This proposal articulated in seven axes aims to encourage the government to draw up an orientation and programming law on chlordecone.
The territorial councilors of Martinique voted unanimously on Thursday for a bill to encourage the government to draw up a law of orientation and programming on chlordecone.
“It is a proposal for the government to present a bill”, launched Serge Letchimy, president of the Executive Council of the Territorial Collectivity of Martinique (CTM).
The former deputy of Martinique and president of the parliamentary commission of inquiry on chlordecone had formulated in the past the requirement of a framework law on this affair.
David Zobda, the executive adviser in charge of Sustainable Development, who presented the deliberation to the assembly, considers that it is a question of “sanctuarizing in the law a certain number of provisions likely to respond durably, in a serious and intangible, to an action that would ultimately be recognized by the nation”.
“Restore the confidence” of the population and “protect it”
The proposal formulated by the CTM has 55 articles. Seven axes articulate the text, among which “restore confidence” with the population, “protect the population from health risks”, “preserve the agricultural sector and fishing” or “soil depollution”.
This law, if it obtains the support of the government, would replace the chlordecone plans thought up by the State.
“We do not believe in the effectiveness of the plans offered to us”, justifies David Zobda.
The Chlordecone IV Plan, which began in 2021, will end in 2027. Its budget of 92 million euros for all the actions carried out in Martinique and Guadeloupe is considered very insufficient by local elected officials.
A wary opposition
If the territorial opposition voted for this text with the majority, it showed its mistrust. “The state has been tricky in the past with all Martiniquais, if we are doing a project today, we have to follow this bill to be able to frame things”, warned Louis Boutrin, territorial adviser opposition and lawyer for one of the civil parties in the criminal aspect of the chlordecone case.
In France, chlordecone was used in Guadeloupe and Martinique between 1972 and 1993 to control weevil invasion in banana plantations. Due to a slow natural degradation, this molecule always contaminates the plots on which it has been used.
