Another Self-Government Move

Prom a Papeete correspondent

A French political party, which supports the ruling Gaullist government, submitted a proposal to the office of the French Parliament in November for internal self-government in French Polynesia.

The text of the proposal is essentially the same as one approved by French Polynesia’s Territorial Assembly some time ago, according to the Papeete newspaper, Le Journal de lamti.

It would give French Polynesia autonomy within the French Republic.

One important change it would bring would be the replacement of the French Governor by a High Commissioner.

The proposal will be subject to study by a laws commission before it can be discussed in the French Parliament. This is likely to take some time.

The proposal was signed by Mr.

Francis Sanford, French Polynesia’s deputy in the French Parliament, and a number of colleagues in the party for Progres et Democratic Moderne (PDM), to which he belongs. The PDM is headed by Mr.

Jacques Duhamel, France’s Minister for Agriculture. signatories stated that their proposal was largely inspired by new constitutions (statuts) granted to other French overseas territories, parti cularly the Comoro Islands, between Madagascar and Africa.

The Com oro Islands were granted internal self-government last year. first French High Commissioner i s Mr. Jacques Mouradian, formerly French Resident Commissioner in the New Hebrides, who left Vila suddenly in November, 1969, to take up his new post ( PIM , Dec., 1969, p. 31).