Posted on 06/14/2004 11:04:30 PM PDT by NZerFromHK
UPDATE - Independence campaigner, anti-nuclear testing protester and former Westfield freezing worker Oscar Temaru has been confirmed as the new president of French Polynesia.
The elevation of Mr Temaru, 59, will end the 20-year rule of Gaston Flosse, 72, a close friend of French president Jacques Chirac.
Elections were held three weeks ago and legal action by Mr Flosse to have the elections nullified were unsuccessful.
At last count, Mr Temaru, leader of the Tavini Huiraatira Party, had formed a coalition with 30 seats in the 57-member Assembly.
Mr Temaru has not set a deadline for independence from France but has talked of it being more than 10 years away.
Tahitipresse last week reported that the coalition announced plans to explore changes to a new autonomy statute in which an exclusive economic zone had been omitted.
The law gives French Polynesia the status of an overseas country within the French Republic.
Possibly sensitive about offending the French, Prime Minister Helen Clark was yesterday economical in her response to Mr Temaru's expected success.
"It looks like Oscar Temaru who has been around probably longer than I have been in the New Zealand Parliament, will emerge as the head of French Polynesia and obviously we will work with him as we have worked with Mr Flosse," she said.
She believed Mr Temaru would usher in a new era for French Polynesia and its relationship with the Pacific Islands Forum, to which it applied for observer status in 1999.
"What I think will happen is that French Polynesia will come to express its Polynesian personality more.
"The Pacific Islands Forum leaders' summits have agreed in the past year that there should be a mission to French Polynesia to look at whether the time has come for it to have observer status in the Pacific Islands Forum.
"It seems to me that this might be just one of those steps that sees a lot more interaction between French Polynesia and other Pacific Island states."
She said New Zealand had been able to develop much better working relationships with France in the Pacific in recent years "and I'm sure they will continue as well".
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters welcomed the election of his old workmate from Westfield where he worked in the 1970s as a student.
He said the power change in French Polynesia was a significant event that had been largely ignored by the New Zealand media.
Former associate foreign minister and Progressive MP Matt Robson said the election would put pressure on New Zealand to again support the "decolonisation" of French Polynesia.
Although I have a feeling that the French is smouldering FP with welfare gravy trains and given many Freepers' attitudes towards France many would welcome one of its territoire d'outre-mer (overseas terroitory) (recently changed to pays d'outre-mer, or "overseas country" within France), I quite worry what would happen if French Polynesia becomes independent. Almost all micro states in the South Pacific suffer from poverty, corruption or civil strifes (Fiji, Solomons Islands, Samoa, Tonga are some of the nastiest examples). Even Cook Islands, a NZ territory that is so autonomous that it even has consulates in countries other than NZ, has lots of financial tax scam schemes that is far from sound.
There is no good way to solve this dilemma.
To everyone, French Polynesia is more colloquially known around the world as Tahiti (yes, that tourist hotspot in glossy brochures).
Ping!
How weird you should post this. 15 minutes earlier I was looking on google about islands in the South Pacific--mostly Pitcairn and Norfolk Island.
Oh, Tahitian independence would be such a shame. It'd likely get ruined as a premier tourist attraction much the same as has happened with so many other Pacific Islands..
Ping!
How funny! Looks like a nice place to go, doesn't it? Are you thinking about going? If I had money, I'd probably do it. I wouldn't mind visiting New Zealand and Australia either.
I've been planning to go to Australia and New Zealand so I was curious about nearby islands. I doubt I'd be able to fit in Norfolk Island but it does look like it'd be cool to visit. Would be nice if I can!
Wonder if there are any FReepers on Norfolk Island?--ha, ha.
Norfolk Island is an Australian protectorate, and from what I've heard, is a beautiful place to visit. (My uncle, a Hawaiian-born, Australian-trained veterinarian who lives in New Zealand, was for years the visiting vet to the island, and he and my aunt are good friends with the author Colleen McCullough, who calls Norfolk home.)
I spent a very short time in NZ in 1968,and was awestruck by the natural beauty of the Islands, and the warmth of the citizens. I hail from central California and we have splendid natural wonders, but yours are better. I had considered emigrating for a while, but Mrs. Patriot was not so sure, so it never happened. I'm sure I wouldn't fit in now, as I don't fit in in California anymore. I wish NZ the best, and hope to visit again.
,,, thank you for that kind endorsement. Once we've got ourselves a proper government, this place will rock! As I say to all FReepers... if you're coming down this way, let me know. There's always beer in the fridge and we'll show you around our patch. You're always very welcome.
I agree, (Mr) Clark's stance amounts to some of the most outrageous examples of hypocrisy. But of course her Maori caucus will want her to recognize the plight of their fellow Maohis (the Polynesian populations in Tahiti), not to mention ol' Matt and Jim's urging on supporting decolonization...
I presume you saw the story about the worlds largest meth lab being found in Fiji?
I expect Tahiti will turn into a semi-hellhole like Fiji in case of independence, if any Polynesians suddenly found out scapegoating is a good sport. Flosse isn't a good man either: he is ruthlessly corrupt (he was ousted back in 1987 because of allegations of misappropriating funds, and was brought to court a few years back on another corruption charge) and NZ and Australian politicians call him "King of the Southern Seas" at his back. Rumour from Tahiti is that he was busy burning and shedding documents just before Mr Tameru was elected.
Mr Tameru is, if any rate, even worse. I heard he has proposed a universal reduction of working hours to 9 to 3 so that everyone can pick up and drop off their children to schools. But other sources say he will bring Tahiti closer to the English-speaking parts of the South Pacific and the United States given his links with New Zealand.
Yep, and it made the headlines here in NZ as well. NZ Police has arrested a couple of suspects, and of course one in my former hometown Hong Kong is now also behind bars on this case.
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