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Mission - Overview - Departments - Islands Plan
- Constitutional Review - FIDC - FLH
- FCO - RELATIONSHIP
WITH UK Self
Determination in the Falkland Islands By
Legislative Councillor Mike Summers of the Falkland Islands Government, Introduction It is a
pleasure for me to address this Committee, to represent the people of the
Falkland Islands by whom I was elected for the third time at the last
election in 2001. It is particularly interesting to be able to address you
so early in the Second Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism, during
which period you will surely be looking for new ways forward. The
Falkland Islands Government was disappointed that we were not able to be
represented the C 24 Seminar in Anguilla in May 03, because it co-incided
with our budget session of the Legislative Council. We would like to have
joined in some of the apparently lively discussion on self determination
and the development of internal self government for the peoples of the
Caribbean non-independent island states. Because, although we are not
Caribbean, we regularly discuss ideas and developments with our Caribbean
colleagues, at Commonwealth, European Union and UK Overseas Territory
meetings. It is interesting to compare and contrast the state of
development, and the similarities and differences between our styles and
methods of Government in our respective countries, and to learn from each
other. The
one major similarity of course is that we each choose not to seek independence. Colonialism A
few words about colonialism, on which subject the UN Secretary General in
his message to the Anguilla seminar reminded us that "According to
the United Nations Charter and the Declaration on Decolonization, a full
measure of self-government can
be achieved by a Non-Self-Governing territory, through free association,
or integration with another state, or independence". He also observed
that "Many of the territories have made considerable progress in
their political, constitutional, economic and social development, and have
gone a long way towards self-government." Pursuing
a route to free association with the United Kingdom is exactly what we
have been doing for the last 20 years. My
country is not a Colony. We do not feel as though we are a colony, nor
does the UK Government act towards us as though we were. It recognises
that the days of authoritarian colonial dominance and ownership are long
past. In this modern age people are not chattels to be owned or passed on
between countries against their will; they are not just part of the
assets that go with an exchange of territory. The world, led by the United
Nations, will no longer tolerate those who pursue territorial disputes,
whilst ignoring the wishes of the people of those territories. Mr
Chairman we have been fully aware of the option of free association,
versus independence or integration, and have knowingly followed this path. Self
Determination and Internal Self Government The
Falkland Islands has a thoroughly modern constitution, and an excellent
working relationship with the United Kingdom. The constitution, which was
last updated in 1995, provides for the protection of Fundamental Rights
and Freedoms of the Individual, the establishment of a wholly independent
judiciary, defines the powers and procedures of the Legislative Council
and the Executive Council, and provides the framework for the regulation
of public finances. Some relatively minor changes are envisaged to update
the fundamental freedoms in accordance with the European Convention on
Human Rights, to provide further protection to the private citizen through
the establishment of the position of Ombudsman, and to further strengthen
the process of internal self-government. For
some years now the Falkland Islanders have run their own affairs through a
democratically elected government, with the exceptions of Foreign Affairs
and Defence which are taken care of on our behalf by the UK government.
These exceptions are to a large extent brought about and perpetuated, by
the activities and actions of Argentina. And
through its continuing failure to respect the terms of the UN Charter on
the right to self determination, Argentina actually seeks to frustrate
self-government in the Falkland Islands. It tries to prevent Falkland
Islanders representing themselves in international bodies and at trade
fairs, at which we are perfectly entitled to be represented, protesting
regularly to the UK Government, and to other host governments and
organisations, about our presence. This
is absolutely contrary to the notion of fostering internal self-government
for the peoples of the world which the UN Decolonisation Committee has as
one of its key goals. We
have nevertheless hugely increased the level of internal self-government
since the war of 1982; our elected members are wholly responsible for the
delivery of sustainable development, probity, law and order and good
government that typifies our administration. The Civil Service in the
Falkland Islands is free of corruption, and acts only on the advice and
instruction of the Executive Council, whose voting members are all elected
members of the Legislative Council. Whatever may be the case in other
Overseas Territories, we do not have senior officials appointed by the UK
Government inserted into our system to determine or dictate policy, or to
run our affairs. Such persons as are recruited from outside to improve the
skills base, or deliver better quality services, are recruited by us and
paid for by us. There
is no movement in the Falkland Islands for independence. But we guard
closely our right to determine our own affairs. And
notably every member of the Legislative Council in this Government, and
every Government before it, is elected on a mandate of continuing
allegiance to and close co-operation with the UK. And equally notably,
every member is elected on a mandate of no concessions to Argentina on
sovereignty, although members are committed to taking forward co-operation
in agreed areas of mutual interest, in particular the protection of the
regions fish stocks. Argentine
Dimension The
Argentine claim to the Falklands is baseless, because it relies on the two
equally dubious and inter-reliant tenets of history and territorial
integrity. The
so-called occupation of the Falklands on which Argentina bases its claim
occurred over 160 years ago, was extremely short lived, was exercised only
by a few convicts who didn’t want to be there in the first place, and
who finally murdered their appointed "Governor" and were
removed. Whilst
we accept that a large number of Argentines do believe the myth that the
Falklands once belonged to Argentina,
it is a sad reflection on that country's approach to education and
free thinking that this propaganda is still taught as fact, and used to
generate popular support for the "return" of the Malvinas. My
ancestors, who have been permanently resident in the Islands since the
1830's, and those of my countrymen, have made the Falklands what it
is today, through their hard work, adaptability and determination.
