“We must not racialize events” – France on New Caledonia crisis

French ambassadors to Vanuatu and Solomon Islands refused Claims of military action in New CaledoniaHe said that “articles, comments and fake news that portray the riots as one community against another simply simplifies and distorts reality.”

On June 7, the Malvatu Mauri, the Vanuatu Council of Chiefs, held a demonstration in front of the French Embassy in Port Vila to express concern about the situation in New Caledonia – which has left eight people dead and a large amount of property and businesses destroyed – and submitted a petition.

On Wednesday, France’s top diplomat to Vanuatu, Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer, issued a five-point statement, first published in the Vanuatu Daily Post, in response to the demands expressed in the petition.

Wilmer stressed that France’s actions in New Caledonia are in line with the position of the United Nations Decolonization Committee (C24) and abide by the principles of the 1998 Nouméa Accord.

“Decolonization cannot be equated with independence,” he said.

“New Caledonia remains part of France, in accordance with democratic principles and the resolute will of its people. We have consulted them three times since 2018, and they have been able to exercise their right to self-determination.

“Today, as a result of the decolonization process in 1988, New Caledonia enjoys a high degree of autonomy, with local governments and provinces having all powers except sovereign powers (such as defense, security, currency) and powers that have not been requested to be transferred (rules governing local authorities, higher education and research, audiovisual communications).”

Wilmer said the partial boycott of the third and final referendum “was a choice made by the independence parties”. But he added that the boycott did not invalidate the referendum.

“The United Nations did not question the legitimacy of the vote, and independent parties participated in the subsequent general elections.”

Pacific Islands Forum expresses concern over situation in New Caledonia and says it is ready “To provide a neutral space for all parties to come together in the spirit of the Pacific Way”.

Henry Puna, former secretary general of the Pacific Islands Forum, also called on France to “rude” Kanak customs on the eve of the third referendum.

The Melanesian Spearhead Group and the Vanuatu Government also issued a statement calling for “There is an urgent need to … discuss the way forward”.

“These events could have been avoided if the French government had listened,” MSG chairperson and Vanuatu Prime Minister Charlot Salwai said in a statement last month.

But Wilmer questioned in a statement: “What can we say to those who think that this process is invalid because only the Kanaks should participate, they are the only legitimate people?”

“The 1998 Noumea Accord, signed by all stakeholders, including those supporting independence, established a dual legitimacy: not only the legitimacy of the Kanak people as the first inhabitants, whose identity and cultural heritage are recognized and promoted, but also the legitimacy of other communities, ‘who reside in the territory and, by participating in the construction of New Caledonia, have the legitimacy to reside here and continue to contribute to its development. They are essential to the social balance and the functioning of the economic and social institutions of New Caledonia.’

“This is an important point: it means that, in addition to the Kanaks (41.2% of the population according to the 2019 census), it is not only the Europeans (24%), but also the Wallis and Futuna (8.3%) and many other communities (Tahitians, Indonesians, Ni-Vanuatu, Vietnamese, Chinese, etc., who together make up 8%) who have made Caledonia what it is today.”

He said the Noumea Accord also set as a goal decolonization, namely to establish “a new sovereignty with a common destiny”, adding that “common is a destiny shared by all these populations”.

He said a New Caledonian who had always lived, worked and contributed to the development of New Caledonia “was fully part of this community, regardless of where their ancestors came from”.

“We have to be careful not to racialize the events in New Caledonia,” he said.

“Many articles, commentaries and fake news have portrayed the riots as a conflict between one community and another, which simply simplifies and distorts reality.

“Since the signing of the first Matignon-Oudinot Agreement in 1988 and the Nouméa Accord in 1998, there has been a continuous dialogue between the parties, which has culminated in the creation of new institutions that transfer meaningful power to local administrations, recognize Kanak identity, promote Kanak culture, and develop policies committed to social and economic rebalancing.”

He said dialogue remained a priority for France.

“Political paths remain to be explored to continue building this ‘common destiny’ in a more inclusive and peaceful manner.

“France will continue to work with regional partners such as Vanuatu, the Melanesian Spearhead Group and the Pacific Islands Forum in the coming months to enable a dialogue that is so crucial for the future of New Caledonia.”

Unequal children

Wilmer acknowledged that “there are real differences” regarding discrimination suffered by the indigenous Kanak people.

He said the poorer living standards, employment and educational opportunities for the Kanaks “are a statistically documented fact” and that France has taken steps to correct it.

He listed nearly a dozen initiatives he said were aimed at reducing the inequalities faced by the Kanak people.

These include the redistribution of tax revenues among the provinces; executive training; mining and metallurgical policies (contrary to popular belief, the French government has no jurisdiction over the mining, processing or export of nickel; these powers have all been transferred to local authorities); financial aid for start-up companies; agrarian policies that have greatly increased the area of ​​Kanak land; and the protection and promotion of Kanak culture, as reflected in the use of the local Kanak language in the education system or the establishment of the Tjibaou Cultural Center.

Wilmer said the measures have brought real results for the Kanak people.

“The GDP per capita gap has narrowed, and the Kanak middle and upper classes have developed, but imbalances remain, as President Macron acknowledged on May 24: ‘The rebalancing has not reduced economic and social inequalities, it has even increased them’.”

“While we have made significant progress in terms of the economy, social progress or public services, we still need to do better. But it is important to note that this public policy problem is not unique to New Caledonia,” he said.

“In any case, arson, looting, blockades and violence will not solve the problem. Instead, they are turning decades of economic development to ash, undermining efforts to rebalance the society and economy for the Kanak people and destroying thousands of jobs.”

He said the petition filed by Malwatumauli demanded an immediate cessation of military operations and withdrawal of troops.

“I must make it clear that there are no military operations in New Caledonia: only law enforcement operations by the internal security forces (police and gendarmerie) to protect the population and public infrastructure, strictly respecting the principle of the proportional use of force.”

French diplomats said the rioters were armed and had looted several gun stores.

He said the roadblocks they set up paralyzed some neighborhoods and cut off access to the international airport, leaving some people running low on basic food and medicine and unable to access medical care.

“More than nine hundred businesses have been destroyed or damaged, thousands of people have lost their jobs and the damage is estimated at more than a billion euros.

“The offenders are being dealt with by independent courts in accordance with due process of law, so there is no reason to call for an ‘international independent investigation’.

“If the state, whose primary responsibility is to protect its population, had not rapidly increased its forces, the victims would have been far greater, the socio-economic losses would have been far greater, and the impacts would have been far more lasting.”