Maurice Ponga (born 5 June 1947 in

Kouaoua Kouaoua (; in Ajië: ''Kaa Wi Paa''; in Corsican: ''Quaua'') is a commune in the North Province of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. Nickel mining is operated in Kouaoua. History The commune of Kouaoua was c ...

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

) is a French politician who served as a

Member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

(MEP) from 2009 until 2019. He was elected in the 2009 European election for the Overseas constituency.

Political career

Ponga is a

Melanesian Melanesian is the adjectival form of Melanesia. It may refer to: * Melanesians * Melanesian mythology * Melanesian languages In linguistics, Melanesian is an obsolete term referring to the Austronesian languages of Melanesia: that is, the Oceani ...

(

Kanak The Kanak (French spelling until 1984: Canaque) are the indigenous Melanesian inhabitants of New Caledonia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southwest Pacific. According to the 2019 census, the Kanak make up 41.2% of New Caledonia' ...

), but unlike most Kanaks, he opposes New Caledonia's independence from

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and is a member of The Rally-UMP, a major anti-independence party. He has represented the party, known as RPCR until 2002, in the

Congress of New Caledonia The Congress of New Caledonia (french: Congrès de la Nouvelle-Calédonie), a "territorial congress" (''congrès territorial'' or ''congrès du territoire''), is the legislature of New Caledonia. It has 54 members who serve five-year terms, sel ...

between 1995 and 2009. While in office, he participated in all but one New Caledonian government. Most recently, as Minister of Youth and Sports in the Martin II government, he played a major role in the success of Noumea's bid for the 2011

Pacific Games The Pacific Games (French: Jeux du Pacifique), is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from Oceania. The inaugural Games took place in 1963 in Suva, Fiji, and most recently in 2019 in Apia, Samoa. The Games were ...

. In the 2009 European elections, Ponga was the UMP's candidate in the Pacific Section of the Overseas constituency, and his candidacy was locally supported by all anti-independence parties. The UMP won one seat in the constituency with 29.7% of the votes, and since the UMP obtained its highest result in the Pacific Section (44.4%), Ponga was elected to the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

. He is the second New Caledonian and second Kanak to serve as an MEP, after

Dick Ukeiwé Dick Ukeiwé (13 December 1928 – 3 September 2013) was a New Caledonian politician. Born in Lifou, France, he represented the island in the French Senate from 1983 until 1992, and was a member of the Rally for the Republic The Rally for the ...

(also a member of the RPCR), who served between 1989 and 1994. In the Republicans’ 2017 leadership election, Ponga endorsed

Laurent Wauquiez Laurent Timothée Marie Wauquiez (; born 12 April 1975) is a French politician who has presided over the Regional Council of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes since 2016. He is a member of The Republicans (LR), which he led from 2017 to 2019 following the ...

Recognition

In 2019, Ponga was the winner of the Development Award at ''The Parliament Magazines annual MEP Awards.

References

1947 births Living people People from North Province, New Caledonia Kanak people The Rally (New Caledonia) politicians Union for a Popular Movement MEPs The Republicans (France) MEPs MEPs for the Overseas Territories of France 2009–2014 MEPs for the Overseas Territories of France 2014–2019 Black French politicians {{NewCaledonia-politician-stub