HISTORY
Discovered by Europeans in 1766,
New Caledonia has been a French colony since 1853. It became a
French Overseas Territory in 1946. From time to time, attempts
have been made by the indigenous population to free themselves
from French rule. The most serious of these was the Kanak Revolt
of 1878, which was only subdued after a guerrilla campaign lasting
for more than a year. In recent years, intermittent conflicts
have flared up between the Melanesians and the French, reflecting
the widely differing attitudes that exist towards the various
plans for self-government. The majority of Kanaks (Melanesians)
now support the Front de Liberation Nationale Kanak et Socialiste
(National Kanak Socialist Liberation Front, FLNKS) created in
1984 and led, until his assassination in 1989, by the charismatic
Jean-Marie Tjibaou. The Front is the largest party backing independence,
which remains the overriding political issue in the territory.
The French-descended settlers (caldoches)
mostly back the Gaullist centre-right party, Rassemblement pour
une Caledonie dans la France (Rally for Caledonia in France, RPCR),
which is strongly anti-separatist. Both sides have adopted an
uncompromising position on independence. In France itself, the
traditional consensus between Gaullists and Socialists on colonial
matters has broken down as regards New Caledonia, although both
parties recognise the strategic importance of the island for nuclear
testing. Tjibaou is thought to have been killed along with his
deputy by former FLNKS militants, because of his acceptance of
the Matignon Accord. This agreement – strongly opposed by
hard-liners in both camps – had been negotiated by Tjibaou,
RCPR leader Jacques Lafleur and then French Prime Minister Michel
Rocard, in 1988. It allowed for the division of New Caledonia
into three distinct regions, each of which would elect a Provincial
Assembly to handle internal administration, until the holding
of a national referendum, not later than the end of 1998, to decide
the issue of independence once and for all. If a vote in favour
was returned, New Caledonia might expect to become independent
around 2015/2020. The Accord also allowed for the training of
Kanaks (largely excluded from official posts) in public administration,
a programme of economic development and various institutional
reforms.
The
referendum was held in November 1998 and produced a vote of 70
per cent in favour of independence. However, since then, the two
main parties and the French government have been engaged in a
complex and often devious political struggle, which has persuaded
many Kanaks that Paris had no intention of allowing the colony
to become independent. Moreover, during the 1990s, New Caledonia’s
economic difficulties led to a growth of labour unrest and the
assumption by local trade unions of the major role in the campaign
to reform New Caledonia’s social and economic system and
achieve independence. The present government, elected in May 1999,
is an uneasy alliance of the RCPR (the largest party), FLNKS representatives
and a handful of others.
