HC Deb 06 March 1979 vol 963 cc1217-26

Motion made, and Question proposed, That this House do now adjourn.—[Mr. Graham.]

9.39 p.m.

Miss Joan Lestor (Eton and Slough)

I do not intend to delay the House for long. I am anxious to pursue an interest that developed while I was occupying a similar position to my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, when I had the opportunity to visit the islands of the New Hebrides in the Pacific. The House will be aware that the New Hebrides is a condominium under the control of France and Britain. I carried out this visit with a French Minister. Certain assurances were given in good faith by myself on behalf of the British Government and by the French about the road to independence that would be followed by the people of the New Hebrides.

Looking at history before and since then, it would be true to say that no colonial people seeking independence from a governing Power have had more difficulty than the people of the New Hebrides. I have already mentioned the essence of their difficulties. They are unique in the annals of decolonisation. The New Hebrides condominium is administered by two countries—Britain and France.

The contemporary history of the New Hebrides is not very happy and feelings of suspicion and mistrust among the people are profound. That is why I am raising the matter tonight. I hope and believe that my hon. Friend will give me the assurances that I seek.

I do not believe that it is too late for the British Government to retrieve the situation and to move peaceably towards independence for the New Hebrides. Undoubtedly, mistakes have been made on both sides but much of the misunderstanding that has arisen has had as its genesis the marked failure of the British and French Governments fully to appreciate the importance which the people of the New Hebrides attach to their land. The whole question of land is the basis of their society. The Pacific peoples regard land as fundamentally bound up with their existence. They regard the Western concept of land as a commodity as wrong and completely immoral.

The British have been in the Pacific for more than a century and history shows that we have consistently failed to grasp this situation. The whole Banaban question and the relationship with the Ocean Islands demonstrates this misunderstanding about land. It was Britain's insensitivity to the deeply held principles on land and the attitudes and opinions which flow from that concept which originally provoked the lack of confidence in British and French intentions on independence. For example, the Independence Party, or VP—I met its representatives in 1965—achieved a majority of votes cast in the condominium's first election. Such was the lack of confidence in future independence and doubt that it would ever take place that that party's representatives refused to take their seats, declared a system of UDI and set up a provisional Government.

Last June, following the appointment of a one-time policeman, Mr. George Kalsakau, as Chief Minister, the VP, as the majority party, participated in the electoral reform conference. Under Mr. Kalsakau's chairmanship, agreement was reached for a timetable for independence, the timetable needs to be spelt out and reasserted.

The VP abandoned its UDI at that time as an act of faith and was prepared to follow the road to independence. However, the Assembly rejected that, despite the promises that were made. That decision was upheld by the British and French Governments. I am not sure of the reasons for that, and I hope that the Minister will elaborate upon them. That decision has sown the seeds of distrust and suspicion among the people of the New Hebrides.

At the time that I visited the islands, the people believed that they would be moving rapidly towards independence. I had no idea then that in 1979 I would still be asking what had happened to the commitments that I was authorised to give.

Following more talks, a Government of national unity has been formed. The Independence Party, the VP, is participating in that Government. Assuming that events have been misinterpreted, the British Government should show that they will not allow the vested interests of various people and bodies in the condominium to frustrate the move to independence. Many in the New Hebrides fear that that will take place. The Government should give every assistance to the pre-independence Government to regain land for the people, much of which was obtained by devious methods. Britain should do all that it can to impress its will with regard to independence and the acquisition of land from the French.

The British Government should provide a timetable and a date for independence for the New Hebrides. The people are not undecided about independence—the decision has been made. If the belief in the integrity of the British Government is to be retrieved, we must act as I have suggested to ensure that the islands move rapidly towards independence.

9.47 p.m.

Mr. Christopher Price (Lewisham, West)

I am grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Eton and Slough (Miss Lestor) for allowing me a moment or two in the debate. It is to be welcomed that, after many years of dithering and delay, there is general agreement between the British and French Governments to move rapidly towards independence for the New Hebrides. I regret that, although this will be the last British dependency in the Pacific, the French intend to retain New Caledonia and French Polynesia as autonomous or dependent territories in one form or another and that therefore the whole of the Pacific will not become independent when the New Hebrides gains independence.

