French nationals in S’pore relieved at election outcome
French President elect Emmanuel Macron waves as he arrives at his campaign headquarters in Paris, France, May 8, 2017. Photo: Reuters
SINGAPORE — French nationals working in Singapore expressed relief at the results of the presidential polls in France, saying that the prospect of the country’s economy closing off to the world has been averted.
At the election on Sunday, Mr Emmanuel Macron, who is pro-European Union and a political moderate, won. And the 39-year-old’s victory brought consolation to those who had feared it would go down the path of insularity, following Britain’s vote to quit the European Union (EU) and Donald Trump’s election as president of the United States (US) last year.
Ms Adalia Delaporte, a French national who has been teaching in a language school in Singapore the last five years, called Mr Macron’s victory “a much needed breath of fresh air” in what has been a “suffocating” climate.
“It’s as though we’ve been holding our breath the last few months and years ... with all that nonsense that has been happening around the region,” the 27-year-old said, referring to the shock US election results and Brexit outcome last year. “Now we can finally exhale and breathe normally.”
Calling Mr Macron a “much safer choice” than far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, Ms Rosemin Gardes, 53, said that the people of France have “made the right decision” in opting for a pro-globalisation candidate in light of France’s dire economic situation.
Ms Gardes, who has been in Singapore for 14 years and a communications officer at a French company, said: “If Le Pen took office, she would take France out of the EU, and that would be a disaster economically... It would just be like an isolated person staring at the four walls surrounding him, left to his own devices … not knowing what to do.”
“I’m really, really relieved.”
In her presidential campaign, Ms Le Pen advocated to close borders, quitting the EU’s common currency (the euro), radically loosening the bloc, and scrapping trade deals.
Mr Dave Bourreau, 34, a French businessman who has been in Singapore for the past decade, said that a Macron presidency would be a win-win situation for France and the EU.
“With Macron (elected), the EU will not feel threatened … This makes it easier for economic policies to be negotiated … benefiting both parties,” he said.
However, there were others who took issue with the background and abilities of Mr Macron, a former investment banker.
“To run a country, you need expertise, political background, know-how and ‘know who’,” Mr Matthias de Ferrieres, 39, said.
The CEO of Singapore-based Stark Group Private Limited, who has lived in Singapore for 17 years, added that the new president is “a very bright guy” from a “new generation” who brings hope to the people, but “he’s too consensual” and may have difficulties debating and arguing against the union and political parties.
Mr Ludovic Lassauce, 37, a candidate for 2007’s parliament election in Paris and 2009’s European election (Paris region), was equally apprehensive about what Macron would bring to the table.
Mr Lassauce, who has been in and out of Singapore for the last 16 years, said: “We have a candidate who has created an illusion of change. He looks promising, he’s young … but he is a pure product of the system.”
Pointing to Mr Macron’s education at the Ecole Nationale d’Administration, a school from which most former presidents — such as outgoing president Francois Hollande and Jacques Chirac — had graduated, Mr Lassauce commented that Mr Macron’s “DNA is nothing different from any other classic politicians in France”.
“But now he is president, we can only hope for the best,” he added.
