Last modified: 2018-10-27 by ivan sache
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![[Flag]](../images/p/pf}tapuh.gif)
Flag of Tapura Huiraatira - Image by Ivan Sache, 9 August 2018
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Tapura Huiraatira (People's List) was established on 20 February 2016 in
Pirae (Tahiti), with Edouard Fritch as its President and Teva Rohfritsch as its Vice-President. The party announced the support of 38 mayors,
included those of the big towns of Papeete, Arue, Mahina and Punaaiua.
During the meeting, Fritch said "I have been faithful to my political
family for 35 years, experiencing up and downs with the same loyalty. As
I said publicly, orange blood flowed into my veins. On 1 September 2015,
this political family expelled me [...] Since then, with some pain, I
have turned the orange page. Bright red blood now flows into my body.
The red color of our movement, Tapura Huiraatira".
[
TNTV, 20 February 2016]
Edouard Fritch (b. 1952) was for 35 years the "spiritual son" and the
potential successor of his mentor, the controversial Gaston Flosse (b.
1931; President of French Polynesia in 1984-1987, 1991-2004, for 4
months in 2004-2005, for 2 months in 2008, 2013-2014; Representative at
the French National Assembly, 1978-1982, 1993-1997; Senator of French
Polynesia, 1998-2014), founder in 1977 of the "orange" party Tahoeraa Huiraatira.
During these years, Fritch served as Vice President of French Polynesia
(1996-2004, for 4 months in 2004-2005, for 2 months in 2008, 2009-2011;
Representative at the French National Assembly, 2012-2014; President of
the Assembly of French Polynesia, 2007-2008, for 1 month in 2009,
2013-2014).
In September 2014, Flosse had to resign from the presidency of French
Polynesia after having been convicted in one of the several cases that
punctuated his long career. Flosse favored the election of Fritch as his
successor, but carried on pulling the strings and ruling political life.
In May 2015, Fritch officially supported two dissident candidates
against Flosse's candidates in a partial election to the Senate. The
dissidents were expelled from Tahoeraa Huiraatira but were easily
elected at the first round of the election; this was interpreted as the
beginning of the decline of Flosse's total control over French Polynesia.
At the same time, the Tapura Huiraatira group was established at the
Assembly of Polynesia by 16 dissidents from the Tahoeraa Huiraatira
group, which lost t the majority at to the alliance made by Tapura
Huiraatira, A ti’a Porinetia (then presided by Teva Rohfritsch) and a
dissident from UPLD. On 12 January 2016, the Tapura Huiraatira and A
ti’a Porinetia groups merged into the Rassemblement pour une majorité
autonomiste group (RMA), which allowed Fritch to get rid of Flosse's
influence.
[
La Dépèche de Tahiti, 7 May 2015;
Tahiti Infos, 12 January 2016]
In May 2018, Tapura Huiraatira won 38 out of the 57 seats of the
Assembly of Polynesia during the territorial election (official results), leaving only 11
seats (27 lost) to Tahoeraa Huiraatira and 8 (3 lost) to Tavini Huiraatira, the independentist party led by Oscar Temaru. Fritch was
re-elected President of French Polynesia on 16 May 2018.
In June 2017, the candidates supported by Tapura Huiraatira won 2 out of
the 3 seats allocated to French Polynesia at the French National Assembly (official results).
Jose Antonio Jiménez Ruiz & Ivan Sache, 9 August 2018
The flag of Tapura Huiraatira (photo, photo, photo) is horizontally divided (1:2:1) with the party's logo. The similarity with the flag of French Polynesia is, of course, not a mere coincidence.
The logo features, in red, a stylized Polynesian pirogue sailing
eastwards, with two sails and five people on the roof.
The name "Tapura Huiraatira" is inscribed on the hull.
A white bird flies over the pirogue.
The whole is surrounded by a big circle composed of an arc of circle
charged with blue ancestral symbols, whose opening eastwards is of the
same width as the white stripe.
The pirogue means the solidarity of the Polynesian people sharing a
common destiny.
The Marae pirogue* crosses the ocean of the says and is used by the
people to cross difficult and joyous moments.
The pirogue is a tribute to the great sailors - the first people - who
discovered and establish Fenua**.
The pirogue is a base of union around the unalterable love for the country.
The pirogue sails eastwards, to the rising sun, a symbol of renewal and
future.
The President is at the helm, its government gives the
direction.
[
Party website]
*A marae is an open-air Polynesian sanctuary. These sanctuaries are sometimes considered as "stone pirogues", since their components are
described with words primarily used to describe a pirogue.
[
Marae - la pirogue de pierre des Ariki]
**Fenua ("a territory", "a country", "an island") here means "Tahiti
and the neighboring islands", by extension, "French Polynesia".
The seal, simple or double, means the strength and life of the united
Polynesian people, which moves forward, chooses and takes on his destiny.
The seal is swollen: the Polynesian people sails towards a promising future.
The sail is double: double belonging (Polynesia / France); double, taken
on and happy, identity. The country moves forward thanks to its two sails.
The it'eta'e* featured on the sail is Pirae's endemic bird, the place
where the party was founded.
The bird is the gods' messenger, the guide.
The spirit guides and resides in every heart. A spirit of peace and love
but also a spirit that reflects Fenua to the whole word.
The five people symbolize the five archipelagos of Fenua. They emphasize
the unique diversity of the country, attached to their roots. They bear
Fenua's destiny.
On the arc of circle, from top to bottom:
- The points symbolize courage and the warrior prepared to defend his
people.
- The daily activities that symbolize taking care of his country.
- The shells are the symbol of a shield and protection.
- The population, resource of the country.
- The plaiting symbolizes union and family.
- The ocean, source of food and life.
[
TNTV, 20 February 2015]
*aka common, white stern, Gygis alba (Sparmann, 1786)
[IUCN]
Jose Antonio Jiménez Ruiz & Ivan Sache, 9 August 2018