French Polynesia

The year under review holds echoes of years past in terms of yet another split in the governing coalition between Gaston Flosse's Tahoeraa and Emile Vernaudon's Ai'a Api. As a result Vernaudon was bent on revenge and joined forces with the pro-independence opposition. The outcome of the senatorial elections also brought a sense of déjà-vu as Flosse added the final jewel to his collection of political offices. Concurrent with the election campaign was the trial of antinuclear activists who participated in the airport riots three years ago. Nonviolent demonstrators were let off with a warning, whereas those guilty of violence and two trade union leaders, the supposed instigators of the riots, were subject to prison sentences. Defense lawyers failed to persuade the judge of a government conspiracy against the activists. The issue that most preoccupied the government during these twelve months was the campaign to reform the statute of autonomy via a constitutional amendment. The process and content of the reform was, however, quite different from that of the Noumea Accord in New Caledonia.

After the territorial by-elections, President Gaston Flosse consolidated his power and rewarded his followers in a ministerial reshuffle in mid-June 1998. This expanded the cabinet from 15 to 17 members, including 4 women. More important, the reshuffle prompted the resignation from the governing coalition of Emile Vernaudon, leader of the Ai'a Api party. Vernaudon was enraged by Flosse's cooption of his hitherto closest Ai'a Api colleagues, Jean Christophe Bouissou and Lucie Lucas, with the inducement of ministerial posts.

This strategy of luring the leading lights from junior alliance parties and ensuring their loyalty was precisely how Flosse rid himself of Jean Juventin and effectively brought about the demise of the Here Ai'a party in the mid-1990s (TP, July 1998, 7-9). Vernaudon suspected that a similar fate was planned for Ai'a Api. The rupture was yet another in a long history of short-lived marriages of convenience and subsequent divorces between Vernaudon and Flosse. The latest alliance had enabled Vernaudon to win a seat in the French national assembly in May 1997. By alienating Vernaudon, who is not only a deputy but also mayor of Mahina and a territorial assemblyman, Flosse set himself up for harsh criticism of his leadership in both Tahiti and Paris.

Vernaudon claimed that Flosse wanted to eliminate the Ai'a Api party due to Vernaudon's persistent disagreement with decisions taken by the government. Notably, in 1998 Vernaudon was opposed to the blowout of costs for building a presidential "palais," which was estimated to reach over 3 billion FCFP, the 200 million FCFP for the inaugural presidential bodyguard service, 100 million FCFP to pay for the additional ministers, and 1.2 billion FCFP to purchase a mere 5 acres as the site for a waste facility. He noted Flosse's practice of subsidizing municipal councils that demonstrate loyalty to the Tahoeraa party. This practice includes the transfer of territorial land to Flosse's own council of Pirae for the construction of an ostentatious new town hall to be built at the cost of 800 million FCFP (TP, Sep 1998, 26-29).

Another salvo was launched by Vernaudon against Flosse and his government in October, this time at the national assembly. Much of the speech consisted of vitriolic attacks on Flosse's leadership, especially allegations with regard to his political empire building, his failure to declare the extent and origins of his immense wealth, his dictatorial style, and his obsession with incessant reform of the territory's statutes. Reiterating an old opposition refrain, Vernaudon argued that the government only enjoys its majority rule thanks to a skewed electoral system that favors the outer islands, these mostly being conservative strongholds of Flosse's Tahoeraa party. The result is a situation where the largely urban Society Islands, with 75 percent of the population, elect only...