French Polynesia: Paris moves to end political instability
Updated
French Polynesia's political leaders have been given two weeks to comment on proposed changes to the territory's electoral system. Since its last scheduled national elections in 2004, French Polynesia has had five presidents. The latest, Oscar Temaru, returned to office earlier this month, after MP's from his pro independence party, joined with members of the Pro France party, to pass a motion of no confidence in Gaston Tong Sang, who's only held the President's office since January. But Tahiti's political masters in Paris have had enough, and next month will legislate changes to French Polynesia's political system, which they hope will inject stability.
Presenter: Pacific Correspondent Campbell Cooney
Speakers: Thibault Marais, Editor in Chief of the Tahiti Presse online news service
COONEY: Former President Tong Sang only took office in January, after a no confidence motion against Oscar Temaru.
The Pro France MP's who supported the latest no confidence motion, are members of the same political party as Mr Tong Sang.
But Mr Tong Sang was at loggerheads with Party President, and long time political player Gaston Flosse, himself a former President, who decided to join with Mr Temaru, to remove his one time protege from office.
The state of national politics might have the people of the French Territory confused, but the musical chairs has left Tahiti's political masters in Paris just plain angry.
Earlier this year, the Minister for external France, Christian Estrosi, warned that the French Government, wanted to see stability in the Pacific .
When that warning appeared to be ignored, he, joined by new French National President Nicolas Sarkozy, announced the government would be changing the electoral system in French Polynesia.
This included changes to electoral boundaries, rules of representation, and also the laws governing how allegiances between the parties must be made public.
Last week Mr Estrosi provided the first draft of the new bill to members of French Polynesia's Legislature, for consultation.
So how has it been received?
Thibault Marais is the Editor in Chief of Online News Service,"Tahiti Presse".
MARAIS: The first reports that we have is that both Mr Temaru's party and Mr Flosse's party are pretty angry or at least sceptical about this text and they think that they are changing some of the parts of the Statute of French Polynesia and we should not go back to previous statutes.
COONEY: The reason that the changes have been put in place is to change the situation where as we've just seen in the last month, another change of government, a number of no confidence motions, that point isn't conceded at all by these people?
MARAIS: Well they're saying that now that the two main parties are trying at least to work together. I must point out that Mr Flosse's party doesn't have any ministers in Mr Temaru's party right now. They're saying that there will not be any instability anymore because if you count the members from both parties that the assembly right now there are 44 members out of 57. So they're saying there is a majority right now and why couldn't we go on like that for more time. We've experienced some very uncontrolled changes over three years and the very fact that Mr Flosse's party, which is pro-autonomy, and Mr Temaru's party which is pro-independence are now trying to work together is very surprising for many people. So many people say we cannot see how this could work in the long run, that's one point. And on the other some of them are saying ok we should give them a chance and see what happens.
COONEY: And while some of the people of French Polynesia might have problems trusting their politicians to work with each other and forget the past, the government of President Nicolas Sarkozy appears to have even less faith.
The members of Tahiti's legislature might not like what's in the new legislation.
But they can't really do anything to change it.
Thibault Marais:
MARAIS: The MPs in French Polynesia will be able to make some comments, some suggestions about what should be changed in the text. But the final word goes back to the French National Assembly and the Senate ... they will vote on that text and that will be the final text.