I should like to add my tributes to the efforts of the Vanuaaku Party. It has struggled over many years to make possible independence and its efforts mean that independence will be gained some years before it would otherwise have been possible.

I should like to make a few points about independence that I hope that the Minister will be able to clarify.

All the newly independent countries in the Pacific—the Gilbert Islands, Tuvalu and the Solomon Islands—have real economic problems and I hope that the economic arrangements made for the independence of the New Hebrides will enable it to become genuinely economically independent and not so dependent upon the French companies operating in New Caledonia that political independence is not a reality.

I also hope that it has been agreed that the franchise can start at the age of 18 and that all those aged over 18 will be able to vote. That has been strongly urged by the Vanuaaku Party. It is the position in the United Kingdom and it would be hypocritcal to deny the franchise at 18 to those in the New Hebrides.

I hope that after independence the New Hebrides will become a force for unity in the Pacific. The tragedy of Africa, the Pacific, the Caribbean and many other ex-colonial areas of the world is that they are divided on a linguistic basis, which often turns out to be a political basis as well, and the people cannot communicate with each other. There is, unhappily, a deep linguistic division between the various parties in the New Hebrides. There are more bilingual people—speaking English and French—in this group of islands, as a result of the bizarre nineteenth century political arrangements, than there are anywhere else in the Pacific. I hope that in terms of educational institutions and other arrangements, that situation will not be a disadvantage but will be used to serve the whole Pacific so that the New Hebrides can be a centre in which the French-speaking and English-speaking people of the area can meet and create greater unity.

9.52 p.m.

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Edward Rowlands)

I am grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Eton and Slough (Miss Lestor) for initiating the debate, since the House seldom has the opportunity to hear of the affairs of this small and dependent territory which enjoys unique condominium status and which is shortly to take its rightful place in the world as an independent State. It is sad that we do not spend time, even at this hour, discussing such issues. Special thanks are due to my hon. Friends the Members for Eton and Slough and for Lewisham, West (Mr. Price).

An extra tribute should be paid to my hon. Friend the Member for Eton and Slough for the important contribution that she made towards the achievement of self-determination while she exercised ministerial responsibility for the territory. The events that she set in train in November 1974 in meetings with the French enabled our Government and the Government of France to announce in July 1977 a joint programme designed to bring the New Hebrides to independence in 1980. My hon. Friend is right to guard that commitment jealously, and I am sure that I shall be able to confirm it to her.

The programme called for elections to a representative Assembly during 1977 and the unification of the separate British and French administrations in the territory. My hon. Friend's concern has been that since then there have been problems that may be obstacles to the achievement of the commitments.

Despite steady progress towards the rationalisation and unification of services, constitutional advancement was hampered throughout 1977 and most of 1978 by seemingly irreconcilable differences between the two principal political groupings in the territory. Differences of language, culture and religion created by the condominium system have polarised society between anglophones, who are mainly Presbyterian and Anglian, and francophones, who are mainly Roman Catholic. That only goes to underline the problems that we have been grappling with these last two years, and which I am sure my hon. Friends appreciate. The anglophones tend to support the Vanuaaku Party, which won more than 50 per cent. of the popular vote in elections in 1975 and which even now claims majority support in the country. On the other side there are a number of mainly francophone parties.

The past two years have been characterised by efforts to bring about a reconciliation between the two opposing political groups. For a period after the elections in November 1977 the Vanuaaku Party declared a "People's Provisional Government", but the Anglo-French proposals, which were announced in Vila in August 1978, envisaged the establishment of a Government of National Unity in which the Vanuaaku Party and members of the other parties would be equally represented. The Government of National Unity would be responsible for the preparation of an independence constitution, which, after completion of a census and the preparation of electoral rolls, would be approved by referendum. Fresh elections for a fully representative Assembly would then be held, leading to independence, as planned, in 1980.

Negotiations between the political parties indicated a cautious welcome for the proposals. Doubts about the likely effectiveness of the Government of National Unity were expressed by the Vanuaaku Party, which feared that decisions of the new Government might be overthrown by the legally constituted but predominantly francophone representative Assembly. It was, however, reassured by a joint statement that we and the French would, if necessary, take legal steps to prevent the Assembly from frustrating the will of the new Government, and in November indicated its willingness in principle to participate in a Government of National Unity.

