Page 4-Saturday, June.14, 1980-The Michigan Daily
New Hebrides' fight for freedom
The man who would be king sports a long white
beard, a red skirt, a black beret, and a T-shirt with an
emblem that looks suspiciously like a marijuana leaf
sitting on a star. He is Jimmy Stevens (known to his
people as Moli or Chief Moses), descendant of a Scot-
tish sea captain and a Melanesian woman, bulldozer
operator turned plantatioiowner, and now the leader
of one of the world's most bizarre liberation
movements: Na-Griamel.
Jimmy Stevens and his followers in Na-Griamel
are waging a war of secession for their island,
Espiritu Santo, against the rest of the New Hebrides,
a chain of islands off the coast of Australia which are
scheduled to gain independence from France and
Britain on July 30th, 1980.
THE PRIMARY PLANK in Na-Griamel's platform
is the return of the land to the native Melanesians. In
the 19th century, many European adventurers took
advantage of the indigenous people's innocence and
bought their land for a pittance. The land on which
Na-Griamel's followers are now squatting was sold
by one such adventurer, John Higginson, to the
Societe Francaise des Nouvelles Hebrides. Stevens,
who was prosecuted for squatting, is now arguing
that these land deals must be reviewed in order to
rectify past injustices.
Despite French -and British influence, the New
%0.00
By Anne Fullerton
Hebrides remain essentially unspoiled tropical islan-
ds. Their primary crops are coconut, cocoa, and cof-
-fee, as well as taro and yams which are the local food
staples. The tribespeople still wear grass loincloths,
-carrybows and, arrows, and speak a sort of pidgin
English in addition to their many and diverse tribal
languages. In the southern island of Tanna, an active
cargo cult flourishes in its different manifestations.
The main theme of the cargo cult is deliverance from
European domination which will be secured by a
white man who will arrive loaded with goods for all.
To some, this man is the son of President Roosevelt,
to-others he is John Frum (an almost mythic
American messiah), while others believe the saviour
to be Britain's Prince Philip. Such beliefs provide a
good base for the success of Jimmy Stevens.
Na-Griamel's struggle against the ruling gover-
nment of Father Walter Lini (Vanuaaku Party) is
backed by an American right-wing libertarian group
called the Phoenix Foundation. The Phoenix Foun-
dation is led by a Carson City, Nevada, real-estate
developer and coin dealer named Michael Oliver. It
was a Carson City attorney, F. Thomas Eck III, who
drafted the Na-Griamel constitution.
THE PHOENIX FOUNDATION claims that its
support for Na-Griamel is part of a struggle against
communism. It would appear, however, that the
primary motive is their need for a tax haven. The
Foundation backed earlier similar secession
struggles in Abaco (Bahamas) and in the Azores.
In 1972, the Phoenix Foundation staked its claim to
an underwater coral reef which it would call the
Republic of Minerva. Minerva was to be a haven
from crime, drugs, and taxes and the nation itself
would rise out of the Pacific Ocean on stilts. The plan
was scrapped after it received vehement opposition
from the king of Tongo, a neighboring island.
In the final analysis, it seems that the people of
Espiritu Santo are following their white king from
obvious-European domination to a much more subtle
and dangerous submission to American domination.
And Moli, the haughty patriarch who is fluent in both
conventional and pidgin English, juggles his
sophisticated and his primitive followers with ap-
parent equanimity.
Anne Fullerton graduated from the University
this year.
Sex harassment
bila good step.
U UNTIL RECENTLY, sexual harassment has
been a problem that employees have had to
face alone. An employee who went to a superior
with a complaint would usually be told that an at-
tractive woman just had to put up with these
things. Few legal channels were open to one who
was sexually harassed.
The public and the law are just starting to pay at-
tention to the concerns of those who have been
sexually harassed. The sexual harassment bill
currently under debate in the state Senate is an en-
couraging sign that the public is beginning to take
the issue seriously.
Currently an employee who wishes to pursue
legal action must press charges through the
Michigan Civil Rights Commission or the circuit
courts. Sometimes a lower court will find that
sexual harassment is a violation of the Civil Rights
Act, but often the court will exclude sexual
harassment cases from other discrimination cases.
The Michigan bill would outlaw sexual harassment
and provide an easy legal channel for those who
wish to press charges.
