By Anxo Lamela
Nuuk (EFE). – United States President Donald Trump’s interest in acquiring Greenland has put the issue of independence from Denmark at the center of the campaign for Tuesday’s parliamentary elections, along with the economy, health, education, social problems, and relations with Copenhagen.
Independence has been a recurring theme in Greenlandic elections for decades, especially since 2009, following the adoption of the new Home Rule Charter, which recognizes the right to self-determination.
According to a recent poll, most Greenlanders independence; however, 85% say they do not want to be part of the US.
Those who favor maintaining ties with Denmark have lost ground, and several parties have changed their positions. All political forces in parliament are now pro-independence, differing only on timing and strategy.
The socialist Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA), the party of Prime Minister Múte B. Egede, advocates ffor a new framework of “cooperation” with Denmark and the creation of a “solid” economic base for a future independent state.
“The most important thing is to be thorough, to get closer to our goal every day. I don’t want to set a date,” Egede said.
The Social Democratic Party, Siumut, a traditional actor in Greenlandic politics and a partner in the ruling coalition, has a similar line.
However, it has internal divisions, and its leader, Erik Jensen, has sent ambiguous messages about negotiations with Copenhagen.
“A real negotiation can take a long time. We cannot say whether we will form a state tomorrow, next year, or in the near future,” Jensen said.
The internal tensions in Siumut became evident with the departure of Aki-Matilda Høegh-Dam, one of Greenland’s two MPs in the Danish parliament, who ed Naleraq, a centrist-populist pro-independence party.
MP Kuno Fencker, who also left Siumut for Naleraq, made a controversial trip to the United States a few weeks ago, where he met with people close to US President Donald Trump.
Naleraq, the third force in parliament, has a more straightforward breakaway line, advocating for a free association treaty with the United States in exchange for economic and security guarantees.
However, it has not set a specific date and its that the process may take time.
The Democrats, the fourth force, insist on more autonomy and reducing economic dependence on Copenhagen.
“We can’t start building the house from the chimney,” says its leader, Jens Frederik Nielsen.
Greenland’s relation with the United States
Nielsen recently declared that he would not “allow” Trump, whose son Donald Trump Jr. visited the island in early January, to buy Greenland or “threaten” its democracy.
The PM has also been vocal abot his reluctance to Trump’s proposals and statements.
“Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland in the Greenlandic language) is ours. We don’t want to be Americans or Danes; we are Kalaallit,”E gede wrote on social media about Trump’s recent comments.
“The Americans and their leader must understand this. We are not for sale and cannot be taken away. Our future will be decided by us in Greenland,” he added.
Meanwhile, Jensen spoke of Trump’s “lack of respect” and called his words “worrying.”
Naleraq called for unity and a definition of who is Greenlandic, reiterating his idea to create an Inuit “registry,” a controversial proposal rejected by parliament.
Controversy with Denmark
Greenland has about 57,000 inhabitants living on 2.2 million square kilometers, 80% covered with ice all year long. 90% ofthe island’s exports come from the fishing industry.
The autonomous territory depends on Denmark, which provides more than 40% of its annual income.
For decades, Greenland has struggled with social problems linked to its colonial past, with high rates of alcoholism, abuse, and suicide.
Health and education lag behind the rest of the Danish state, an issue that has also been prominent in the election debate.
Greenland’s population has barely changed since 2008. The number of Greenlanders living in Denmark has increased by 23%, and experts estimate that in 25 years, there will be 10,000 fewer people on the island.
Scandals have strained relations with Denmark, such as the revelation that over several decades, at least 4,500 women, some as young as 13, were implanted with intrauterine devices without their knowledge or consent in an attempt to limit the birth rate among the indigenous population.
The removal of children from Greenlandic families and their transfer to Denmark is another example that has soured relations between Nuuk and Copenhagen for years.
The broadcasting and subsequent withdrawal of a documentary by the Danish public broadcaster DR about Copenhagen’s profits from a former mine in Greeland, and a satirical program by the same broadcaster that deemed as racist against Greenlanders, have also not gone down well.
Until 1953, Greenland was a Danish colony. From that year on, it became a county of Denmark. In 1979, it gained autonomy, and in 2009, its powers were extended to all areas except international relations and defense. EFE
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