New Caledonia, Kanaky or Kanaky-New Caledonia? Options for Self-determination in the French Pacific from East-West Center on Vimeo.
Nic Maclellan
East-West Center
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
East-West Center
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
In May 2014, New Caledonian citizens will vote for three provincial
assemblies and the national Congress. The results of this crucial
election will determine the balance of forces between supporters and
opponents of independence, and the next Congress will make crucial
decisions on New Caledonia’s future political status (under the 1998
Nouméa Accord, the Congress can decide by 3/5 majority to proceed to a
referendum on the transfer of key sovereign powers from Paris to
Nouméa). This seminar outlines the issues for the 2014 elections and
details the process required for a decolonization referendum in New
Caledonia. The presentation assesses current debates over options for
self-determination, autonomy, or independence. Since Pacific leaders
gathered in Majuro, Marshall Islands in the first week of September, the
presentation also discussed decolonization initiatives within the
Pacific Islands Forum, Melanesian Spearhead Group, and United Nations.
Nic Maclellan works as a journalist and researcher in the Pacific
Islands. He is a correspondent for Islands Business magazine (Fiji) and a
contributor to The Contemporary Pacific, Tahiti-Pacifique magazine, and
other regional media. He is co-author of La France dans le Pacifique -
de Bougainville à Moruroa (Editions La Découverte, Paris) and After
Moruroa – France in the South Pacific (Ocean Press, New York and
Melbourne).