 28th, highlighting the humanism of the author and his proposal  to decolonize knowledge, the Prensa Latina news agency reported. Participating in the event will be renowned researchers and academicians  from Latin America and Europe, among them Professor Jacky Dahomay  (Guadeloupe-France); Emeritus Professor Denis Diderot, from the University  of Paris; Algerian Tassadit Yacine Titouh, director for studies of the School  of Social Sciences and a researcher with the Social Anthropology Laboratory;  and the president of the Frantz Fanon Foundation, Mireille Fanon-Mendes  (France). Cuba will be represented, among others, by Yolanda Wood, director of Casa’s  Center for Caribbean Studies; Roberto Fernandez Retamar, writer, University  of Havana professor and president of Casa de las Americas; sociologist Aurelio  Alonso, philosopher, professor and essayist Rafael Rodriguez; Felix Valdes,  a researcher with the Institute of Philosophy of Cuba’s Academy of Sciences;  and historian Digna Castañeda. Organized by Casa de las Americas in cooperation with the Frantz Fanon  Foundation, the colloquium has the support of the UNESCO, the Alliance  Française, the French Institute, and the embassy of that European nation. (ACN).

A Review of “Defrosting the Self-Determination Imagination: The Trajectory of Right Under International Law.”

***** 

by

The Drowning Mermaid

This past Wednesday, attorney Julian Aguon gave a presentation regarding Guam’s self-determination. He titled it, “Defrosting the Self-Determination Imagination: The Trajectory of Right Under International Law.” 

Aguon is an internationally trained lawyer, who has long advocated for this island, even when many of the people who are from here have turned their noses up at him, assuming he is too young to understand the issues he has dedicated his every waking moment to understanding. His list of accomplishments is overwhelming; and it’s apparent that he has put the time and work into developing a well-informed, credible position regarding Guam and the right of self-determination. His perspective is sought after both nationally and internationally. 

He is flown all over the world to enlighten people on this issue. Ironically, our island rarely provides him with a space in which he can share his knowledge with the people who need it most, us, the people of Guam. For too long, the island has been afraid of anything that deviated from the truly limited understanding we currently have of our inalienable right to determine our own futures.

Please read the comprehensive analysis and observations of the presentation here.  

View Attorney Julian Aguon's full presentation here.

Saba protests conditions of new political status

*****

Daily Herald

Sint Maarten

Silent protesters strike thoughtful tone with Dutch parliamentarians

SABA--Some forty Sabans of all social backgrounds and ages turned out at Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport early Saturday morning to greet in silent protest the visiting president and parliamentary group leaders of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament.
Participating parliamentary group leaders Stef Blok (VVD), Job Cohen (PvdA), Sybrand van Haersma Buma (CDA), Alexander Pechtold (D66), Jolande Sap (GroenLinks) and Kees van der Staaij (SGP) hold varied levels of local knowledge, with some visiting the islands for the first time and others having been closely involved in Kingdom relations over the years.

The silent protest, with a large number of placards carrying messages of frustration, was an unprecedented first action of its kind from the small island community known for its stoicism.
If Sabans had acknowledged themselves shy in representing their views and rights publicly in the past. Saturday's protest proved their ability to stand up.

Many European Dutch residents joined the silent protest, which sidelined thoughts of this being a clash of cultures. It reaffirmed the problems as being pressing, basic, tangible frustrations compounded by broken communication and perception of lacking trust or care.

Tense moments passed until the delegation, greeted by Governor Jonathan Johnson and Kingdom Representative Wilbert Stolte, entered the crowd of gathered protesters. President of Parliament and delegation leader Gerdi Verbeet led the way with parliamentary group leaders following on cue.

Instead of whizzing away from the unscheduled welcoming party, each member of the delegation approached the protestors and held conversations about their grievances, the very purpose of their visit achieved in a most direct interaction.

The delegates took the time to speak directly, in what appeared most natural and genuine concern for what people had to say.
The protesters' placards read "Show us that you really care" and "We demand respect," messages taken seriously by the visiting politicians. Many of them stopped to talk to locals about what they meant by their signs asking, "We do belong to Holland, right?" or "Sabans, second class citizens."

The politicians paid attention to the many protest signs related to healthcare problems, the issue of putting a price on the lives of Sabans, and playing cost-efficiency games endangering the lives of locals. The unscheduled moment was described on all sides as a thoughtful interaction.

PvdA leader Cohen said the current situation in which Sabans had to refer to various ministries in The Hague was "absurd."
Several ministers are keeping Sabans at an arm's length. D66 leader Pechtold said it was a "disgrace" that the Executive Council's efforts for consultations with the Health Minister had been in vain.

The visiting parliamentarians were confronted with emotional appeals during a meeting with some 200 Sabans later in the afternoon.

Kingdom Representative Wilbert Stolte also was criticised. He had been mainly in Bonaire and hardly ever had been seen in Saba, which was "worrisome," according to VVD fraction leader Blok.

