Land and Justice Party
Encyclopedia
The Land and Justice Party (in Bislama, Graon mo Jastis Pati (GJP)) is a political party
in Vanuatu
. The party was launched on 11 November 2010 and is led by MP Ralph Regenvanu
.
The party aims to produce a generational change in Vanuatu's leadership and is concerned about foreign ownership of businesses. Upon launching the party, Regenvanu -a popular, young and independent Member of Parliament- reportedly described chiefs, churches, women and youth as the four solid legs of the party. He also stated that prospective GJP candidates for parliamentary election would be "severely tested on their record of community service", to ensure that all GJP MPs were committed to defending the public interest.
Subsequently, Regenvanu said his party advocated against people selling their land to investors and thereby depriving their children and descendants of that asset. It also supported a greater use of the customary judicial system, where chiefs act as mediators, rather than the "Western" system, which Regenvanu said often implied significant financial costs for litigants. (See the article on the law of Vanuatu
.)
A month after launching the party, Regenvanu was appointed Minister of Cooperatives and ni-Vanuatu Business Development in the Cabinet
of new Prime Minister Sato Kilman
.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Vanuatu
Vanuatu
Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...
. The party was launched on 11 November 2010 and is led by MP Ralph Regenvanu
Ralph Regenvanu
Ralph John Regenvanu is a ni-Vanuatu anthropologist, artist and politician. He has been a Member of Parliament since September 2008, a member of Cabinet for most of the period since December 2010, and was the Director of the Vanuatu National Cultural Council from 1995 until December 2010.He has...
.
The party aims to produce a generational change in Vanuatu's leadership and is concerned about foreign ownership of businesses. Upon launching the party, Regenvanu -a popular, young and independent Member of Parliament- reportedly described chiefs, churches, women and youth as the four solid legs of the party. He also stated that prospective GJP candidates for parliamentary election would be "severely tested on their record of community service", to ensure that all GJP MPs were committed to defending the public interest.
Subsequently, Regenvanu said his party advocated against people selling their land to investors and thereby depriving their children and descendants of that asset. It also supported a greater use of the customary judicial system, where chiefs act as mediators, rather than the "Western" system, which Regenvanu said often implied significant financial costs for litigants. (See the article on the law of Vanuatu
Law of Vanuatu
Law in the Republic of Vanuatu consists of a mixed system combining the legacy of English common law, French civil law and indigenous customary law...
.)
A month after launching the party, Regenvanu was appointed Minister of Cooperatives and ni-Vanuatu Business Development in the Cabinet
Council of Ministers of Vanuatu
The Cabinet of Vanuatu is the cabinet of the government of the Republic of Vanuatu....
of new Prime Minister Sato Kilman
Sato Kilman
Sato Kilman is a Vanuatu politician. He was Prime Minister of Vanuatu from December 2010 to April 2011 and from May to June 2011, though his premiership was subsequently annulled by a court of law. He was elected Prime Minister again on 26 June 2011, thus beginning his first legally recognised term...
.