By Nic Maclellan – ISLANDS BUSINESS New Caledonia’s main independence coalition, the Front de Libération Nationale Kanak et Socialiste (FLNKS), has formally rejected the Bougival Accord, a draft agreement signed last month in France proposing a new political statute for the French Pacific dependency. Last Saturday, delegates from FLNKS member parties were joined by representatives of church, community and customary organisations, at an extraordinary congress held at La Conception, a tribe on the outskirts of the capital Noumea. The choice of congress venue was no accident – in December 1984, then FLNKS President Jean-Marie Tjibaou first raised the flag of Kanaky at La Conception, at the start of four years of conflict known as “les évènements” that wracked New Caledonia between 1984-88. At a press conference on 13 August, the FLNKS Political Bureau released a detailed statement and the congress resolution, formally rejecting the draft Bougival agreement that was signed after ten days of negotiations last month. The congress resolution says the FLNKS “reaffirms that independence requires the attainment of the country to full sovereignty and independence, through a decolonisation process framed by international law and notably the right of peoples to self-determination.” It notes that the “draft Bougival agreement represents an affront to the Kanak people… and is incompatible with the principles of the right to self-determination.” Speaking to journalists about the congress, Union Calédonienne Secretary General Dominque Fochi said the FLNKS rejected the proposed statute for New Caledonia “due to its incompatibility with the foundations and achievements of our struggle.” The FLNKS congress resolution notes “the deadlock of the trilateral discussions [with the French State and Loyalist parties] and decides to only continue dialogue with the French State, as the administering power; the FLNKS will seek technical assistance from the United Nations.” “Such discussions must take place exclusively in Kanaky… and any negotiation process must be conducted under the supervision of the FLNKS President”, Christian Tein. Tein, a leader of the CCAT movement that organised protests from late 2023 against proposed changes to local voting rights, was detained in June 2024 and transported by military aircraft to pre-trial detention in France. After a year’s confinement in Mulhouse prison, Tein was released last June after a French appeals court rejected the most serious charges facing the Kanak leader. While still in jail, Tein was elected as FLNKS president at a congress last August, boycotted by two pro-independence members of the coalition, the Parti de Libération Kanak (Palika) and Union Progréssiste en Mélanésie (UPM). Both Palika and UPM have recently endorsed the Bougival Accord, but the FLNKS congress resolution “reaffirms that the FLNKS remains the sole legitimate representative of the Kanak people, bearer of their inalienable right to self-determination, and guarantor of its implementation until full and complete accession to sovereignty.” A key concern amongst FLNKS members are proposals the change residency requirements for New Caledonian citizenship, which would allow thousands of extra voters to participate in elections for New Caledonia’s three provincial assemblies and national Congress. President Macron’s unilateral attempt to change voting rights last year was a crucial trigger for the six months of riots and protests that erupted on 13 May last year. FLNKS negotiators at Bougival agreed to promote the draft text to members, including extension of voting rights to all locally-born New Caledonians, and French nationals’ resident for 15 years. But this angered many grassroots independence activists and the FLNKS has now abandoned the changes outlined in the Bougival text. The latest FLNKS congress resolution “affirms that the ‘unfreezing’ of the electoral rolls is a red line, and that the Kanak people cannot be reduced to a political minority in their own country.” The FLNKS will now seek further diplomatic support from the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) and United Nations Special Committee of Decolonisation. With the Forum to meet between 8-12 September in Solomon Islands (a member of the MSG), the FLNKS resolution “calls on the brother States of the region to maintain and strengthen their support, in order to create the conditions for an active diplomatic backing that would lead to a political agreement respectful of our rights and ambitions.” As debate continues over the Bougival text. French Overseas Minister Manuel Valls is scheduled to arrive in New Caledonia next week, He has proposed a committee to turn the Bougival Accord into legislation that can be passed by both houses of parliament in Paris, before being put to a referendum of New Caledonians next February. On Wednesday, Parti Travailliste president Marie-Pierre Goyetche told journalists that FLNKS representatives would meet Valls next week, but she stressed that “Bougival is behind us – this is a blanket rejection, and we will not participate in the drafting committee proposed by the Overseas Minister.” AFP reports that Sylvain Pabouty, leader of FLNKS member party Dynamique unitaire sud, confirmed the FLNKS would meet the French Minister: “We will take this opportunity to tell him that we want the provincial elections to be held next November (…) to show the real legitimacy of each party. We remain open to discussions with those who will be legitimised by the ballot boxes.” Outside the FLNKS, other church and trade union groups have also criticised the Bougival Accord, highlighting ongoing divisions within and between both supporters and opponents of independence. With other New Caledonian political leaders still working to promote the Bougival Accord to their members and voters, the FLNKS decision creates new uncertainty over the pathway to a new political statute…. PACNEWS