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Despite their differences in ideologies, French citizens in India say their country is in really bad shape, economically and politically.
They say the second round of presidential elections on May 7 will be the “next revolution” for France. That it will cause an upheaval, which can change the future of not just France, but entire Europe. When voters line up in France to be part of this crucial election, there will also be similar queues in the southern tip of India. The French nationals in Puducherry, too, will be exercising their voting rights, just as they did on April 23 in the first round.
Puducherry has 4,648 French citizens, who are the descendants of those who opted for French nationality when France transferred its territorial rights of Pondicherry, Yanam, Mahe and Karaikal to India in 1962. And, like the voters in France, the voters here, too, have different favourites and ideologies. But they all agree that the coming elections would be a turning point for France. “The result will determine the future of France and the European Union,” said Joseph Elizabeth, who works at the French school in Pondicherry.
“I read Le Figaro, a French newspaper, every day and watch news on Arte TV and TV5,” said Elizabeth, who was born and brought up in France. Her favourites are Marine Le Pen, the charismatic leader of the far right National Front, and Emmanuel Macron, the upstart centrist. The Socialist and Republican parties which have been ruling France since 1958 have gone out in the first round itself.
Elizabeth, who shifted to Puducherry recently as her Indian born husband wanted their kids to be exposed to Indian culture, said nationalism was on the rise everywhere. “Le Pen is like Narendra Modi. She speaks the language of nationalism which connects very well with French citizens who believe that all politicians till date are responsible for the poor state that France is in today,” she said. Christian Jacquot, a native of Auroville near Puducherry, agreed with her. “Nationalism is the mood everywhere,” he said. “France has lost the French culture. It has changed so much in the last few decades that we no longer recognise our own country. I felt like an outsider when I went there earlier this year. That feeling is quite scary,” he said. Le Pen is trying to address exactly this mood. “Le Pen, like Modi, is a very good communicator and she knows how to address this,” said Jacquot.
But Muriel, who works as a nurse in Pondicherry, said Le Pen had no clear agenda for France. “Modi has clearly laid out his plans while Le Pen is just a rabble-rouser. People no longer see any difference between the right and the left and this makes things easier for people like Le Pen,” she said. In her view, Macron has a better chance as the French are more at ease with his inclusiveness.
Latha Cadirvele, another French voter, also made it clear that she would not vote for Le Pen. “She is far too rightist for my taste. She is racist, too,” said Cadirvele.
Puducherry, however, has been mostly rightist, because of the dominant presence of voters with French military background. Charles de Gaulle is still revered here, especially among the older generation. P. Balan, a native of Mahe, a Puducherry enclave in north Kerala, underlined this rightist bend. “I am a Gaullist and a Republican,” said Balan, who had served in the French army for two decades.
Predibane Siva, a member of the Assembly of French Citizens Abroad, a political body that represents French citizens living abroad, is from the Republican party. When THE WEEK met him ahead of the first round elections, he was busy writing personal letters to voters seeking support for Republican candidate Francois Fillon.
Right approach: Joseph Elizabeth, a French citizen who works at the French School, says Le Pen is like Narendra Modi | S. Arul Judelin
He was busy giving an Indian touch to the elections by introducing symbols. “We have many illiterate voters who cannot read French or Tamil. So I have personally designed a manifesto featuring our candidate’s name with symbols,” said Siva. His courtyard has a Shiva statue which he hopes will help Fillon. “It may be a French election. But it is being held in India,” he said. Yet, all his efforts went in vain as Fillon lost in the first round.
The French consulate in Pondicherry has arranged for six polling booths, four in Puducherry and one each in Chennai and Karaikal. Those from Mahe and Yanam vote mostly through proxies, by assigning a representative to vote on their behalf.
Despite their differences in ideologies, French citizens in India say their country is in really bad shape, economically and politically. Most of them blame the Republicans and the Socialists who have been ruling France for the last six decades for this plight. And they all agree that France needs a “strong leader” who will save the country from the current mess. But whether this strong leader should come at the expense of the long held French ideals of equality and fraternity is the question that they all face. And here the opinion gets divided.
B. Cannabirane, a senior leader of the French nationals in Puducherry, felt that Le Pen had a strong chance. “Trump, Modi and Le Pen are part of a worldwide trend,” he said. “Le Pen is different from the rest although she is extreme,” he said. Jacquot, who is quite worried about the watering down of French culture, said France need not stay away from the rightist surge, which is happening all over the world. Everyone agrees that immigration is a major problem and should be curtailed. It has severely affected the younger generation and the working class. These groups are now getting closer to Le Pen, who has promised a ban on immigration. “But somebody like Le Pen is not the answer,” said Muriel. “Le Pen will take France back to the middle ages.”
Stephan Madrias, who is on a five-year deputation as the head of the French school in Pondicherry, too, had a clear warning against the rise of the right. “France is the land of light. It has revolutionised the entire world with its lofty ideals. It should retain these exceptional qualities at any cost,” he said. “Being French is not about white skin and blue eyes. It is all about the attitude which surpasses all frontiers based on religion, colour and ethnicity.”
