Gérald Darmanin, who announced the abolition of land rights in Mayotte, refers the left-wing elected officials, opposed to the measure, to the demonstrations of the Mahorais who are demanding solutions to the migration crisis.
The abolition of land rights in Mayotte announced by the government provokes the ire of the left. Not only are they denouncing a measure deemed dangerous and contrary to the values of the Republic, the forces of the left are pointing out an ineffective project according to them. “Will the constitutional revision of land law proposed by Gérald Darmanin change anything in the situation in Mayotte? […] I don’t believe it,” said the president of the socialist deputies in the National Assembly, Boris Vallaud, on France 3 on Monday February 12. Same story from the environmentalists with the head of the party list for the European elections Marie Toussaint for whom “ending land rights in Mayotte will not resolve the territory’s difficulties”.
But faced with criticism from the left, the Minister of the Interior refuses to deviate from his trajectory and return to the constitutional revision project. Gérald Darmanin, like his Minister Delegate for Overseas Marie Guévenoux, ensures that the situation and the migration crisis in Mayotte justify the abolition of land rights. “We have to help [les Mahorais, ndlr] faced with the weight of irregular immigration coming from the Comoros, Madagascar or even the Great Lakes of Africa” reiterated Gérald Darmanin in an interview given to West Francethis Monday, February 12.
A “very strong” demand from the Mahorais
More than necessary, the measure is according to him desired by the Mahorais themselves. “It is indeed the local population who are asking the State for an end to land rights and for firmness against irregular immigration,” he said in response to left-wing elected officials. He also invited the latter, ironically described as “beautiful Parisian minds”, to take the pulse of the situation in Mayotte by going beyond the “ring road” of the capital and going to the island in the Indian Ocean. And the minister added to support his point that in Mayotte “the irregular population is equivalent to the regular population. We must therefore take very important measures. We have already taken action. Obviously, more radical decisions are still necessary.”
The blockades erected by residents to denounce the insecurity and massive immigration which are paralyzing the island are the symbol of the support of the Mahorese population for measures to put an end to land rights in the eyes of the government. The minister has also made commitments on this measure to negotiate the lifting of the blockades. The government can also count on the word of local elected officials, Marie Guévenoux is convinced of being able to count on “the support of Mahorais parliamentarians”. Mansour Kamardine, LR deputy for Mayotte, indicated that the abolition of land rights was a “very strong request from the elected representatives of Mayotte” reports franceinfo. “Through his statements, we have the feeling that the government finally understands what is happening in Mayotte and our exasperation,” added the elected official. Same observation for MP Estelle Yousspha who considers the measure “vital” for the island.