Why the Republic of Vanuatu needs a "model of presidential system"

In my previous article, Imentioned that every nation in the world has their own history and the way they have evolved into republics or democracies depend on their political culture. To understand the foundation of each national political system, we must read their political and cultural history.Each national identity reveals the very deep value of each people and can give the background for why they adopted the parliamentary system (UK), the presidential system (USA), the semi presidential (France) or others system.

To understand why countries adopt different political system to govern their own people we must give an overview of the world history and follow by each nation history. I will not do it here in details because it will take a lot of writing but I will be brief on the essential to help readers comprehend my reasoning.

The first nation with a political system was Israel; the oldest nation of the world governs by God and various Kings such as King Saul, King David, King Solomon and others (Old Testament and New Testament). For example Jericho is the oldest continuously inhabited town in the world. The Mount of Olives in Jerusalem is the oldest, continually used cemetery in the world. Israel has 12 tribes with each leaders divided to better administrated their nation….They were slaves in Egypt, slaves in Babylon and scattered across the world…World war II (millions were killed) ..Return back in 1948...new creation by the resolution of the United Nation General Assembly to create back the actual nation of Israel.

Our world has seen also the rising up of four great world empire who ruled the world different with other dynasties (many Chinese dynasty and others) who doesn’t have world influence that have ruled the world. They are Babylon, Medio Persia, Greece and Rome.

The fall of Rome(the last world empire) in 476 AD create the emergence of Western Europe into monarchies …Let’s name few of them, We have for example the Anglo-Saxon (UK), Franks (French), Lombardi (Italy) and others that I do not mention which are the western Europeans countries.
The entire Europeans monarchies ventured into their dreams of expanding their territories across various part of the world by colonization or annexation of new territories. (Read the history of colonization of different countries in the world by the Europeans and you will find out more on their political ideology)

The Christian reformation and the enlightenment years advocated by great philosophers and thinkers such as Jean Jacques Rousseau, Voltaire, Engel, and others have transform the thinking of people living under various monarchies and Europeans colonies. They propose and advocated the freedom of individual right of a person that will lead to the famous French declaration of Human rights and the revolution of French people against Louis 14 in 1798 (read french National anthem..Allons enfants de la Patrie le jour de gloire est arrive).

The event will transform the cause of history of the world…the United States of America make their declaration of independence in 1776 two years prior to the French Revolution, Georges Washington and others listen to new emergence of individual freedom of people and declare the 13 colonies independence against the British colonization. They set up the Presidential system to govern the 13 colonies, 13 governors divided into district and a President of the Republic to govern the all country.

The United states will rise rapidly to defend its friends that are been colonized (Frank Delano Roosevelt and Truman Two great US presidents) have play major part in World war I and world war II which will cause the fall of every empire ideology to continue colonization. In June 1945 at San Francisco in New York, they initiate and create the United Nations. The United Nations will fight for every country to get their political independence. They set up the committee 24 on decolonization to assist nation for political freedom.

Our political fathers of independence register our political struggle for freedom starting from 1971 or exactly 1975 to 1980 where we finally win our political independence.

We came out from British and French condominium rapidly and adopt the parliamentary system without knowing that our future cause of political power struggle will give us a bitter experience within a richer experience to better develop and adjust for the betterment of our country and our people. We cannot blame the past, we must use every experiences good or bad to rebuild our country reflecting on the future possibility that God has lead us in every circumstances of our country. God appoint leaders and I do believe that every experience count to help the development of our future generation, we must be proud that the personalities of our leaders have shaped the country starting from Father Walter Lini to our actual Prime Minister Sato Kilman.
The personality of a nation will follow the personality of his leaders, great leaders have change the course of history
George Washintong, Jefferson, Abraham Lincon, John Kennedy, (USA), Mao Tzedong (China),General De gaule(France) Winston Churchill(UK), Starline(Russia), Israel(King David and his son King Solomon), Nelson Mandela(South Africa) and others countries which I do not mention..

The Republic of Vanuatu has his own fathers of independence (Father Walter H Lini and Athy Georges Sokomanu and others. The inaugural declaration speech of Father Walter H Lini, our first Prime Minister and the greatest leader of our nation on 30 July 1980 speak of itself on how they see the development of our country in a great visionary manner.

This quote was also quoted in an article “Canoe voyage towards economic self-reliance without sail and steering paddle by Winston Tarere (Daily Post)” Let me quoted it again: “…We have to face the fact that there may be external pressures on us both from large companies and foreign governments to conform to their ideas rather than our own where the two differ. This itself will be a test of their generation of spirit and the result of goodwill, of course, be a greater or lesser degree of independence for Vanuatu…In this and other tests we shall need guidance not only from God but from our own custom and traditional values. We are moving into a period of rapid change rather like a canoe entering a patch of rough water. God and custom must be the sail and the steering-paddle of our canoe”.

The vision of our founding father of nation is lay down here for the next generation of the Republic of Vanuatu. The greatest question that each individual citizen and all people who love this country to ask for himself is this: Are we passing the test? Are we standing as a nation? If we don’t stand for our values lay down in a visionary manner by the founding father of our nation which torch of independents spirit values are we passing to the next generation?

The very values are scripted in the preamble of the our constitution…”We the people of Vanuatu, proud of our struggle of achieving our political independence, now we found our Republic on those two steering paddle: The Melanesian values (Traditional and customs values of respects, ways of doing things in traditional manner, ways of life) and the faith in God with Christians values…” I paraphrased it.

Are we losing the direction of our nation set in a visionary manner to help guide our young republic? I must admit my great admiration to our two first great leaders of this country who lead our country by their faith in God(Long God Yumi Stanap by Athy George Sokomanu, our first great President whom I admire) and trust in the traditional manner of our Chiefly system (Respect is honorable by Father Walter H Lini, an national Hero for all country, two great statement must be looked at now from the visionary perspective, the two foundation steering paddle for our country and it must influenced this country and give as hope to face the coming crisis of values in the world and within our country.

I will leave you with two great quote from two great American president : “I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that his justice cannot sleep forever…the Almighty has no attribute that can take side with us in such a contest” Jefferson
“It is to be regretted that the rich and powerful too often bend the acts of government to their selfish purpose” Jackson Andrew.

Coming up next…We will write on how we will use the two steering paddle “Faith in God and traditional values” to develop our country in a new presidential system model.

>>The ideas and opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer and are not necessarily those of the Vanuatu Daily