Political Reviews
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Political Reviews Micronesia in Review: Issues and Events, 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011 john r haglelgam, david w kupferman, kelly g marsh, samuel f mcphetres, donald r shuster, tyrone j taitano Polynesia in Review: Issues and Events, 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011 lorenz gonschor, hapakuke pierre leleivai, margaret mutu, forrest wade young © 2012 by University of Hawai‘i Press 135 Polynesia in Review: Issues and Events, 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011 Reviews of American Sëmoa, Cook claimed Tahoeraa to be an opposition Islands, Hawai‘i, Niue, Tokelau, party. During a budgetary debate on Tonga, and Tuvalu are not included in 2 August, Tahoeraa representatives this issue. charged Tong Sang with incompetency to lead the country and called on him French Polynesia to resign (tp, 2 Aug 2010). The period under review was not par- Tahoeraa’s confusing attitude of ticularly rich in new events. While no attacking the president and demand- economic recovery was in sight, local ing his resignation, while at the same politicians, fed by French subsidies, time allowing its members to keep continued their games of making and their cabinet portfolios, can only be unmaking majorities in the Assembly understood by looking at the pecu- of French Polynesia, culminating in liarities of French Polynesia’s political the eleventh change of government system. As long as Tong Sang did not since 2004. The only possibly inter- resign, he could only be overthrown esting development is that the new by a constructive vote of no confi- pro-independence majority now wants dence, which would require an overall to internationalize the country’s prob- majority and entail the automatic lems and get it out of the grip of Paris. election of a successor. A resignation, As the review period started, the on the other hand, would provoke a ongoing political instability continued new presidential election, which could to worsen as President Tong Sang’s take up to three rounds of voting. In minority government became more this scenario, Flosse, through clever and more immobilized. Tong Sang had tactics, might have had a chance to been leading a coalition government become president once more, since a between his own To Tatou Aia (Our relative majority would be sufficient Country) party and Gaston Flosse’s in the third round (see articles 1 and Tahoeraa Huiraatira (People’s Rally) 5 of the 2007 Organic Law of French since November 2009, but the coali- Polynesia). tion virtually broke apart in April While the stalemate continued 2010. However, there had not been a at home, the battleground for Tahi- motion of no confidence against Tong tian politics was temporarily shifted Sang because Tahoeraa could not overseas. During the annual Pacific agree on a common platform with the Islands Forum meeting in Port Vila, opposition Union Pour La Démocratie Vanuatu, on 3–6 August, Vice Presi- (upld, Union for Democracy), led dent Edouard Fritch asked that his by Oscar Temaru. Cabinet ministers country finally be granted full mem- from Tahoeraa refused to resign, bership. After having been granted even though the party leadership observer status in 2004, French Poly- 172 political reviews • polynesia 173 nesia became an associated member assembly passed a law prohibiting in 2006, which Fritch considered an outsider companies from establish- unjust, second-class status since it ing mobile telephone services in the precluded the country’s representa- country. This protected the monopoly tives from participating in some of of the local Postal and Telecommu- the Forum’s important political and nications Service, which has led to economic discussions. The request for French Polynesia’s mobile phone rates full membership was denied by the being among the most expensive in majority of Forum member countries the world (TPM, Nov 2010). When the because, according to the Forum’s French State Council declared the law statutes, full membership is limited to unconstitutional on 7 February 2011, independent or fully self-governing Ia Mana Te Nunaa, one of upld’s countries (such as those in free associ- constituent parties, characterized the ation), while French Polynesia is con- council’s decision as an act of colo- sidered only a partially autonomous nialism (tp, 8 Feb 2011). territory under French sovereignty. On 15–17 October, French Minister Assembly Speaker Oscar Temaru, of Overseas Territories Marie-Luce who also attended the Forum meeting, Penchard visited the country. One underlined that as long as the country of her agenda items was to discuss was not independent, full membership proposed changes to the election mode was not possible (tp, 4 Aug, 8 Aug for the next assembly elections, but 2010). In this sense, Fritch and the the changes were staunchly rejected by other pro-French politicians have been the three main local political parties, acting hypocritically—at home they while a few hundred demonstrators staunchly refuse independence from demanded immediate early elections. France