This unanimous vote marks the end of a highly contested structure.

Both autonomist groups criticized the initiative, calling it a “spaghetti-style hold-up” — a pointed reference to the Italian jewelry expert who had advised the previous government. Teva Rohfritsch emphasized the uselessness of the SEM, while Tearii Alpha, Minister of the Pearl, reminded that the lack of private investors had doomed the project from the start.

Despite this dissolution, the new government confirmed its intention to restructure the pearl industry in partnership with sector professionals. A first meeting of the Pearl Council has already been scheduled for Monday, July 1, with the goal of defining new directions for the Tahitian pearl.

In response to this decision, representatives of the UPLD, who voted against the dissolution, voiced their disagreement. Antony Géros accused the government of wanting to “repaint a blue project in yellow/orange,” denouncing what he saw as political appropriation. However, certain initiatives — such as pearl traceability through laser hallmarking — are expected to be maintained, with the machine’s arrival scheduled for the end of the year under the supervision of the Maison de la Perle.