The President of the Government of New Caledonia, Louis Mapou, is visiting Paris. He met Prime Minister Michel Barnier.
In an interview with NC première, the national public television station, Louis Mapou explains that the Prime Minister is proposing aid of one billion euros (1.6 billion Australian dollars). This money should help to prevent New Caledonia from descending into chaos. More than 10,000 people lost their jobs after the riots.
The pro-independence President of New Caledonia is accompanied by five members of the government, some of whom are not pro-independence. He presented the Prime Minister with his “plan de sauvegarde, de refondation et de reconstruction” (PS2R).
But for several years now, the State has been asking Caledonian elected representatives to carry out reforms to clean up the country’s management, without success. New Caledonia is living beyond its means. The riots are forcing New Caledonia’s elected representatives to finally implement far-reaching reforms. These reforms are both economic and social. In particular, we need to combat the high level of social inequality. It is also imperative to reduce the cost of government. A former member of the local government, Thierry Cornaille, complained that New Caledonia (population 268,000) had the institutions of a country with 10 million inhabitants… CQFD…
Photo: Louis Mapou, President of the Government of New Caledonia, visits Paris.
