The proposed Federal Republic of Ma’Ohi Nui (Tahiti)

The APROFED association is getting back to you at the beginning of this week following the publication of the summary of the preliminary draft constitution of the federal republic of Ma’ohi Nui (present-day French Polynesia) by the Tavini, a Tahitian independence party.

As already mentioned in one of our previous articles (see Information report on the institutional future of overseas territories – APROFED ), the solution of federalism is also being studied within the Polynesian archipelago with a view to a future evolution of its status .

It should be noted that this is close to the project of “internal federalism” proposed by the non-independence Caledonians with a transformation of the archipelagos (Society, Tuamotu, Marquesas, etc.) into federated states like the Caledonian provinces (north, south, etc.) and the transition of the Polynesian territory as a whole into a federal state like what the loyalists want for New Caledonia.

It would be appropriate to ask whether the Caledonian loyalist leaders are not defending their project in the wrong territory and whether the non-independence Caledonian MP, Nicolas Metzdorf, would not have done better to swap his constituency not with Alcide Ponga but rather with his Polynesian counterpart . A week earlier, one could have thought it was an April Fool’s joke!

The only difference is that the Tahitians want to implement their federal project once independence is obtained, like the Kanak independence movement in the 1980s, within a timeframe estimated by their president at 3 to 15 years. Unless the United States generates the same interest as Greenland, the association does not see by what miracle French Polynesia would suddenly succeed in twisting France’s arm in order to obtain its independence. Although it does not have mineral wealth like New Caledonia, Polynesia allows France, through its EEZ, to be the second maritime power in the world behind the United States. Furthermore, any independence would undoubtedly lead to a “domino effect” whereby other overseas territories would also request their emancipation in order to acquire their full sovereignty, something that the French State, for whom the page of decolonization has been turned for nearly 60 years, will never accept.

It is worth remembering that the countries of Africa and Asia were able to obtain their independence not only at the cost of wars against France resulting in an incalculable number of deaths, but also because their populations were twice as numerous as the metropolitan French population, which is not the case for the current overseas territories, the last confetti of the Empire.

The example of the clashes and destruction in 1995 in Papeete at the announcement of the resumption of nuclear testing (see HISTORY – 1995: resumption of nuclear testing, Tahiti explodes ), similar to the events of 2024 in New Caledonia, demonstrates this well. French Polynesia remains French, the independentists are still demanding independence and the French State is still present there and continues to administer the territory by imposing its sovereignty, therefore its will.

The few reservations concerning nuclear tests on the part of the Tahitians having had little impact, they having resigned themselves just like the neighboring countries of the Pacific zone which were even entitled to a visit from the DGSE (see Rainbow Warrior Affair – Wikipedia ) and means of economic retaliation, denoting the capacity of France to cause harm, even if with the support of the United Kingdom and the United States, certain countries of the zone allowed themselves certain liberties within a certain limit (see Australian submarine crisis – Wikipedia ).

Thus, the federal solution within France remains the only option, unless there is a geopolitical about-turn by the major powers. Unfortunately, Australia’s strong involvement in NATO, to the point of becoming a non-member partner, leaves little hope of finding an ally within the island continent for any other option, unless the option of buying the territory is explored, as mentioned in one of our articles (see Another path to decolonization: emancipation? – APROFED ).

We wish you a good read and remind you that federalism is the only solution to reconcile unity in diversity.