Guam Public Forum on Decolonization

Paramount Chief of American Samoa joins the ancestors

  *****

 Secretary of Samoan Affairs, Paramount Chief Tufele Li'amatua dies in Honolulu at 71

Samoa News 

Secretary of Samoan Affairs Tufele Li'amatua, the first elected lieutenant governor of the territory and a Manu'a Paramount Chief, passed away yesterday morning in Honolulu at the age of 71. The cause of death is unknown. Rep. Pulele'iite Tufele confirmed to Samoa News the death of his father and it came after Samoa News received word about the passing of this great traditional and government leader, who had left the territory several weeks ago with his wife to attend the world summit of "Christian Government Leaders" from around the world hosted by All Nations Convocation Jerusalem, held Sept. 28-Oct. 12 in Jerusalem. Pulele'iite said this is a very difficult situation faced by the family... Fili Sagapolutele [+]

University of Guam public forum for discussions on self-determination with international experts

*****

A Public Forum examining Political Decolonization will be held at the University of Guam Lecture Hall on October 19th, 2011 from 5:30 to 8:30 PM.

Papers will be presented by  Dr. Carlyle Corbin, United Nations Advisor and Internationally Recognized Expert on Decolonization, on "The Role of the United Nations in the Self-Determination Process" and Attorney Julian Aguon, Guahan Coalition for Peace and Justice, on "Defrosting the Self-determination Imagination: The Trajectory of Right Under International Law."

"No Effort Should Be Spared to Fulfil Dream of All Peoples to Self-Determination" - Lesotho tells U.N. Fourth Cmt.

General Assembly GA/SPD/478

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

Sixty-sixth General Assembly

Fourth Committee

2^nd Meeting (PM)

Calling Decolonization ‘One of Most Defining Issues’ of Twentieth Century,

Committee Chair Urges End to Colonialism for Non-Self-Governing Territories

Decolonization was one of the most defining issues of the latter part of the twentieth century, and the untiring efforts of United Nations had ensured that nearly all of the world’s population no longer lived under colonial rule, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) was told as it began its annual general debate on that issue.

However, that task was not yet complete, the Committee’s Chair, Simona Mirela Miculescu (Romania), told delegations as Member States were urged to continue their common endeavour to bring an end to colonialism for the remaining 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories on the United Nations list.

No effort should be spared in ensuring that the numerous United Nations resolutions on decolonization were implemented and that the dream of all peoples to self-determination was fulfilled, Lesotho’s representative said.  Regarding one such Non-Self-Governing Territory, Western Sahara, he supported the mediation efforts of the Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy and urged the parties to commence formal negotiations without delay, saying that the time for concluding that issue was long overdue. 

He also called for allocation of adequate financial resources for the Special Committee on Decolonization within the regular budget, and appealed to that Committee to craft tailored solutions that took into account the varied circumstances involved.  Administering Powers must evince renewed political will to end colonialism and to show good faith in negotiations, and adequate funding should be provided to the Department of Public Information to disseminate information to local populations on the available political options.

Chile’s representative, on behalf of the Rio Group, urged resumption of negotiations regarding the Malvinas islands to find a peaceful and definitive solution as soon as possible to that dispute, as well as to the questions of sovereignty over South Georgias and South Sandwich islands, and the surrounding maritime areas.

He further said that the actions of the United Kingdom in exploring and exploiting hydrocarbons in areas of the Argentine continental shelf ran counter to General Assembly resolution 31/49, which called on the parties to avoid unilateral modifications to the Territory before a resolution could be reached.

Also on that issue, Argentina’s representative said that further delay of the application of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples was a continuing source of a lack of harmony, created “a dangerous situation” in various parts of the world, and posed a threat to international peace and security.  The sovereignty dispute in the Malvinas islands was an impediment to the promotion of world peace and cooperation.

It was a “peculiar and particular colonial situation”, he said, since there was not a subjugated population in the South Atlantic, but rather British subjects whose situation had not changed since the United Kingdom had put them there.  Thus, there existed a colonial situation, but not a colonized people.

Countering that claim, the United Kingdom’s representative said his country’s relationship with the Territories it administered was based on the choices of the people, and that it would not force populations into independence.  Where they wished to keep the link, the British Government would assist the Territories with development and good governance, according to the specific conditions of each Territory.

He stressed that good governance was the central theme in the United Kingdom’s engagement with Territories.  Where Territories were felt to fail in that area, the issue would be addressed and occasionally intervention would take place, such as had been the case with the Turks and Caicos Islands.  Milestones had been identified that must be attained before the Islands were able to return to elected Government, and a new Constitution that would underpin good governance had been completed.

Also speaking today were the representatives of Egypt, Uruguay, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Nicaragua, China, Comoros, Brazil and Benin. Speaking in exercise of the right of reply were the representatives of the United Kingdom and Argentina.

The full press release is available here.