Freedom in the World 1999 - Nauru

1999 Scores

Status: Free
Freedom Rating: 2.0
Civil Liberties: 3
Political Rights: 1

Overview

Nauru officially became a member of the United Nations in July 1999. China tried to block its entry because of Nauru's diplomatic relations with Taiwan, a major aid donor and investor in the island country. Nauru also became a member country of the British Commonwealth of Nations on May 1, 1999.

In April 1999, Rene Harris, a parliament member since 1977, was elected to replace President Bernard Dowiyogo, who was defeated in a vote of no confidence. The depletion of phosphates, the country's main foreign exchange earner for nearly a century, is forcing the government to develop alternative industries, one of which is to make Nauru an offshore banking center. However, there are reports of money-laundering activities, particularly for funds resulting from criminal activities in Russia. One estimate stated that at least $70 billion appeared to have flowed in from Russia. In December, the Group of Seven, the world's major industrialized economic powers, decided to consider sanctions against laundering activities.

Nauru, a small island 1,600 miles northeast of New Zealand in the west-central Pacific, became a German protectorate in the 1880s. Following World War I, Australia administered the island under a League of Nations mandate. The Japanese occupied Nauru during World War II, shipping 1,200 Nauru islanders to the island of Truk to work as forced laborers. In 1947, Nauru was made a United Nations Trust Territory under Australian administration. Greater autonomy was granted in 1966 with the election of a legislative council, which was responsible for all matters except defense, foreign affairs, and the local phosphate industry. The country achieved full independence in 1968, and Hammer DeRoburt, who had been head chief of Nauru since 1956, became the first president in May 1968.

Following the November 1995 general elections, parliament elected former President Lagumot Harris as president over three-term incumbent Bernard Dowiyogo in a nine-to-eight vote. Intense personal rivalries in the tiny, faction-ridden parliament led to a period of political instability. Three governments fell between November 1996 and February 1997. Following early elections on February 8, 1997, parliament named as president Kinza Clodumar, a former finance minister. In June 1998, Clodumar was deposed in a no-confidence vote and replaced by Dowiyogo.

Phosphate mining gave Nauru a high per capita income, but 90 years of phosphate mining has left 80 percent of the land uninhabitable. In 1989, Nauru sued Australia in the International Court of Justice for additional royalties for mining done during the trusteeship period, claiming that Australia has sold the phosphates domestically at below world market prices, and for compensation for the physical devastation done to the eight-square-mile island. In an out-of-court settlement reached in 1993, Australia agreed to pay $70.4 million in compensation over 20 years.

Phosphate is to be exhaust in the next 8 to12 years. Future generations will draw income from the government's Nauru Phosphate Royalties Trust, but the trust has lost millions of dollars through failed investments, speculation in the Tokyo stock market, and international financial scams. As part of the government's fiscal austerity program, parliament adopted a dramatically reduced annual budget in October 1998. The government is also carrying out a major economic and structural adjustment program funded by the Asian Development Bank.

Political Rights and Civil Liberties

Citizens of Nauru can change their government democratically. The 1968 republican constitution provides for an 18-member parliament, representing 14 constituencies, directly elected for a three-year term. Parliament elects the president, who serves as head of state and head of government, from among its members. An elected Nauru Island Council serves as the local government and provides public services. All changes in government have occurred peacefully and in accordance with the constitution, and multiple candidates competed in recent parliamentary elections. There have been ad hoc political parties since independence, but politics is based generally on personal loyalties and occasionally on issue-based coalitions.

The government respects freedom of speech and of the press. There is no regular independent news publication, but the government puts out an information bulletin. The state owns Radio Nauru, which carries Radio Australia and BBC broadcasts, and the local Nauru TV. Freedom of religion is respected in law and in practice.

Freedoms of assembly and association is respected. Workers have the constitutional right to form independent unions, but successive governments have generally discouraged labor organizing and no trade unions have formed. There is no legal basis for collective bargaining or holding strikes, and these activities rarely occur in practice. The private sector employs only one percent of all salaried workers.

The judiciary is independent, and the right to public trial is upheld. Many cases are settled out of court through traditional mediation procedures. The police force has fewer than 100 members and is under civilian control. Some foreign workers have alleged that they receive inferior police protection compared to Nauruan citizens.

Although citizens enjoy freedom of domestic and foreign travel, foreign workers must apply to their employers for permission to leave the country during the period of their employment contracts. If they leave without permission, they are likely to lose their jobs. A law requiring foreign workers who are fired to leave the country within 60 days has created serious hardship for many guest workers. Women legally possess the same rights as men, but they continue to face discrimination in education and employment.