On the eve of a new meeting of the United Nations Decolonization Committee , statements by two key representatives of the settled inhabitants of the Malvina Islands highlight a fundamental contradiction in their discourse.
On the one hand, the Kelpers insist on their right to self-determination. On the other, they proudly proclaim themselves members of the British Overseas Territories, a status that links them directly to the United Kingdom. This ambiguity not only undermines their position under international law, but also leaves Argentine President Javier Milei, who recently expressed his support for the principle of self-determination for the islanders, in a strange position .
The illegitimate Malvinas MP-elect, Pete Biggs , has emphatically stated that the islands have no business participating in the Decolonization Committee (C24), as, according to him, they are not a colony, but a "British Overseas Territory by sovereign decision ." Attending the annual meeting of the Special Commission on Decolonization "is inappropriate for us," he said, despite the fact that he and his colleague Mark Pollard are supposed to attend to defend their status.
Illegitimate legislator Pete Biggs, who will attend the C24 meeting in June to present the colony's right to self-determination
This reasoning reveals a paradox: if they were truly autonomous, why would they need to reaffirm their membership in the United Kingdom?
For his part, Richard Hyslop, representative of the Kelper colonial government in London, celebrated British Overseas Territories Day , highlighting the "modern, democratic, and mutually beneficial relationship" they maintain with the mother country. Hyslop even mentioned the 2013 referendum—whose legitimacy Argentina has always denied—in which 99.8% of voters opted to remain a British territory.
However, this argument clashes with legal reality : the UN does not recognize this consultation and continues to consider the Malvinas a disputed territory subject to decolonization.
The contradiction is evident: while the Kelpers claim self-determination to reject Argentine sovereignty, at the same time they cling to their status as a British territory, denying any claim to real independence.
Wonderful service of Evensong at the church of @StLawrenceJewry to celebrate UK Overseas Territories Day!
Beautiful Georgian church at the heart of the City of London. #UKOTDay @UKOTAssociation | @MalvinasGov pic.twitter.com/GvqLhxKp9p
This duality undermines their narrative before the Decolonization Committee, where they have historically sought to legitimize themselves. Furthermore, their position ridicules President Milei, who, in endorsing their right to decide, ignored the fact that the islanders do not aspire to freedom, but to perpetuate their subordination to London.
The Kelper strategy, far from strengthening their position, exposes an irreconcilable inconsistency : they cannot invoke self-determination while declaring themselves "proud British subjects."
For Argentina, this contradiction reinforces the illegitimacy of the occupation and the urgency of the UN acting in accordance with international law.
Meanwhile, the Argentine government will have to revise its rhetoric (and perhaps its convictions) if it doesn't want to be trapped in the colonial rhetoric of those who, ultimately, don't want to be masters of their own destiny, but merely a cog in the empire.
Fountain:
Mercopress
