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Photo: New Caledonians cast their votes in a referendum.
New Caledonia has been under French rule for the past 180 years. The people of the islands of the South Pacific do not want independence. They want to be under France. The people of these islands under French rule voted against independence in a referendum.
The people of New Caledonia walked the opposite path when people around the world have long struggled to free themselves from the clutches of foreign powers, have always fought armed, have sought independence. However, the people of the indigenous Kanak community have also fought valiantly for liberation from French rule. But more than 53 percent of those surveyed preferred to remain under French rule.
There are a lakh 80 thousand people on these islands. Eighty-five percent of them registered to vote.
People in the Kanak community have long complained of discrimination. They are basically independentistas. But the Europeans who came and stayed here, their descendants are against independence.
French President Emmanuel Macron has welcomed the results of the referendum. Before the vote, he said, the beauty of France would diminish if New Caledonia left. “The voters have given their verdict,” Macron said. They want to stay with France. As Head of State, I welcome this decision. I am grateful to them.
However, the referendum rejected the demand for independence, but a significant change has occurred. The number of freedom fighters has increased. This is the second referendum on independence in the region. Previously, this claim was also rejected. But this time more people voted for independence than he did. The islands between Austria and Fiji will hold another referendum in 2022.
Napoleon III conquered the islands in 1853. Then the prisoners were sent there. Things changed after World War II. Kanaks were granted citizenship in 1958. They enjoy quite a bit of autonomy. However, economically, they depend on the 1,300 million euros contributed by France.
Source: Deutsche Welle.
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