The bill would not serve as a complete deterrent
to sexual harassment. Employers, wary of
prosecution, might make their harassment more
subtle, but as long as existing stereotypes of male-
female relationships prevail, sexual harassment of
some form will continue to exist.
The bill will help bring the whole issue out in the
open. Coupled with an extensive public information
campaign that tells employers and employees
about the issue and available legal action, this
legislation would be an important first step in
eliminating both sexual .harassment and harmful
stereotypesthat-aug eit.7p---------------
A lternatives needed
for today's youth
Every day, Angel Flores walks school and off the streets.
down 116th Street to Benjamin By Ma L To meet the crisis, "Giving
Franklin High School in East Youth a Better Chance" called
Harlem. But he isn't enrolled for substantial changes in the last
there anymore. He spends his per cent of black youths-from 16 two years of high school, concen-
time on a nearby corner with to 21 per cent are unemployed trating into three days per week
several friends. They listen to and out of school. the usual high school instruction
their tape cassette players, Butevenforthosewhohavenot in basic skills and general
smoke marijuana and admire dropped out, the system appears knowledge. The other two days
passing cars. to be failing. Recommending would be reserved for work or
Like up to half of New York's sweeping changes in U.S. high service activities designed ac-
youth, they don't go to school and school curricula, Council director cording to the student's own in-
they don't work. They are part of and former Universityf Califor- terests.
America's army of the unem- nia president Clark Kerr called
ployed young-nine million secondary schools "the most BUT PARTICIPATION would
strong and growing every year. neglected segment of American be optional; no students would be
BUT THE SOARING drop-out education." required to seek work or perform
and unemployment rates among Ecommunity services. This troubles
those hetween 16 and 21 years old THE REPORT cited a critical critics of the Carnegie report who
are symptoms of a much larger lapse in programs geared to in- feel the work recommendations
problem, with serious im- troduce students to the will further separate the
plications for the national future. challenges of the real world college-and success-bound
"They are not just out of school which they must soon enter. The youth from their disadvantaged
and out of the lahor force," con- final two years of secondary peers. tdnsloigaedt
cluded a recent high-level report school, according to the Council, more Students looking ahead to
on the crisis. "They are out of should allow students the responsive to the Council's claim
society." freedom to experiment with adult that work experience and cam-
The reoort, by the influential responsibilities: to acquire both munity service are "enriching
Carnegie Council on Policy legitimate work experience and opportunities for everyone."
Studies in Higher Education, the beginning of some form of
charged that American in- personal service commitment to The Carter Administration took
stitutions, and the educational their community. Instead, the note of the Carnegie Council
ayatem in particular, provide junior and senior years offer litle report in designing a $2 billion
young people with virtually no more than an extension of earlier program for unemployed youths
practical support during the dif- school experiences, with no which is expected to go before
ficult transition from adolescen- special recognition of the Congress this year.If passed in
ce to adulthood, student's impending need to its present form, the program
The Carnegie Council has assume a more mature social would allow the new Department
produced seveal landmark role. of Education to distribute funds
-analyses of college-level The present high school for special instruction and job
educational policy, but in vocational training system fails placement to junior high schools
"Giving Youth a Better Chance," miserably at that task, according and high schools in 3,000 of the
which was prepared by Univer- to the Carnegie Council. Classes nation's poorest districts. The
sity of California labor economist are out of touch with modern White House is calling the
Margaret Gordon, it confronts labor needs and almost useless at proposal "the most comprehen-
the problems of a younger moving youth into the job sive youth training and em-
population, as well as a broader market. A study of vocational ployment effort ever accom-
social challenge. The drop-out or training issueduhy the National plihed or envisioned."
as Dr. Gordon puta it, "the opt- Institute of Education suggests But it has yet to he accom-
out youth," was pinpointed in the that the main effect of such in- plished.
report as a special social struction may simply be to
tragedy, affecting too large a preserve an alternative track in Mary Leary is a reporter for
segment of the coming the high schools for students who the London-based Economist.
generation to be lightly are not college-bound. The goal
dismissed. Currently, Mperwent. isn't sound rep t qn for - She wrote this article for
o- all white young people-and 36 livelihood; it is keeping kids ir- PacifkcNews Service.-
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