The visit to the Médipôle, which is facing a worrying shortage of staff, closed this Saturday morning, the media program of the Minister of Overseas Territories, François-Noël Buffet, who leaves for Paris this evening, after four days of travel to New -Caledonia. A territory which is suffering the full brunt of an economic and social crisis of an unprecedented scale since the riots which broke out on May 13.
This stay will have at least allowed the minister, appointed at the end of September, to become more concretely aware of the major difficulties facing the population and the economic world while establishing a first contact with elected officials in order to try to give new impetus to discussions. on the institutional future, and in particular on the burning issue of the composition of the electoral body, with a view to the next provincial elections postponed until November 2025.
“Everyone was able to express themselves freely in a climate of transparency”
If François-Noël Buffet, who met all the political groups in Congress this Friday, does not “will publicly reveal” nothing about the content of these exchanges, he assures that “everything went very well”. “In a climate of transparency, of truth, everyone was able to express themselves freely in an extremely courteous, sometimes even very friendly way, and that was a very important point. I am delighted with the way things went. Now , we must continue”slips the minister, without revealing more, in particular on a possible timetable set for these discussions.
Car, “the urgency of the moment is both (to restore) stability in terms of security for all Caledonians and to reinject money into the economic structure to boost employment.”
On the economic side, where it was particularly expected and for which some consider the announcements in this area insufficient, François-Noël Buffet defended a financial commitment “extremely strong” from the State for the years 2024 and 2025, up to “roughly a little over a billion euros” (i.e. more than 120 billion Pacific francs), without further detailing this aid, except that this envelope is dedicated to “support local communities, reinject money and help businesses.”
“No press statements every three minutes”
For the record, Thursday morning, during the economic conference of the PS2R (savement, reconstruction and refoundation plan (S2R) supported by the government of New Caledonia, the minister was evasive on the future support of the State, dodging the numerical announcements He simply recalled that a loan of 60 billion from New Caledonia to the AFD would be guaranteed by the State A loan already included in the 2025 finance bill and which is summarized. to a reimbursement of advances granted by the State in 2024.
On the other hand, on the subject of partial unemployment François-Noël Buffet confirms extending this exceptional system by two additional months, i.e. until December 31 (instead of the end of October). The head of Overseas finally promises that “There are many other features that I cannot detail here.”
Support which will nevertheless not be possible without progress, at the same time, in political discussions. A subject on which the minister intends to change his method, but also his style compared to his predecessors: “I have said several times, I will not make a statement to the press or tweets every three minutes on these subjects, warns François-Noël Buffet, for whom the next step is to see “how do we get back around the table, how do we talk together about a project for New Caledonia and how, obviously, institutional development comes into the discussion.”
“The moment is serious”
An essential point on which “Things are clear between us”assures the minister, according to whom New Caledonia is currently on “a tipping point”. “Either we are able to close ranks, put together a solid crew and we will build something, or we will not do it and Caledonia will fall very, very low and that is especially to be avoided. We have no interest in that everyone, whoever they may be, finds themselves in major difficulties, insists François-Noël Buffet. The moment is serious. I’m not pessimistic, but we have to get to work. There are people of good will everywhere and we will try to make this good will bear fruit to have a great project for New Caledonia and especially for its inhabitants, because at the end of the day, what counts: that the Caledonians are happy where they live and that they can live normally there without difficulty. I’m not naive, it won’t be easy, but I’m convinced it’s possible.”
To do this, the consultation and dialogue mission, constituted by the presidents of the Senate, Gérard Larcher, and of the National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet, should in turn go to the Caillou before mid-November.
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