Capital: Port Vila
Print | Close
| Vanuatu
Capital: Port Vila Print | Close |
|
|
Introduction Vanuatu is one of four independent Melanesian states in the Pacific. More than 100 languages are spoken on the islands. The first missionaries to go to the island were instantly massacred.
Issues
History The islands of Vanuatu have been inhabited for thousands of years by Melanesians. The earliest known settlement (4000 years BCE) was in Malo, a small island south of Espiritu Santo. Ancient pottery has been found on many islands in the north and in the centre of the archipelago. The first European to see the islands was the Spanish explorer Ferdinand Pedro de Quiros who came across a large island in the north of the group. Believing he had discovered the mythical southern continent, he called it Terra del Espiritu Santo (Land of the Holy Spirit) - now known as Santo. Captain Cook chartered the group of islands in 1774 and gave it the name of New Hebrides, after the islands off the coast of Scotland. The first missionaries sent by the London Missionary Society arrived in Erromango in 1839 and were immediately massacred. It took several decades before missions were established throughout the archipelago. From 1864, unscrupulous traders started 'recruiting' by force native labour for the sugar plantations in the Australian state of Queensland. This practice, known as 'blackbirding', didn't end until the beginning of the 20th century when most of the surviving islanders were repatriated home. Some of them stayed in Queensland where their descendants have formed the distinct community of 'South Sea Islanders'. In 1906, the French and British governments agreed to form a condominium - a unique form of government aimed at protecting the interests of their respective citizens. Under this system, the New Hebrides was provided with two resident commissioners (one French, one English), two public services, two courts and two police forces. Under the arrangement each governing country made laws for its own nationals and together they made laws for indiginous New Hebrideans and all other residents. During World War II, the islands of Santo and Efate were used as important military bases for American forces in the Pacific. The path to independence taken by Vanuatu in the 1970s was marked by deep divisions between the pro-French parties and the nationalist Anglophone parties. In 1979, Anglophone Father Walter Lini was elected as chief minister. Soon after his election, the islands of Santo and Tanna (where most of the pro-French population lived) declared themselves independent. The new government of Vanuatu - which had become independent on 30 July 1980 - asked for help from Papua New Guinea, and PNG sent troops to Santo to quell the rebellion. Tensions between the Francophone and Anglophone camps remain a part of Vanuatu's political life. The past 15 years have seen periods of instability and uncertainty in government. Government Vanuatu gained its independence from Britain and France in 1980. Before that it was called New Hebrides, and was governed by both British and French administrations in a condominium arrangement, which established equal influence for both powers. Under the arrangement each administering country made laws for its own nationals and together they made laws for indiginous New Hebrideans and all other residents. The condominium arrangement ended on 30 July 1980 when Vanuatu gained independence. The second decade of independence was plagued by political instability, with a number of different coalitions governing Vanuatu. Under the constitution, Vanuatu has a unicameral parliament of 52 members elected by universal vote for a four-year term. The head of government is the prime minister, who is elected in a secret ballot by the members of parliament. The prime minister appoints the cabinet. The head of state is the president, who is elected for a five-year term by an electoral college comprising the parliament and the presidents of the six provincial governments. A council of chiefs (Malvatumauri) advises the government on matters of custom, land tenure, and the preservation of Vanuatu's traditions. The constitution also provides for an ombudsman, appointed by the president in consultation with political and regional leaders. Local allegiances and divisions inherited from the colonial past have led to an increase in political instability in recent years with frequent changes of government. Economy Vanuatu's economy has a narrow base, relying heavily on tourism, agriculture and to some extent financial services. Eighty per cent of the population is engaged in subsistence agriculture. Vanuatu's main goods exports are copra, timber, beef, cocoa and kava, a traditional ceremonial plant used increasingly internationally for medicinal purposes. The tourism sector is an important source of income with most visitors coming from Australia and New Zealand. The other main source of income is the financial sector. The offshore finance centre established in Port Vila in the early 1970s is used as a tax haven by international bankers and trust companies all over the world. Since 1997, under pressure from aid donors and with the assistance of the Asian Development Bank, successive governments have implemented a comprehensive reform program aimed at restructuring the public sector and encouraging foreign investment. Australia and New Zealand are the main donors of overseas aid. |
 |
||
| © ABC 2008 | Close » | |
