And “mess”. And ” missed “. A “sadness”. The words of several New Caledonia enthusiasts were harsh, on the evening of Wednesday April 12, at the National Assembly: what should have been only a beautiful memorial ceremony has been spoiled by political divisions and struggles. to be able to.
It was a question of inaugurating a room Jacques Lafleur and Jean-Marie Tjibaou, the two respective heroes of the loyalist and separatist Kanak camps, who sealed the Caledonian peace in 1988. Jean-Marie Tjibaou paid with his life, in 1989, the Matignon agreements born of this historic reconciliation.
For the first time, the National Assembly departed from its rule which consists in naming its spaces only in homage to former deputies. The initiative comes from its president, Yaël Braun-Pivet (Renaissance). “It is wrong to say that the overseas territories are the forgotten of the Republicshe explains to Monde. It is important that they fully have their place in the Assembly. MM. Lafleur and Tjibaou show us that men are capable of climbing beyond their camp, their clan, grudges, to build a future. »
The president had invited the parliamentarians, the delegation of the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS) and that of the non-independentists, present this week in Paris for the discussions on the institutional future of Caillou, but also of the personalities of the file, including five High Commissioners of the Republic who served in the territory, and the former parish priest of Nouméa Cathedral, Jean-Yves Riocreux. The bishop was, at the seminary, the teacher of two separatist figures: Roch Wamytan, current president of the congress of New Caledonia, and Paul Néaoutyine, influential president of the northern province.
“Let’s keep working together”
The ceremony was prepared for a long time, especially with the Tjibaou family. Marie-Claude, the widow of Jean-Marie Tjibaou, indicated that she could not come and directed the presidency of the Assembly to her son Emmanuel. He did not follow up, but did not ask for the event to be postponed. Jacques Lafleur’s daughter could not come either, but her granddaughter, Laurence André-Fazi, was present, very moved. “My first thought is for the Tjibaou family who could not be presentshe said. So that Jean-Marie Tjibaou’s sacrifice is not in vain, let’s continue to work together. »
But in front of the old 4e renamed office, this Wednesday evening, there were neither separatists nor loyalists. They boycotted the ceremony. A little earlier in the afternoon, a lively incident took place during the hearing of the FLNKS delegation before the “New Caledonia contact group” created by Mr.me Braun-Pivet. For the hearing to go well, the president asked two of its members not to participate: Sonia Backès, leader of the loyalists and secretary of state responsible for citizenship in the Borne government, and Nicolas Metzdorf, deputy Caledonian (Renaissance), also elected to the Congress in Noumea. The latter did not tolerate this request and got angry with Mr.me Braun-Pivet, involving his allies in the boycott of the evening.
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