French Polynesian MP Mereana Reid Arbelot accused the French state on Monday of failing to release millions of euros earmarked for anti-drug measures and compensation for victims of nuclear testing, forcing a rare public rebuke from Overseas Territories Minister Naïma Moutchou during a heated Questions to the Government session in Paris. Reid Arbelot said two budgetary amendments adopted in January have not been implemented despite being formally approved.
The amendments, pushed through under Article 49.3 of the French Constitution, included a €2 million allocation specifically aimed at strengthening efforts against crystal methamphetamine — commonly called “ice” — and the creation of an additional staff position for CIVEN, the body charged with accelerating compensation for victims of France’s nuclear testing programme in Polynesia. Reid Arbelot told the assembly that neither CIVEN nor the High Commission in Papeete has received the funds or seen any concrete implementation.
“For months I have tried to contact the overseas ministry’s services without result,” the pro-independence lawmaker said. She accused officials of offering “evasive answers” and shifting responsibility between ministries. “Do we really need a QAG for the administration to carry out what the government itself has adopted? It is not the place of a parliamentarian to become a budgetary detective,” she added.
In response, Minister Naïma Moutchou defended the government’s commitment and promised rapid action. “This allocation of €2 million additional euros to fight against ice — will be implemented,” Moutchou told MPs, adding that she would work “in conjunction with the Minister of the Interior” to ensure the funds are disbursed in a timely manner. On the CIVEN position, she said the commitment “will be met soon” and that the additional post would be filled.
Reid Arbelot said she “takes note” of Moutchou’s assurances but expressed regret that parliamentary pressure had been necessary to spur action. The exchange underscores growing frustration in French Polynesia over the pace at which metropolitan authorities deliver on promises relating both to drug control and to longstanding calls for adequate compensation and administrative support for victims of nuclear testing.
The dispute comes against a backdrop of wider concern in the Pacific about the impacts of narcotics and the legacy of France’s testing programme in the region. The January amendments were adopted directly by the government using Article 49.3, a procedure that bypasses a full parliamentary vote and is often used to accelerate budgetary measures; critics say the current row now highlights gaps between adoption on paper and implementation on the ground.
The minister’s pledge to coordinate implementation with the Interior Ministry is the latest development in the matter. Observers in French Polynesia will be watching for concrete steps — the transfer of the €2 million and the formal appointment to CIVEN — to determine whether the commitments made in Paris translate into immediate support for anti-drug operations and faster handling of nuclear test compensation claims. Source: TNTV News.