It
is both a practical and a political impossibility to roll back history 160
years in any of our countries and expect to find happy solutions. How did
mainland Argentina look 160 years ago - a good deal smaller and less
successful than it is now that is for certain. Do they want to roll all
that back too - I think not. Reliant
on the myth of occupation is the doctrine of territorial integrity, which
Argentines also cite as a basis of claim. The notion of territorial
integrity could only apply in very different circumstances to ours. We in
the Falklands are geographically, geophysically, culturally,
linguistically and historically wholly different from the Argentines. Our
islands are 400 miles from the coast of Argentina. The notion of
territorial integrity would have to stretch a very long way indeed to
encompass us. And as our colleagues from Gibraltar observed in their
address to this committee recently, there is in UN doctrine, no such thing
as the principle of decolonisation by the application of the principle of
territorial integrity. Self
determination for the people of the Falkland Islands must be the guiding
principle for the UK, for Argentina and for this committee. It is no good
the Argentines claiming that self determination does not apply to the
Falkland Islands because the Falkland Islanders are not a people. We are
as much a people as those in Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and Chile and many
other South American countries whose inhabitants are of principally
European or African descent. The one difference in our country is that we
did not displace any native peoples in establishing our community. And
it is no good Argentina saying, as it does, that under its administration
it would respect the interests
of the Islanders; it is the wishes
of the Islanders that the UN Charter demands it should respect. The
doctrine of interests, like the doctrine of territorial integrity, is the
doctrine of colonialism. The
people of the Falkland Islands have no wish to change from British
administration to an Argentine administration. This has been very amply
demonstrated in every general election over several decades. The
solution to the Argentine problem about the Falklands lies not in arguing
about history, it lies in accepting the reality of where we are now, and
having proper respect for the wishes of the people involved. The
Future So
where do we go from here ? With
a new, and hopefully stable Government in Argentina, there is an
opportunity to move forward - for Argentina to demonstrate a new political
maturity on the world stage, by setting aside its claim to our country and
working with us to create a safe and prosperous area in the SW Atlantic.
We would then each of us be able to reduce the application of resources
from all sides in pursuing and defending our respective positions, and use
those resources to greater effect in co-operating to protect and conserve
our environment and develop our natural resources to mutual benefit. We
should be supported in this by the Decolonisation Committee, guided by the
wise words of the UN Secretary General, who advises that the Committee
should put self-determination and the development of internal
self-government at the forefront of its considerations. So
if it is the wish of the people of the Falkland Islands to continue to
develop our economy and our society in partnership with the United
Kingdom, how can it not also be the wish of the C-24, whose responsibility
it is to foster such development ? It
is the hope and the wish of the people of the Falkland Islands that the
members of the Committee of 24
will, each and every one of them, speak in support of the right of our
people to self determination and internal self government, and recommend
that in future years no resolution on the Falkland Islands should be
brought which does not include the right to self determination of all
peoples. Mike
Summers Edited
for Lyubomir Ivanov Our
thanks to Councillor Summers for allowing us to reproduce this address
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