A-Infos (en) France, UCL AL #364 - International - UCL Press Release: Draft Bougival Accords, a Colonial Deception (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

The draft Bougival Accords, signed on July 12 between the French 
government and various pro-independence and anti-independence parties in 
Kanaky/New Caledonia, were rejected this Wednesday by the FLNKS. The 
Libertarian Communist Union affirms that these agreements must be 
denounced as a regression in the decolonization process of Kanaky. ---- 
The first major blow to the decolonization movement in Kanaky: the 
unfreezing of the electoral body, a colonial law whose adoption on May 
14, 2024, by the National Assembly triggered a massive anti-colonialist 
revolt, is enacted by this agreement. From now on, anyone residing in 
Kanaky for more than ten years will receive New Caledonian citizenship 
and, consequently, the right to vote in elections. We can expect the 
French state to send armies of civil servants to tip the scales in its 
favor during the provincial elections that elect the representatives who 
sit in Congress and decide the country's political future.

On the surface, this step backward is offset by the creation of a state 
"associated" with France. What may seem like a symbolic victory, 
however, barely conceals the true preservation of the colonial ties. The 
"dual nationality" mentioned in the agreement is in reality worthless, 
because if you renounce French nationality, you automatically lose 
Caledonian nationality. The agreement announces the creation of a 
"customary police force," but its organization is not clearly defined: 
we can expect yet another armed branch to control Kanak customary areas, 
or an organization devoid of real power. Is this merely a symbolic step 
forward? Even in this respect, it is not a true victory, since this 
state would bear the name "New Caledonia" and its people "Caledonian," 
colonial terms intended to erase the Kanak people and the Kanaky.

Aside from this real setback and these fictitious advances, these 
agreements change nothing in colonial domination. The French state 
continues to hold the main attributes of sovereignty over Kanaky, 
particularly in the area of international relations. The state of New 
Caledonia will have to bow to French international interests, relegating 
the colony's representatives to mere advisors without diplomatic power. 
On the military front, France proclaims itself the only one capable of 
defending the territory and maintains its armed forces. It also 
strengthens its Adapted Military Service Regiment (RSMA) program, a 
military indoctrination machine for youth. France will continue to 
interfere in internal security by holding a seat on the High Caledonian 
Security Council. If a new penal code is introduced, the New Caledonian 
justice system will not be independent of the French government. Worse, 
the agreement mentions the creation of a new penitentiary site, even 
though Camp Est, the penitentiary center in Kanaky, is on the list of 
the worst French prisons. With the announcement of a new prison in 
French Guiana, it's the return of the penal colonies!

The economic aspect of the agreement raises fears of maintaining a 
neocolonially dependent economy. In monetary matters, France maintains 
control by imposing the Pacific franc, a currency pegged to the euro. 
The agreement also provides for a "reduction in public spending, the 
streamlining of administration, and tax reform." The French government 
will set targets for New Caledonia to meet so that it can obtain 
subsidies and reduce its debt to France, strengthening its hold on the 
country's economy. We can expect the formation of an ultra-liberal state 
that will further destroy social gains, to the detriment of the Kanak 
population, which is already the most affected by poverty. While the 
agreement stipulates that Caledonian nickel will be processed in the 
territory's factories, it allows for its export if economic stability so 
requires, thus reviving the old colonial pact: exporting low-cost raw 
materials to mainland France and the European Union-to which the 
agreement guarantees a nickel supply-and importing expensive 
manufactured goods into the colony. This is a veritable plundering of 
Kanaky's resources and a challenge to the nickel pact that ensured 
Kanaky's independence in mining the ore, a pillar of the local economy.

This agreement, under the guise of offering more autonomy for Kanaky in 
order to calm the separatists, is nothing less than a new colonial 
treaty seeking to control and muzzle the opposition and maintain the 
oppression of the Kanak people. Faced with the likelihood of the text 
being rejected at the congress of the Kanak and Socialist National 
Liberation Front, Manuel Valls, Minister of Overseas Territories, 
announced that he was ready to rework the agreement, emphasizing Kanak 
identity. But no one is fooled by these false concessions!

The UCL reaffirms its support for the Kanak people's struggle for 
independence and calls for participation in all mobilizations for Kanaky 
in France. Let us mobilize against French imperialism, against the 
colonialism and racism suffered by the Kanak people, and for the 
dismantling of what remains of the French colonial empire!

Kanaky will live, Kanaky will win!

Libertarian Communist Union

https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Communique-UCL-Projet-d-accords-de-Bougival-un-leurre-colonial
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S  N E W S  S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
Subscribe/Unsubscribe https://ainfos.ca/mailman/listinfo/a-infos-en
Archive: http://ainfos.ca/en