New Caledonia’s future still in melting pot

Press, 26 October 1982, Page 12

New Caledonia’s future still in melting pot

By

ROY VAUGHAN

in Noumea

France’s High Commissioner to New Caledonia, Mr Christian Nucci, wept on Friday as he left Noumea for home after 11 months implementing the Mitterand Government’s political reforms. Mr Nucci, a former French socialist member of Parliament, said time would tell if the reforms did good, but he left behind a somewhat divided population which several times in the last year has been driven to the point of violent confrontation. Many members of the Right-wing European-domin-ated R.P.C.R. (Rassemblement pour la Caledonie dans la Republique) party feel the polices Mr Nucci ushered in circumvented local democratic procedures. They feel that the reforms, particularly those soon to take effect to return land to the Melanesians, who make up about 40 per cent of the population, favour the Kanak (Melanesian) Independence Front. But the front believes Paris has not gone far

enough, and it regards the present arrangements as a transitional period towards full independence for the French South Pacific colony, the economy of which is dominated by one of the world’s biggest nickel mining industries. President Mitterrand last year promised New Caledonians he would implement all the reforms necessary within six months. Mr Nucci was installed to do so, took 11 months, and almost all New Caledonians now express uncertainty about their destiny. Mr Jean Leques, president of the New Caledonian Territorial Assembly, clearly believes New Caledonia’s future remains with France. He and fellow R.P.C.R. party members say the territory is too small, politically vulnerable, and not viable enough to be truly independent. Where would the money come from for schools, hospitals, other public services and defence? they ask. The R.P.C.R. governed New Caledonia for many years but this year suddenly found itself in opposition when the mostly Melanesiansupported Independence Front formed a coalition with the moderate F.N.S.C. (Federtion pour une Nouvelle Societie Caledonienne) party. “It is not total opposition, only opposition when that is necessary for the good of the territory," Mr Leques said. “We are opposed to the manner of rule imposed by Paris," he said, referring to the direct rule by ordinances which made Mr Nucci almost the sole administrator of New Caledonia. The R.P.C.R. believes it can have constructive with France’s Socialist Government. Backed up by other R.P.C.R. Territorial Assembly members, Mr Pierre Maresca, Mr Jacques

Mouren, and Mr Rene de Saint-Quentin, Mr Leques was at pains to say the R.P.C.R. first planned the crucial reforms to hand land back to Melanesian clans. Over the years, the scheme faltered through lack of finance to buy back farms from the French settlers, and, when the latest land reforms come through in about 10 days time, there is speculation that the programme will again be held up through lack of finance. "We do not object to the land reforms, but only the manner in which they were implemented and the lack of security for the land owners," said Mr Leques. The R.P.C.R. firmly believes that the oldestablished French colonists, many are fourth or fifth generation New Caledonians, should be able to keep a certain percentage of their land. The independence front wants it all back. Special committees consisting of two members of the Territorial Assembly, one from the Government Council, and eight French Govern-ment-appointed members will sit to adjudicate on land issues. The claims made by Melanesian clans have already proved long and complicated and at Yate, on the island’s east coast last March, disputing clans came to blows and traded fire from rifles and shotguns. The territory’s 20,000 or so Polynesians and South-East Asians generally support the Europeans on the land issue as they too could be forced to give up property. “You only have to look at Vanuatu to see what chaos results, from these sort of land reforms,” said an R.P.C.R. member, referring to the early resignation of a New Zealand-born land expert lent to the Vanuatu

Government under an aid Kamme to try to sort out eturn of European land to Vanuatu clans. While R.P.C.R. members tend to be French loyalists, they are eagerly seeking more regional contacts, particularly with New Zealand because, according to Mr Mouren, New Zealand understands and sympathises with New Caledonia’s problems. They express a fear that Australia may be making a bid for a big brother taxeover of New Caledonia’s nickel interests through an independent Melanesian Government It may be a far-fetched fear but Mr Leques says: “Only your Prime Minister. Mr Muldoon, has spoken out for us. Please make a point of that.” The R.P.C.R. wants to see New Caledonia’s nickel smeltered in New Zealand. Many of the party’s influential members are very wealthy nickel miners and they now ship their ore to Japan at cost coal. Nickel ore yields only 2 per cent nickel so; the party says, it makes sense to have it smelted in New Zealand using cheap hydro electricity and reducing the shipping bill. ’