By: Herbert Ford

Herbert Ford — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:08:33 +0000

While the appeal to Pitcairn independence in 2003 was arguably for the purpose you cite, independence (under favorable terms) has long been a desire of most of the Pitcairn people. For a couple of decades now Pitcairn has been represented at the United Nations’ biennial seminars on decolonization of the 16 or so colonized territories of the world. I was privileged to attend two of these meetings - one in Majuro, The Marshalls; the other in Nadi, Fiji - as a resource person. The UN recommends independence of all these territories, and offers three tracks toward that objective. Pitcairn would greatly desire the one of these tracks that offers the greatest hope of economic viability. Right now the Pitcairners are back-and-forthing it with their British appointed governor (who sits in office some 3,500 miles from Pitcairn Island) relative to a Constitution, which the UK will hold up as a leap “toward” independence for the Pitcairners. In the end, though, what the Pitcairners want in that document and the governor does not will be what the governor wants. It will be the same old “same old” lack of independence as far as the Pitcairners are concerned, even though its publication will require formal “acceptance” by the Island Council. Though not the colonalism of the 19th century, what Pitcairn will get from the UK in the 21st century is far, far short of the independence they have long desired.
- Herbert Ford, director, Pitcairn Islands Study Center, pitcairnstudycenter.org.

Comments on: Pitcairn

By: Herbert Ford