while at international meetings In an interview before her departure, they act as if their country is a sover- she was quoted as saying that local eign state. politicians give her a headache (TPM, At the same time, irresponsible Nov 2010). behavior had been common in domes- Since local politics give headaches tic issues as well. In mid-August, the to others besides Mme Penchard, more employees of the municipal adminis- and more people are pursuing alterna- tration of Teva I Uta on Tahiti’s south tives to the current official political shore went on strike because upld system. One alternative is the creation Mayor Tina Cross had demanded of self-proclaimed governments. The that her employees accept a reduction most colorful and controversial among in salaries after misspending by the these, named “Hau Pakumotu,” once previous Tahoeraa municipal adminis- again made headlines when its “king” tration had brought Teva I Uta to the was crowned in front of the assembly brink of bankruptcy (TPM, Sept 2010). in July (TPM, Oct 2010). In October, It was nearly three months before the its adherents also occupied a property conflict was resolved and municipal in Outumaoro, Punaauia, on Tahiti’s services resumed on 3 October (TPM, west coast, with their uniformed mili- Nov 2010). tia intimidating other claimants to the A few days later, on 5 October, the property (tp, 18 Oct). The month of 174 the contemporary pacific • 24:1 (2012) October also saw the birth of another cost about 40 billion cfp francs royalist political movement, led by (approximately us$400 million), an Gaston Tetuanui, demanding the enormous sum for the small country. formation of an autonomous entity in After they had already staged a protest the Leeward Islands and the creation in front of the presidential palace in of a “Kingdom of Hawaiki Nui,” thus July 2010 following the inauguration, combining the popular themes of royal several construction companies set restoration and outer island secession up protest billboards at the entrance into one movement (TPM, Nov 2010). of the hospital because the country The latter theme, outer-island government had not paid their bills yet autonomy from “Tahitian imperial- (TPM, Aug 2010; tp, 25 Oct 2010). ism,” received a new boost with the Critics say that the maintenance creation of a “Community of Munici- costs for the huge complex will be palities” in the Marquesas Islands, an so high that the country government initiative by the six municipalities in will need more subsidies from Paris the archipelago to create a common in order to cover them. Furthermore, structure in order to facilitate direct the hospital’s energy supply depends negotiations with Paris and bypass entirely on external power sources, as bureaucracy on the country level. On no one thought to cover the gigantic 17 December, Joseph Kaiha, the mayor roof with solar cells or to use the cold of Ua Pou, was elected president of the water of the nearby ocean as coolant community (TPM, Jan 2011). for the air conditioning system (TPM, On 24 October, the new territorial Nov 2010). More generally speaking, hospital in Taaone, in the city of Pirae it is quite problematic that the current east of Papeete, was inaugurated after health policy of the country govern- nine years of construction. By late ment focuses almost entirely on Tahiti November, all patients were trans- Island, where cutting-edge medical ferred from the old Mamao hospital technology is made available in a giant in Papeete. With an overall floor hospital, while medical care on the surface of 65,000 square meters, 546 outer islands often remains precarious. beds, ten inner courtyards, and a giant Another improvement in infra- glass-covered hall twenty-three meters structure occurred on 1 September, high, the complex in Taaone is one when the underwater cable between of the largest hospitals in the Pacific. Tahiti and Hawai‘i, named Hono- The hospital was one of the prestige tua, was put into service, enabling projects of former President Flosse, high-speed Internet access for French whose administration had begun Polynesia (TPM, Oct 2010). However, construction of the project in 2001. in mid-March 2011 the cable project Since then, however, construction had also led to a judicial investigation of been slowed many times because the various politicians and administra- country government had not been able tors, including President Tong Sang, to afford the high costs and the French because there were irregularities in the government was at first reluctant to awarding of the contract to telecom- step in to cover the difference. Alto- munications company Alcatel (TPM, gether, construction of the hospital April 2011). political reviews • polynesia 175 But there was yet another, more 18 November, fifa decided to perma- severe scandal. Reynald Temarii, nently remove him from the executive the vice president of the Fédération board, suspend him for one year from Internationale du Football Associa- all sports activities, and fine him 5,000 tion (fifa [soccer]), was suspended Swiss francs (about us$5,675) (TPM, from office on 17 October 2010 Dec 2010).