Machoro ‘born

with his beliefs’

Eloi Machoro was seen by anti-independentists in New Caledonia as an arch terrorist, more or less directly responsible for much of the violence which has stained the country over the last few months.

To others he was a quiet, pensive, man who took upon himself much of the hard work of the independence campaign.

He was bom in January, 1949, at Nakety, near Canala, and worked as a clerk, as a farm worker, a mine laborer, and a primary school teacher. In 1977 he was elected assistant general secretary of the Union Caledo nienne, largest of the pro independence parties and in 1981, after the assassination of Pierre Declercq, took over as general secretary.

He was elected to the territo rial assembly of New Caledonia in 1977, and re-elected in 1979 on the Independence Front ticket.

Asked shortly before his death when he had begun his political career, he replied: ’’There is no point at which I took up independence politics I inherited it with my birth. ”

The Noumea newspaper, Les Nouuelles carried in Febru ary of 1984 a number of quotations from him which show something of his turn of mind: ’’What is New Caledonian

society, that Its transformation should be one of the aims of Kanak Socialist Independence?

Tor some it is a house, built 130 years ago, and comfortable enough. For the Independence Front it is a colonial house with out-buildings and a garden planted with trees. If the master of the house sometimes allows his laborers, that he calls his friends to better use them, and whom he houses in the outbuil dings, to come to the verandah and have a drink and receive orders concerning the mass of people amongst the trees, he never allows anyone to come and dirty the inside of the house which is the master’s private domain. ’The Kanak people, after having realised that history and evolution had allotted them the trees in the garden as shelter from the sun and rain, took the decision to change this situa tion. ’’The question for non- Kanaks and, above all, for those opposed to any change, is to know whether they are placed in the colonial house, or the outbuildings whether through racism or lack of fore sight, or through pride, or being blinded by short-term interests, people don’t see that what the Kanaks propose is the setting up by all of the future society

for Kanak country.”

Helen

Fraser