Kanaks refuse to go to Paris New Caledonia’s future not decided by French government

The Kanak Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS) has confirmed that it will not join a delegation due to travel to Paris in early September to discuss New Caledonia’s financial needs with the French government, Outre-mer La 1ère reports.

According to the report, the FLNKS said this decision in no way means indifference to the country’s difficulties, but noted that the conditions for a joint trip to Paris had not been created.

“A cross-party approach cannot simply be declared by getting on a plane. It must first be worked out in New Caledonia,” FLNKS President Christian Tein stressed.

The movement insisted there had been “no serious political consultations” to jointly determine which reforms should be advocated, what funding should be requested from the French state or what commitments could be made in Paris.

“Under these conditions, the delegation must clearly state what it will seek to achieve, what conditions it is prepared to accept and what specific results it expects,” Tein added.

The FLNKS also criticised the current functioning of state institutions, saying pro-independence forces, which “represent almost half of the electorate,” are regularly excluded from certain decision-making processes. It cited the position of vice president of the government, the appointment of New Caledonian representatives to various organisations and the drafting of a general policy statement.

According to the FLNKS, its members in the government “did not participate in drafting this statement” and received it only shortly before it was presented to Congress.

“You cannot exclude some elected representatives from decision-making in New Caledonia and then invoke the notion of ‘cross-party unity’ when it comes to a trip to Paris,” Tein explained.

The FLNKS also addressed France’s financial support for New Caledonia. The movement acknowledged that previous loans had helped prevent a financial collapse, but stressed that they had also put the territory “on a path that has become unbearable.” It therefore called on the French state to prioritise “financing adapted to the real situation in the country rather than new loans that will burden future generations for a long time.”

The movement also drew another red line, arguing that the economic and financial mission to Paris should not become an opportunity to resume direct or indirect discussions on institutional issues.

In Tein’s words, "this mission is presented as economic, budgetary and financial. The institutional future of New Caledonia does not belong to the government (of France – Ed.) and cannot be decided by it."

The movement also clearly distinguished between the two issues.

“The economic and social emergency requires immediate, transparent and concrete solutions. The political future of the country requires a separate dialogue, keeping the course toward decolonisation. One cannot bypass the other or be used as a means of pressure,” the FLNKS emphasised.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov