Freedom in the World 2001 - Tuvalu

2001 Scores

Status: Free
Freedom Rating: 1.0
Civil Liberties: 1
Political Rights: 1

Overview

On December 8, prime minister Ionatana Ionatana suffered a heart attack and died immediately after a speech at a public function. Deputy prime ministery Lagitupu Tuilimu assumed leadership of the country until a by-election is held in Ionatana's Funafuti constituency. The year 2000 also saw Tuvalu's admission to the United Nations as the 189th member. A dormitory fire killed 18 schoolgirls and their matron in March. The absence of elected officials at their memorial provoked strong public criticisms against the government. Ionatana's government closed a deal to lease the country's Internet domain name (.tv) to a Canadian firm for $50 million.

Tuvalu, formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a small, predominantly Polynesian country, consisting of nine atolls stretching over 500,000 miles of the western Pacific Ocean. The islands were proclaimed a British protectorate with the Gilbert Islands (now independent Kiribati) in 1892 and were formally annexed by Britain in 1915-1916, when the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony was established. The Ellice and Gilbert Islands separated in October 1975, and the former was renamed Tuvalu. The country became an independent member of the Commonwealth in 1978. In Tuvalu's first post-independence general election in September 1971, Dr. Tomasi Puapua was elected prime minister. In April 1999, parliament elected Ionatana Ionatana, a former education minister, as the new prime minister.

The primarily subsistence economy consists mainly of coconuts, taro, and fishing. Much of the government's revenue comes from the sale of stamps and coins, sale of fishing licenses to foreign fishing companies, and remittances by some 1,500 Tuvalu citizens working overseas (mostly as merchant seamen or phosphate miners on Nauru and Kiribati). Interest from the Tuvalu Trust Fund, established in 1987 by major aid donors, covers one-fourth of the annual budget. In recent years, the country has leased unused telephone numbers to international providers of telephone sex lines. Although these contracts have been controversial in this conservative Christian country, they brought in necessary income, providing an estimated 10 percent of the government budget.

In 2000, the government found another novel way to bring in revenue. A contract to lease the country's Internet domain name to a foreign firm will bring the country $50 million over 10 years and give Tuvalu a 15-percent stake in the Canadian company. Political turmoil in Fiji and the Solomon Islands in 1999 and 2000 affected Tuvalu's economy, which relies on the international shipping ports in the two neighboring countries to bring in foodstuff, construction materials and other essentials.

As a low-lying island state, just 4.6 meters above the sea level, Tuvalu is highly concerned about the effects of global climate change. Tuvalu is one of 16 countries that have ratified the Kyoto Protocol, which urges national actions and international cooperation to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.

Political Rights and Civil Liberties

Citizens of Tuvalu can change their government democratically. The 1978 constitution vests executive power in a prime minister and a cabinet of up to four ministers. The 12-member parliament, Fale I Fono, is directly elected for a four-year term. The prime minister appoints and can dismiss the governor-general, who is a Tuvalu citizen and represents the Queen of England, who is head of state, for a four-year term. The governor-general appoints the cabinet members and can name a chief executive or dissolve parliament if its members cannot agree on a premier. Each of the country's 9 islands is administered by directly elected, six-person councils, which are influenced by village-based hereditary elders who wield considerable traditional authority. Political parties are legal, but no formal parties have been established. Most elections hinge on village-based allegiances rather than policy issues.

Freedom of speech and the press is respected. The government broadcasts over Radio Tuvalu and publishes the fortnightly newspaper Tuvalu Echoes in the Tuvalu language and English, and there is a monthly religious newsletter. Although most of the population belongs to the Protestant Church of Tuvalu, all religious faiths can practice freely.

The government respects freedom of assembly and association. Workers are free to join independent trade unions, bargain collectively, and stage strikes. Only the Tuvalu Seamen's Union, with about 600 members, has been organized and registered. No strikes have ever occurred, largely because most of the population is engaged outside the wage economy. Civil servants, teachers, and nurses, who total less than 1,000 employees, have formed associations, but these do not yet have union status.

The judiciary is independent. Citizens receive fair public trials with procedural safeguards based on English common law and have a right of ultimate appeal under certain circumstances to the Privy Council in London. The small police force is under civilian control.

Citizens are free to travel within the country and abroad. Traditional social restrictions limit employment opportunities for women, though many are securing jobs in education and health care and are becoming more politically active. Although gender discrimination exists, violence against women appears rare.