Democratic Rally of the Tahitian People

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Democratic Rally of the Tahitian People

Rassemblement démocratique des populations tahitiennes
Leader Pouvanaa a Oopa
FoundedNovember 17, 1949 (1949-11-17)
Dissolved1963
NewspaperTe Aratai
Ideology Maohi minority politics

The Democratic Rally of the Tahitian People (French : Rassemblement démocratique des populations tahitiennes, abbreviated RDPT) was a political party in French Oceania/French Polynesia. The party was led by Pouvanaa a Oopa.

French language Romance language

French is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the spoken Latin in Gaul, and more specifically in Northern Gaul. Its closest relatives are the other langues d'oïl—languages historically spoken in northern France and in southern Belgium, which French (Francien) has largely supplanted. French was also influenced by native Celtic languages of Northern Roman Gaul like Gallia Belgica and by the (Germanic) Frankish language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders. Today, owing to France's past overseas expansion, there are numerous French-based creole languages, most notably Haitian Creole. A French-speaking person or nation may be referred to as Francophone in both English and French.

A political party is an organized group of people, often with common views, who come together to contest elections and hold power in the government. The party agrees on some proposed policies and programmes, with a view to promoting the collective good or furthering their supporters' interests.

French Polynesia French overseas country in the Southern Pacific ocean

French Polynesia is an overseas collectivity of the French Republic and the only overseas country of France. It is composed of 118 geographically dispersed islands and atolls stretching over an expanse of more than 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) in the South Pacific Ocean. Its total land area is 4,167 square kilometres (1,609 sq mi).

Contents

Political profile

Pouvanaa had been elected to the French National Assembly in 1949. After that victory, the 'Pouvanaa Committee' (formed by his Pouvanaa's supporters for the election campaign) and a group of ex-servicemen founded the RDPT on November 17, 1949. At the time of its foundation, the party proposed various political and social reforms in favour of the Maohi community, such as calling for land reform, expanded access to education and employments in the public sector, strengthened social security. The party sought to increase the powers of the Territorial Assembly, achieving greater autonomy from metropolitan France. [1] [2] [3] RDPT published a bulletin called Te Aratai [3]

In Tahiti and adjacent islands, the term Maohi refers to the ancestors of the Polynesian peoples.

Land reform changes to land ownership

Land reform involves the changing of laws, regulations or customs regarding land ownership. Land reform may consist of a government-initiated or government-backed property redistribution, generally of agricultural land. Land reform can, therefore, refer to transfer of ownership from the more powerful to the less powerful, such as from a relatively small number of wealthy owners with extensive land holdings to individual ownership by those who work the land. Such transfers of ownership may be with or without compensation; compensation may vary from token amounts to the full value of the land.

Assembly of French Polynesia Parliament of French Polynesia

The Assembly of French Polynesia is the unicameral legislature of French Polynesia, an overseas country of the French Republic. It is located at Place Tarahoi in Papeete, Tahiti. It was established in its current form in 1996 although a Tahitian Assembly was first created in 1824. It consists of 57 members who are elected by popular vote for five years; the electoral system is based upon proportional representation in six multi-seat constituencies. Every constituency is represented by at least three representatives. Since 2001, the parity bill binds that the number of women matches the number of men elected to the Assembly.

The RDPT rapidly became widely popular amongst the Maohis. In particular it attracted support from poor rural populations. Pouvanaa retained his seat in the French National Assembly in the 1951 and 1953 elections. RDPT leaders Dr. Florisson and Jean-Baptise Céran-Jerusalémy became French Senator and French Union assemblyman, respectively. [1] In the 1951 election, Pouvanaa had won with 70% of the votes in French Oceania. [4] The party won the January 18, 1953 Territorial Assembly election, winning 18 out of 25 seats. Notably, Pouvanaa did not get elected from the Papeete seat he contested. [3]

French Union

The French Union (1946–1958) was a political entity created by the French Fourth Republic to replace the old French colonial system, colloquially known as the "French Empire". It was the formal end of the "indigenous" status of French subjects in colonial areas.

