1999 Political News Archive
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
30/08/1999 - East Timor Independence ballot. East Timorese today went to the polls to choose between remaining a part of Indonesia, or moving towards independence.
September
04/09/1999 - East Timorese Vote for Independence. The Secretary General of the United Nations announced the outcome of the August 30 ballot, revealing a rejection of the "autonomy" offer proposed by Indonesia and a strong endorsement for independence. The announcement triggered an outbreak of violence by pro-Jakarta militia and ultimately led to the arrival of Australian peacekeepers.
October
November
06/11/1999 - Australian Republic Referendum. Australians vote against a referendum proposal to replace the Queen as Australia's sovereign, with a President appointed by the Federal Parliament. The result is achieved by an alliance of conservative Monarchists and liberal Direct Electionists. The result is seen as a victory for conservative Prime Minister John Howard.
09/11/1999 - 10th Anniversary of Berlin Wall's Collapse. Today marked the tenth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall - the popular measure of the end of Communism in the West.
27/11/1999 - New Zealand General Election. The ruling centre-right National Party government is defeated after nine years in government. The incoming left wing government is formed around a union-alligned Labour Party.
December
21/12/99 - New Zealand Student Loans. The ruling left wing Labor party has stopped charging interest on student loans while students are at university, creating an added cost for taxpayers which will ultimately limit the capacity for government to fund future university places.
During the second half of 1999, trade between Asian countries rose by 27.5%, signalling an approaching end to the "Asian Economic Crisis". Export trade recovered particularly strongly in Taiwan (a leading Free Market economy) and in South Korea (which had adopted exemplary Free Market measures in the wake of the Asian crisis).