Transcript
A by-election is expected to be held on Tanna within the next two months. Mr Natuman, who was deputy prime minister before his ejection from parliament, says his Vanua'aku Pati plans to contest the by-election.
"My communities basically say that they wanted me in, and they did not like other people deciding that I should finish. Under the democratic process it's the people who decide. In this case, although an institution decided, they said we still support you. They say you haven;t killed anyone, it's just a process, so we are still trusting you and believing in you, so that's what they say."
Joe Natuman says because he is ineligible to stand in the by-election, his party will field a candidate who could hold the seat for the remaining two years of the parliament term. Unless his people withdraw their support for him, he says he would stand again for parliament in 2020. Regarding his ejection from parliament, on the ruling of the speaker, Esmon Saimnon, who is in his own party, Mr Natuman says he respects the decision.
"Yeah, the speaker was just doing his job. he was advised by the state law office to do that, and he went and proceeded, so he was just doing his duty.
Mr Natuman's conviction stemmed from his attempt to stop a police team from investigating high-ranking officers accused of mutiny when he was prime minister in 2014. He says he acted in the national interests by trying to resolve the impasse in a police force which had been repeatedly hampered by divisions in its hierarchy.
"But apparently other people in the court system saw it differently. So I accept that. That's alright. That's the normal process. But as far as political wise, and in terms of democratic process, in terms of parliamentary democracy, people decide and people remove."
Mr Natuman remains upbeat about the future of the Vanua'aku pati, which he remains the leader of. The country's oldest political party remains a central part of the coalition government, and is seeking to revive its earlier popularity.
"We have six seats, but now other people are coming to join us, includeing one from the Green Party, the MP for Shepard islands, he joined us. Anther MP who was aligned to the Iauko (yow-co) Group, an MP from Santo, Hosea Nevu, he came over and joined us."
Joe Natuman says although he's out of parliament he continues to support Vanuatu's current government, led by Charlot Salwai. The coalition government has now been in power for two and half years, no small achievement given the chronic political instability of Vanuatu politics since the 1990s.