Gradually RDPT was radicalised. It began calling for Tahitian take-over of French- and Chinese-owned businesses, substituting French officials with Tahitians, return of Tahitian lands to Tahitians and substituting the French tricolour with flag used during the reign of Queen Pomare. [5] [6]

Political confrontations

However, running the regional government became increasingly difficult for the party. The RDPT sought to build a national economy through the introduction of an income tax scheme, to prepare the islands for independence. The French government had become increasingly bothered by the influence of RDPT, and the local Governor conspire against the RDPT government. Protests against the RDPT government were mobilized by the urban opposition, the Chinese community and in particular the French business community. Moreover rivalry between Pouvanaa and Céran had reached a critical point at the time of the 1958 referendum, and Céran was expelled. Céran's followers founded a rival party, RDPT-Aratai. [1] [5]

An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) that varies with respective income or profits. Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times taxable income. Taxation rates may vary by type or characteristics of the taxpayer.

Pouvanaa jailed

Pouvanaa campaigned for independence in the 1958 referendum. After the referendum, Pouvanaa was arrested. He was accused of plotting a revolutionary uprising, by setting the capital Papeete on fire. He was subsequently sentenced to eight years in jail, and another 15 years of banishment from French Polynesia. Pouvanaa's supporters consistently claimed that he had been framed. [5] [7]

Papeete Capital city of French Polynesia

Papeete is the capital city of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the Pacific Ocean. The commune of Papeete is located on the island of Tahiti, in the administrative subdivision of the Windward Islands, of which Papeete is the administrative capital. The French High Commissioner also resides in Papeete. It is the primary center of Tahitian and French Polynesian public and private governmental, commercial, industrial and financial services, the hub of French Polynesian tourism and a commonly used port of call. The Windward Islands are themselves part of the Society Islands.

In 1960 Pouvanaa a Oopa's son, Marcel Oopa, was elected to the French National Assembly as a RDPT candidate. He died in 1961, and his seat was temporarily filled by John Teariki. [8] In the 1962 National Assembly election, RDPT candidate John Teariki was elected from French Polynesia. Territorial Assembly elections were held the same year. With 14 out of 30 seats, RDPT retained its position as the largest party in the Assembly albeit their number of seats had decreased. After the election RDPT formed a coalition government. [9]

Nuclear test and ban

Once it became publicly known that France intended to conduct tests of Nuclear bombs in French Polynesia, the RDPT was radicalised. Not only the party oppose the testing programme, it also revived its campaign for Polynesian autonomy. In 1963, President Charles de Gaulle issued a ban on the party, invoking a law that enabled outlawing political organizations that threatened French 'national integrity'. The decision was motivated by a message from Pouvanaa to RDPT from jail, which had called on the party on advocate full independence. [9]

In 1965 elected representatives of RDPT formed a new party (with Teariki at its helm), Here Ai'a. [9]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Denoon, Donald. The Cambridge History of the Pacific Islanders . Cambridge [England]: Cambridge University Press, 2004. pp. 339-340
  2. ↑ Aldrich, Robert. France and the South Pacific Since 1940 . Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1993. p. 172
  3. 1 2 3 Regnault, Jean-Marc. Pouvanaa a Oopa: victime de la raison d'état : les documents parlent . Tahiti: Editions de Tahiti, 2003. p. 20
  4. ↑ Kernahan, Mel. White Savages in the South Seas . London: Verso, 1995. p. 20
  5. 1 2 3 Finney, Ben R. Tahiti: Polynesians Peasants and Proletariats . New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers, 2007. pp. 23-24
  6. ↑ Aldrich, Robert/Connell, John. France's Overseas Frontier: Départements Et Territoires D'outre-mer . Cambridge University Press, 1992. p. 219
  7. ↑ Kernahan, Mel. White Savages in the South Seas . London: Verso, 1995. p. 25
  8. ↑ http://archives.assemblee-nationale.fr/1/cri/1960-1961-droit/042.pdf
  9. 1 2 3 Denoon, Donald. The Cambridge History of the Pacific Islanders . Cambridge [England]: Cambridge University Press, 2004. p. 342
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