In December the representative Assembly cleared the way for further progress by dismissing the existing Government and appointing Father Gerard Leymang as Chief Minister charged with the task of forming the Government of National Unity. On 21 December, the Chief Minister announced that agreement had been reached with the VP and that a Government of National Unity, composed of five members of the francophone parties of the moderates, as they have been called, and five members of the VP, would be formed. The president of the Vanuaaku Party, Father Walter Lini, was appointed as Deputy Chief Minister.

We therefore naturally welcome these latest developments, which clearly demonstrate the determination of the political parties to work together for the future good of the New Hebrides. This is all the more welcome because, as was mentioned by my hon. Friends the Members for Eton and Slough and for Lewisham, West, of the legacy of deep differences of language and culture that have existed within the New Hebrides. We must help to consolidate the vital progress that the New Hebrideans have made. We must not allow ourselves to lose the ground that has now been won.

Much remains to be done, and we and the French Government are ready to assist in any way we can. British and French Ministers meet regularly to plan the way forward: only last month my right hon. Friend Lord Goronwy-Roberts had important and constructive discussions with his French opposite number, M. Dijoud, in London. Both our Governments are determined not to allow any obstacle to frustrate our joint objective of bringing the New Hebrides to independence in 1980.

Mr. Christopher Price

Is there a target date of 1980 which both Governments have?

Mr. Rowlands

I hesitate to state a date, or even a month. I have only just returned from independence celebrations in the Caribbean, in respect of which dates and months were quoted which this House, through no fault of its own, was unable to meet. If we state dates, months or even days, we create unnatural expectations and, therefore, disappointments.

The fact that the two Governments and the New Hebrideans are committed to the clear principle of independence in 1980 is a clear and unequivocal commitment. The fact of a day or month is less relevant than the fact that the principle and commitment have been made.

I should like to answer the points that my hon. Friends raised. The first concerns the question of franchise, which was raised by my hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham, West. The present franchise age is 21 and the VP party has demanded that it should be reduced to 18, as has been stated. That is now generally agreed among New Hebrideans. In 1977 the two metropolitan Governments told the VP that they had no objection to 18 as the age of franchise but that it would not be possible to make the reduction in age for the elections of that year. The general principle and the general agreement among New Hebrideans is that 18 should be the age.

It being Ten o'clock, the motion for the Adjournment of the House lapsed, without Question put.

Motion made, and Question proposed. That this House do now adjourn.—[Mr. Walter Harrison.]

Mr. Rowlands

The Chief Minister announced in February that a committee is being set up to work out the land problem, to which my hon. Friends have referred. It is much appreciated that this is an issue of genuine concern for the New Hebrides. I believe that the spirit of conciliation that is now abroad within the New Hebrides is such that the issue can be resolved in the context of the political progress that we intend to make.

I emphasise to my hon. Friends, who rightly brought the issue to the attention of the House, that the Government and the French Government are determined not to allow any obstacle to frustrate our joint objective of bringing the New Hebrides to independence in 1980. British and French experts will be visiting Vila later this month to assist the Government's constitutional committee in the drafting of an independence constitution. Work on a census and on the preparation of electoral rolls, under the direction of British and French advisers, is well advanced. In due course the Government will present a Command Paper to the House, setting out the constitutional provisions agreed in the New Hebrides and the arrangements for putting them into effect.

Meanwhile, the process of unifying the hitherto separate Administrations continues. A New Hebrides public service has been established, and those functions for which the British national service has been responsible will be transferred to the new Government on 1 April. I hope that my hon. Friends will appreciate that there has been tremendous progress and a significant breakthrough in terms of political will and in practical terms within the New Hebrides in the last four years. I claim no credit for myself. I claim it for my predecessor and also for my right hon. and noble Friend Lord Goronwy-Roberts.

We shall continue to grant the New Hebrides a generous measure of aid. During 1979 and 1980, the New Hebrides will receive up to £6.5 million in capital aid, assistance of the order of £2 million a year for education and social services, and technical assistance.

Britain and France are convinced that national unity is a prerequisite for independence. The New Hebrides political leaders are to be congratulated on their recent achievements, which are entirely compatible with a desire to bring the country to a united, viable and peaceful independence in the course of 1980.

Question put and agreed to.

Adjourned accordingly at three minutes past Ten o'clock.