Transcript
Hao was a major military base in the latter part of last century when France carried out its nuclear weapons tests on nearby Moruroa and Fangataufa atolls. It has a long runway and a port, both seen as crucial to freight fish to distant markets. The opposition's Moetai Brotherson was involved in talks with Chinese investors years ago.
"The idea was to farm the fish in all the other atolls, not in Hao, and then to carry the production to Hao and to ship from Hao, which is not what the current goverment is planning to do."
The idea to shift the planned production to Hao came four years ago after trying to set up a fish farm on Makemo atoll. In the war of words during last weekend's presidential election in the assembly, the incumbent Edouard Fritch suggested that the decision to opt for Hao was made by his predecessor for political reasons. And he was adamant that it wasn't his decision.
"Not me ....not me...... and as the mayor of Makemo refused to join the Tahoeraa Huiraatira, it was transferred to Hao."
For Mr Fritch, the deal with Tahiti Nui Ocean Foods is hoped to create the 600 promised permanent jobs to help an economy reeling with high unemployment. He says its boss is due from China within days to accelerate the project, for which the government has given a raft of concessions, such as tax free import of material and fuel for 30 years. The Chinese consul told Tahiti-infos that when Chinese businesses invest abroad, the respect the principle of using local resources and hiring local people. For Mr Brotherson, however, the choice of Hao is wrong.
"They want to put more than 2,000 fish cages into the lagoon of Hao which is known to be polluted by radioactive waste. To us, doing aquaculture in a polluted lagoon is a total nonsense because who wants to eat fish that comes from a polluted lagoon?"
Furthermore, he says he believes that farming grouper won't make economic sense.
"It takes six kilos of sardines from Argentina to raise one kilo of fish from the Hao aquaculture project, which is a total non-sense."
In the assembly, the pro-independence leader Oscar Temaru restated that when he was in power the idea was still to use Makemo. And he told Mr Fritch in the assembly that he must have bewitched the Chinese to explain the change.
"Seeing how they today adore you while you treated them like the pest for approaching my government in 2013 because they wanted to discuss the project. At the time you even accused me of wanting to sell our country to the Chinese."
Sites are being cleared on Hao by the local government for the Chinese project to get started. But for Mr Brotherson, things don't add up. He says what is going on is fishy and may yet end up being a white elephant.
