France on charm offensive as New Caledonia simmers

For the Pacific Islands, environment change, politics and stability have often been the bread and butter of any mountain.

Another popular theme was thrown into the mix at this year’s Pacific Island Forum Leader’s Meeting, which is the country’s biggest book event, and the unrest that occurred in the French overseas territory in May.

A controversial French proposal to extend voting rights to people who had lived on the islands for more than 10 years sparked deadly protests. Eleven people have since died – nine civilians and two French gendarmes – and there are still French police on the ground.

President Emmanuel Macron visited New Caledonia and, in June, halted the reform. But tensions remain high, with a growing push towards independence among the Indigenous Kanaks, who make up 41% of the population.

The French have stated that they want to clarify the situation. Officials from all 18 island countries and territories gathered in Tonga this past year, including New Caledonia’s President Louis Mapou, during a PR goal there.

Small island countries were skeptical, though, because the French had lost support after the crime in New Caledonia. Some people thought it was France’s attempt to hold onto a proper area of the world where the US and China were tussling for power.

” We’ve seen lots of nice media about the French group throughout this week”, Véronique Roger-Lacan, France’s adviser to the Pacific, said on Thursday, breaking into an ironic joke.

Her team regularly encouraged press to go during a press presentation that had been heavily promoted. She made it clear that they were present to answer inquiries and demonstrate accountability in what had been a turbulent some months, not just for France’s reputation in the area but also for New Caledonia.

The European delegation attended as a “dialogue companion”- one of 21 like places with interests in the region, inlcuding Washington and Beijing.

As an international European country, New Caledonia’s military, foreign affairs and police are coordinated by France. To many here, it looked like France was chaperoning the pro-independence president.

” Being a region in the Pacific we may think that we are part of a group of difficulties”, François-Xavier Léger, the French Ambassador to Fiji, said at the presentation. And before that, Ambassador Roger-Lacan said that” New Caledonia is France”.

These remarks sparked debate of decolonization and independence at the forum.

” In making this kind of speech, it’s not really helping the conversation”, said Reverend Billy Wetewea, a priest at the Protestant Church of Kanaky who likewise attended the conference.

Reverend Wetewea has collaborated with many of the Kanaky youngsters who led the demonstrations in New Caledonia. ” I do n’t justify the violence, but I think it can be explained through social dynamics”, he said, adding that years of inequality in education, health and social issues had taken their toll.

New Caledonia is on the United Nation’s record of non-self-governing lands- places the UN screens in their progress towards democracy.

France has been obvious it is following the steps towards decolonisation. The Nouméa Accord, signed in 1998, put the country onto a course of more independence. A more impartial New Caledonia had come over the course of a 20-year time.

Three elections were likewise tabled. In the first, held in 2018, voters rejected independence by 56.7 %. Therefore in 2020, there was a narrower win for the anti-independence aspect- 53 %. In 2021, freedom events boycotted the last election, arguing that the voting was being rushed through. Campaigning was now difficult as a result of the Covid crisis, and Maori Kanaks were still performing rituals to bury their dead.

Unsurprisingly, the pro-France part won with an overwhelming majority. The Kanaks ‘ recent conflict has sparked a new era of conflict, with France playing a role in their decolonization, in the wake of that election.

Ambassador Roger-Lacan resolutely said they are going to do everything by the publication when asked by the BBC what France could do to change that perspective.

She said,” This is the ongoing work in New Caledonia with you all in the press.” ” Things have to be portrayed in a negative way, everywhere, propaganda has to be stopped, correct knowledge has to be put to the people on this self-determination and political method”.

While France may blame the internet for not reporting their part, some below blamed France’s voice – and questioned their interests.

” They want to maintain their presence in the Pacific geopolitically]with ] the fear of China taking over the Pacific”, Reverend Billy Wetewea said.

China sent its largest-ever group to the conference this time. And the US group was led by Kurt Campbell, President Joe Biden’s Deputy Secretary of State, widely credited as the designer of Washington’s new alliance-building in Asia.

When Australia canceled a multi-billion dollars deal with a European company to build nuclear submarines in the Pacific in 2021, the situation of France in the Pacific came into sharp focus. Rather, it ratified a crucial new defense alliance with the UK and the US.

This, scientist Benoît Trépied said, altered France’s strategy with New Caledonia:” Immediately there was a great new interest of European officials in the Pacific. ]The ] colonial, imperial reflex which was – no, if we want to be powerful in the Pacific, New Caledonia has to stay French. Period”.

Despite the stand-off, this year’s meeting was successful. A prepared fact-finding mission to New Caledonia was supposed to take place before, but disagreements over who was in charge of it caused the timing to slip.

But for Reverend Wetewea, there needs to be more speech.

” They don’t consider decisions without consulting the people”, he said. ” If they make their own decisions, it will be really uncomfortable again. The children today want their voices to get heard.