New Caledonia riot result of ‘stunted decolonisation’, lack of sovereignty for Pacific’s indigenous peoples: Shubhamitra Das

A map showing the location of New Caledonia. Credit: iStock

France has declared a state of emergency in an overseas territory located thousands of miles from it, in the Pacific Ocean. The archipelago of New Caledonia near Australia has been rocked by rioting over a new bill that was adopted by French lawmakers in Paris on May 15.

The legislation will allow French residents, who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years, to vote in provincial elections. This is being seen as a threat by the Kanak, the Melanesian indigenous people of New Caledonia.  

Down To Earth spoke with Shubhamitra Das from the Centre for Indo-Pacific Studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi to inquire about what factors have led to the rioting in New Caledonia. Edited excerpts:

Rajat Ghai (RG): What exactly is happening in New Caledonia?

 

Shubhamitra Das (SD): To understand what is happening in New Caledonia, you have to understand the patterns of colonisation in the entire Pacific.

The islands of the Pacific were the last to be colonised.

Decolonisation in the region started with the United Nations Declaration in 1962 and Western Samoa — a German colony later under New Zealand — was the first to become independent.

But the decolonisation in the Pacific was very different from the process in most of Africa, Asia and Latin America. It was not complete but what I would term ‘stunted’ colonisation. Most countries in the Pacific are microstates scattered across the vast ocean. They do not have standing armies except for Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Tonga.

New Caledonia is a French Overseas Territory. It is closely affiliated to Melanesia and Melanesian politics. 

Melanesians in Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and New Caledonia are closely aligned to mainstream politics. These countries have seen severe political turmoil domestically, which is a security threat for the region.

The Kanaks descend from the ancient seafaring Lapita culture. They have a very strong cultural identity and are politically part of the Micronesian Spearhead Group, one of the strongest regional groupings in the Pacific. They have been consistently advocating self-determination for New Caledonia.

The Kanaks have been fighting for self-determination since the time every country surrounding New Caledonia became independent.

The Government of France has consistently parried the question of a referendum for the self-determination for New Caledonia. During this time, the Caldoche population grew. The Caldoche descend from early French settlers in New Caledonia. They came during the period when France used the island as a penal colony and eventually their numbers grew and they developed a distinct identity, unlike the original inhabitants — Kanaks.

This has fed Kanak fears that they will soon be a minority in their own land and will not have a say in deciding the destiny of New Caledonia.   

The present riot has happened because the powers of the Kanak are getting further diluted as immigrants are to be granted domicile.

RG: Does climate change also have a role to play in what is happening in New Caledonia, given that it is in the Pacific, a frontline for global warming and a poster child of sea-level rise?

SD: Climate change does become a factor for rebellion whenever and wherever indigenous peoples fight for their rights.

In New Caledonia, non-native peoples arriving in huge numbers means an increase in population density on a fragile ecosystem as well as lifestyle changes. In such instances, indigenous peoples feel threatened as they feel their traditional way of livelihood that has come to them from their ancestors is at risk of dying out.

Apart from that, the present riot in New Caledonia is purely about self-determination.

RG: And the roots lie in the colonial history of the territory, right?

SD: Of course. The colonial history of the Pacific is squarely to blame. The Germans and Japanese left their colonial possessions in the Pacific after World Wars I and II. The British, French and the Americans still linger and have not given complete sovereignty to the Pacific’s indigenous peoples.

Also, the legacy of Dutch rule has been replaced by Indonesia in West Papua on the island of New Guinea. The Indonesians call it Irian Jaya. But the Mealnesian residents do not identify with Indonesia, its Austronesian peoples or Asia. They identify with the Pacific and Melanesia.

While climate change has created a strong ground for Pacific diplomacy, the right to self-determination has been considerably intertwined, especially with that of New Caledonia.