Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# Tokelau Referendum Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea / Tokelau
inkan1969 22:36 UTC 24 Oct 2007 | Tokelau just had another self rule referendum but it failed again. I heard by only 16 votes, though. I bet they're going to keep voting and voting until they get the 2/3 majority. |
crossie 01:10 UTC 25 Oct 2007 | Smart move. When will the UN and Wellington learn that the decolonisation of such small states does't work. Niue is case in point. Since decolonisation in 74 there has been about 80% depopulation (and still dropping)which promotes a less and less viable economy and continued reliance on more and more aid. The other thing that depopulation does is create a braindrain whereby, the pool for competent and honest leadership gets smaller and smaller so you get a situation where all you are left with are corrupt imbeciles and nest feathers running the country. There is not the population to draw from to allow a viable democratic system to function, because cronistic control sets in which promotes retrograde development (eg Niue and Zimbabwe). One Tokelauan interviewee on NZone news last night said he was against decolonisation because his leaders could not be trusted and that goes to the core of the disastor that would inevitably happen. Traditionally of course in the Pacific, a balance between population and resources was acheived through a combination of warfare and migration. Just as with Niue, the imbalance will tip toward migration. To avoid the politcal warfare, the hord will migrate, the intelligent amongst them. On the bright side of that, is the environment will be the winner as in Niue (except for the deralict homes). Also what happens is the plethora of aid agencies such as the UN and SP Forum get there hands on the deconolised country and recolonise it. This is a source of great waste in the world today whereby you have an artificial global industry of largely non-productive consultancy inflicting their views on people at high cost and no outcome (eg Taro experts from Holland). Thats why the UN want Tokelau to be decolonialised so that they can recolonise it. But I could write a book about that pathetic industry and the destruction and waste its doing to the world. No; it will be a case of out of the colonial frying pan into the neo-colonial fire as it has been with Niue and other small states (look at Nauru). But I ask you; If New Zealand wants a relatively economically unviable small country to decolonise, then why are they promoting the occasional referendum in potentially viable Niue for the re-intergration with NZ? Perhaps they HAVE learnt and are just going through the motions to appease the UN were Tokelau is concerned. | 1