Page 21 - IB June 2019

Politics

for the FLNKS, but 43.3 per cent of New Caledonians voted Yes ensure we chose good candidates.”
for independence on 4 November).
In a significant victory on 12 May, the Avenir coalition swept the Pacific awakening
board in the southern suburbs of Noumea. They also advanced Outside the three major blocs, the newest party to win seats in
in other CE strongholds in towns near the capital as well as the the Congress was Eveil océanien (EO - Pacific awakening), which
west coast of the main island. only held its founding congress in March this year.
As a result, CE party’s representation in the 2019 Congress will The party won four seats in the Southern Provincial Assembly
be halved from 15 to 7 seats. New Caledonia’s President Germain and three in the Congress. These numbers give it negotiating
is retiring from politics and Southern provincial president Michel power in the evenly divided Congress and Government, but po-
was replaced by Avenir’s leader Sonia Backès – a woman Michel tentially has greater long-term significance. Although currently
denounced as a “white supremacist from the southern suburbs” opposed to independence, the party has concerns about cultural
during the campaign. Wealthy beachside suburbs such as Anse identity that parallel those of the Kanak independence movement.
Vata and Baie de Citrons are bastions of anti-independence sup- Addressing an election campaign meeting, EO president Mi-
port, and the Backès-led Avenir coalition carried the majority of lakulo Tukumuli argued that the time had come for Wallisians
the European electorate. and other smaller communities to speak in their own voice, and
Backes’ electoral meetings featured the French national anthem no longer rely on the patronage of the European-led conserva-
Marseillaise and lots of French flags. But after winning the pro- tive parties.
vincial presidency, she said: “I will be president for all those who “We have never revolted before, so they continue to take us
live in the Southern Province as well as all those who’ve come for idiots,” he said. “We’ve never stood up for ourselves and so
from afar, from metropolitan France or from Wallis and Futuna.” they’ve done what they’ve liked. We vote for them because we’re
For Thierry Santa, leader of the Rassemblement – Les républic- scared to vote for the Kanaks, as if we’d turned into white people
ains (R-LR) party and number two in the Avenir coalition: “The who detest the Kanaks. Why should we do this?”
victory of the union of loyalists is beautiful. But it’s only the start Speaking to Islands Business on election night, Tukumuli
of what needs to be done for the future of the country. Firstly, we stressed: “We’re a community of reasonable size. There’s 30 -
must address the daily concerns of fellow citizens, but then we 40,000 Wallisians and Futunans living in New Caledonia, and
must look beyond the Noumea Accord. Together, we must find although the electoral roll for local institutions is frozen, that’s
the way to build New Caledonia in peace and within France.” no small number. Lots of people have come to me today who
were unable to vote. I think we would have had an even better
FLNKS holds steady result with them.”
After the 2014 local elections, there were 29 opponents and He thought a range of issues led to his party’s success: “I think
25 supporters of independence in the 54-member Congress. that New Caledonians have moved beyond the question Yes or
This year, the FLNKS was hoping to gain extra seats to bring the No [to independence]. Now they can think for themselves – the
balance to 27/27 or even 28/26 in their favour. Despite winning simple alternative Yes or No has limited debate in New Caledonia.”
an extra seat in the north, they failed to reach this target, with The party has been criticised as communalist, concerned only
the 2019 Congress now including 28 loyalist politicians and 26 with a section of the population. As a young leader with a PhD in
supporters of independence (under the Parity Law, electoral lists mathematics, Tukumuli makes no apology for prioritising support
must include a balance of male and female candidates, so 25 from the large migrant population from Wallis and Futuna: “We
of the 54 Congress members are women – a sharp contrast to chose this approach first as an election strategy, but second, to
neighbouring Melanesian nations). say to the other parties ‘That’s enough, now.’ For thirty years,
The independence movement also retained control of two of you’ve used the Wallisian and Futunan electorate, but that will
three provincial assemblies, in the North and Loyalty Islands. stop on election day.”
Paul Neaoutyine of the Parti de Liberation Kanak (Palika) was While supporting ongoing ties to the French Republic, EO’s
unanimously re-elected for a fifth term as President of the North- rhetoric focusses on Uvea mo Futuna and New Caledonia, not
ern Province, consolidating his party’s hold in a region that has France, unlike the largely European supporters of Avenir en
seen massive economic “re-balancing” and new infrastructure, Confiance. Tukumuli has stressed the importance of language and
including the $US6 billion Koniambo nickel smelter. cultural identity for the Wallisian and Futunan community living
In the islands, despite an improved showing from Palika, the in New Caledonia, which is larger than the number of people still
UC-FLNKS list won 6 of 14 seats. With support of 12 of 14 Assem- living in Wallis and Futuna.
bly members, UC’s Jacques Lalié won the provincial presidency. EO is seeking the introduction of the Wallisian language into
Sylvain Pabouty is leader of the Dynamique Unitaire Sud (DUS) the school system, and closer ties between Wallisian customary
party and won a seat in Congress as part of the united FLNKS leaders and the Kanak Customary. This focus on cultural identity
Sud electoral list. Pabouty told Islands Business that it was a is in sharp contrast to policies from Sonia Backès’ LRC, which
positive outcome overall, gaining an extra seat in the Congress. campaigned for a reduction in the time allocated in classrooms
Despite this, he argued there was a need for further discussion to Kanak languages and cross-cultural understanding.
within the independence movement as it moves towards another It’s too early to tell if EO will last as a force on the political scene.
referendum on self-determination. But it’s a striking sign that the large Polynesian community in
“After our successful election campaign, we still need to re- New Caledonia faces a long-term challenge: do they continue to
view what worked and what didn’t,” he said. “The first issue is support the European dominated anti-independence parties, or do
the high level of abstention – why was there strong turnout for they seek to revive the cultural ties that existed with Melanesia
the referendum, but not these elections? Secondly, we need to before colonisation? Will the islander populations living in New
honestly discuss why some independence parties, like the Parti Caledonia, from Wallis, Tahiti and Vanuatu, eventually throw in
Travailliste and MNIS, did not support our united effort, and their lot with the Kanak people, recognising the cultural ties
how we can work with them leading up to the next referendum. that the late Epeli Hau’ofa championed in ‘Our Sea of Islands’?
Thirdly, we must analyse the composition of our electoral list, to r nicmac3056@gmail.com

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