VANUATU - APX

colonial administration the world has seen. Two
declared enemies were sitting in each other's
pockets and forced to cooperate in a far-flung
outpost of the European empire. They finally
settled on a joint mandate early this century with
the Anglo-French Protocol (the 'Condominium',
sometimes referred to as the 'Pandemonium'),
establishing equal influence for both powers.
By far the greatest misery inflicted on the
islanders was 'blackbirding', the South Seas' own
version of slavery that continued into the early
years of the 20th century. Thousands of ni-
Vanuatu were persuaded and downright
kidnapped to work on the sugar and cotton
plantations of Queensland and Fiji, and many
never returned. WWII brought a massive influx of
US military personnel to Efate and Santo, which
became crucial bases in the Pacific War. The
country was awash with American know-how and
dollars, and many ni-Vanuatu earned real wages
for the first time in their lives. More importantly,
the islanders observed black Americans enjoying
the material benefits and luxuries afforded the
whites, and this played no small part in their
agitation for independence.
In the late 1960s the Nagriamel movement began
to attract thousands of followers, mostly in the
northern islands. Its leader was Chief President
Moses (Jimmy Tupou Patuntun Stevens), and it
was originally confined to obtaining rights to the
'dark bush', the land Europeans had never
claimed or settled. Nagriamel became
increasingly politicised, however, and petitioned
the United Nations in 1971 for an 'act of free
choice' over the archipelago's independence.
Britain and France agreed that under the terms of
the Condominium neither would withdraw without
the other, which became a recipe for inaction.
They were finally dragged to constitutional reform
by 1974-75, and as the islanders agitated for
further rights they conceded to elections.
Condominium bureaucrats could see the writing
on the sand by then - even they were aware of
the stink of colonialism in the modern world.
Independence was set for mid-1980, but amid
widespread secessions the Condominium
fractured over its inability to agree on much more
than the height to fly their standards. Anglo-
French troops could not halt the violence and
looting that broke out even in the larger towns,
and the local government finally called in troops
from PNG to restore order and declared
independence on 30 July 1980. The 1990s have
seen bouts of instability in government. A scheme
by the paramilitary Vanuatu Mobile Force to
overthrow the government and establish martial
law over a pay dispute was thwarted in 1996.
Allegations of massive bank fraud by members of
the Carlot Korman government were aired the
same year, and continuing political uncertainty
has seen the economy slow down, foreign
investment fall and the economy shrink despite
the flood of money that has washed in owing to
the country's tax-haven status. In February 1997
the government signed an agreement with the
Asian Development Bank to significantly
restructure the economy with private investment
funds.
In November 1997 Vanuatu's president, Jean-
Marie Leye, dissolved parliament and called fresh
elections. He made the decision so Vanuatu could
find a solution to its problems and because the
current government had not kept its promises.
Despite elections and a new governement in
March 1998 there was another change late 1999.
Around the same time Vanuatu was hit by an
earthquake and tidal wave which caused
extensive damage on Pentecost Island.
Getting Around
Hiring cars, 4WDs and jeeps is relatively
straightforward, and the taxis are plentiful and all
metered. Mini buses are frequent but
untimetabled; simply flag down the driver, tell him
where you want to go and pay a set price per trip.
Efate has around 240km (148mi) of sealed roads
and Santo has 370km (230mi), but sealed doesn't
mean free from potholes. Many of the roads on
the outer islands are off limits during the wet
season. If you want to island-hop it's usually
better to fly because inter-island passenger boats
are irregular.
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