New Caledonia on track for sovereignty vote

By Sophie Foster Hildebrand

Many people thought they would never see the day... but France has finally set a date for a referendum that will concern, amongst other things, the transfer of sovereignty rights to New Caledonia.

The date set is 20 years from April, but French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin says “the referendum could take place in 15 years if the legislature decides to anticipate it”.

Apart from sovereignty, the referendum

will concern “access to international status of full responsibility, and organisation of cit izenship”. Since the recent signing of the Noumea Accord, on April 29, discussions have been ongoing to revamp the political, customary, economic, and social organisa tion of Island State. After the signing, Mr Jospin said “ten years after the Matignon Accords, a new era of peace and develop ment is beginning for New Caledonia”.

Amongst its many congratulatory mes sages was one from Chairman of the South Pacific Forum and Cook Islands Prime

Minister, Sir Geoffrey Henry, who wel comed the signing which provided for greater autonomy for New Caledonia and an eventual vote on self-determination.

The historic agreement means that the RPCR, the FLNKS, and the government have finally seen eye-to-eye on the future of New Caledonia. Jospin says the document concretes “the accord they have reached for implementing a “consensual solution” to continue and extend the measures taken under the Matignon Accords of 1988”.

It also means that stability may finally be

on the cards for the state which has had a tur bulent, if not altogether violent, history. The Noumea Accord includes a preamble which describes the consequences of colonisation on the Kanak identity and affirms the commit ment, following the tenth anniversary of the Matignon Accords, “to begin a new stage in the process, characterised by full recognition of the identity of the Kanak people”.

It also prepares for the “founding of a social contract among all the communities living in New Caledonia”, and shares “sovereignty with France, as a stage in the progression towards

full sovereignty”.

The government will now begin drafting the legislation that is necessary for the imple mentation of the accord, and will submit a bill

for a new constitutional law to the President of the Republic.

Specific accords, to be submitted for refer endum by the end of the year, are being looked into, with measures to encourage the economic and social development of New Caledonia. In particular, these will concern training. The French PM said an orientation document out lined the process by which the Kanak identity will be taken into consideration in the political organisation of New Caledonia.

This, he says, includes “improvement of status and customary law, fuller recognition of the role of customary authorities, notably through the creation of a customary senate, protection and valorisation of the cultural her itage, measures concerning land rights, and the

adoption of identifying signs”. Among the

moves for greater autonomy, the institutions of New Caledonia will be modified, and a gov ernment will be designated by the legislature on a proportional basis.

He says the voting rolls for elections to the provincial assemblies will be restricted, as

provided in the Matignon Accords. “Major

transfers of responsibility from the French State to New Caledonian institutions will take place, in certain cases as soon as the new insti tutions are implemented, and in other cases in a second stage,” Jospin says.

At the end of 1998, France will only retain sovereignty rights in New Caledonia.

Everything else will be controlled within the Pacific Island State itself.