Political figures in New Caledonia have had mixed reactions to Sonia Backes being appointed to join the French government.
Backes, who is the president of New Caledonia's Southern Province, has been given the newly created post of secretary of citizenship in France's reshuffled and enlarged 42-member government.
She said she is proud that New Caledonia is for the first time represented in the French government.
Sonia Backes Photo: Facebook
A New Caledonian anti-independence politician and new member of the French National Assembly Nicolas Metzdorf says this will give a lot to New Caledonia.
"Sonia Backes will be present in the government which is excellent news for our territory because it allows Caledonia to be supervised from two angles one from the overseas territory ministry and the other from the cabinet."
A pro-independence politician and president of the Caledonian Union Daniel Goa said the nomination blurs the political landscape.
"Doesn't this nomination of Ms. Backes add more confusion to the political message?
"She is already president of the Southern Province and of the political group that she represents and then she becomes also secretary of state?
"Are we going to jump from one horse to the next in regards to discussions and meetings?
Anti-independence politician Thierry Santa has also said that exercising power in both mandates in New Caledonia and France will be pretty difficult to do.
President of Pacific Awakening party Milakulo Tukumuli said the move confuses which side she is on.
"The nomination of Sonia Backes poses a question on the New Caledonian political documents.
"She is a political actor and on the anti-independence loyalist side which is against the Macron government.
"Before she was on one side of the table and now she is on both sides of the table.
"She is gone at a time that is the most important time of our history in New Caledonia."
Backes said while joining the French interior ministry she would retain her position as president of the Southern Province.
She is the first politician from New Caledonia to become part of the government of France since 1972.
The last minister was Roger Frey, as Minister of state between 1959 to 1972.
This year, Backes spearheaded a merger of four anti-independence parties in New Caledonia to support the election campaign for President Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance party in last month's election of a new French National Assembly.
Both of New Caledonia's seats in Paris were won by her coalition's candidates, one of them Nicolas Metzdorf.
