Caledonian economic circles plead for maintenance of referendum as of December 12

The local medef and some bosses point to the economic and social difficulties experienced by New Caledonia.

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The Government should announce in the coming days – by mid-November -, as indicated by the Minister of Overseas, Sébastien Lecornu, in an interview at TV5MONDE, the maintenance or not the third and decisive consultation on the independence of New Caledonia whose date was set at 12 December. The territory continues to face a sudden outbreak of COVID-19, which it had until 6 September was spared. In two months, the epidemic has made 268 victims, and more than 11,300 positive cases have been detected, for a population of 280,000.

Independently movements have indicated that, in this situation – although the incidence rate is decreasing and 70% of the vaccinable population now has a complete vaccination scheme – the referendum campaign could not unfold under normal conditions. They call for the postponement of the referendum after the national – presidential and legislative elections – which would lead to it in September 2022. If it were maintained on the date of December 12, they have already announced that they would call for “non-participation”.

This uncertainty, after the first two referendums of November 4, 2018 and October 4, 2019, which gave a 56.7% majority respectively and 53.3% to non-independence, generates a strong weariness in The Caledonian population. The economic and social situation of the territory has deteriorated in the last three years, which leads the economic actors to take a position to “turn the page of the Nouméa Agreement”.

reforms “Indispensable”

“Between 2018 and now, New Caledonia lost 8,000 inhabitants, notes the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ITC), David Guyenne. The construction sector is in total rout. Tourism has been seriously affected. There is a huge shift between the political concerns and expectations of citizens. “The President of the local MEDEF, MIMSY DALY, recalls that as a result of the Spring Government vacancy, lack of agreement between the main Independent components, the territory budget had to be “put under guardianship by the State”. “The public accounts have a deficit of 400 million euros, the social accounts are structurally to agony. The 2022 budget will be extremely complicated to implement. The tax, social and institutional reforms are essential to make our system sustainable “,” Adds the young woman, who, with his colleague from the ICC, symbolizes a new generation of entrepreneurs in New Caledonia, committed to the development of a common project for the territory and living-together.

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/Media reports.