Jean-Christophe Bouissou

Jean-Christophe Matahuira, BOUISSOU is a French Polynesian Political man, leader of political party RAUTAHI.

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Jean-Christophe BOUISSOU was elected president of the Tahitian political party RAUTAHI on the 1st of December, 2005. « Rautahi » is an autonomist party (as opposed to Oscar Temaru’s separatist party) affiliated to French President Nicolas Sarkozy ’s UMP, right wing party.

Jean-Christophe BOUISSOU was born on the 28 October 1960 at Faa’a,French Polynesia. After a year of notaries studies in Paris from 1980 to 1981, he graduates from Graceland University (United States) and gets a Master’s degree in Computer and Finances.

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He will start working in Tahiti as Chief of the computer system at the port of Papeete, capital city of Tahiti, French Polynesia. At 31, he becomes chief director of the Finance department and exploitation of the Port of Papeete.

As soon as 1995, his political and professional career is launched. He is appointed at important responsibilities positions from 1997 to 2007: Jean-Christophe BOUISSOU will be personal assistant to the president of the Tahitian government Gaston FLOSSE in 1997; chief assistant to communities’ development from June 1997 to June 1998; Minister of the Housing department and Territorial Affairs (1998); assistant to the city management plan (1999); spokesman of the Government of French Polynesia, and Minister of the Employment, Social and Syndical Affairs, Communication and Civil Servant Department; Jean-Christophe BOUISSOU will also be in charge of Relations between the French Polynesian Parliament and the “CESC” (Cultural, Social and Economical Division) (2000). From October 26th 2004 to February 16th 2005 he will be spokesman of the Gaston FLOSSE government, right after the fall of Oscar TEMARU’s government due to a motion of censure on October 9th 2004.
Jean-Christophe BOUISSOU was also nominated President of the Board of Directors of the Polynesian Housing Department; President of the Board of Directors of Atimaono’s golf Management and Finances; administrator of the Society of Equipment of Tahiti and French Polynesian Islands.

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"From 1991 to 1996", Jean-Christophe BOUISSOU was chief administrator of Emile VERNAUDON’s political autonomist party, the “Ai’a Api”. In 1996, Jean-Christophe BOUISSOU will resign from the party and return to his previous job as chief director of the finances and exploitation of the Port of Papeete.

He will then join the Tahoera’a Huiraatira in 1997 and the leader Gaston FLOSSE will trust him with high responsibilities. In 1990, Jean-Christophe BOUISSOU is appointed Chief Director of the Tahoera’a Huiraatira.

"In 2002", Jean-Christophe BOUISSOU founds Radio “TAUI FM” broadcasting on the island of Tahiti and Mo’orea, and located in Faa’a. The Tahitian term “Taui” (a “will for change”) will be recuperated by the separatist leader Oscar Temaru, in his political campaigns from 2003 to 2004.

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"On the 13th of February 2005", anticipated territorial elections in the Society Islands legitimate the return of separatist Oscar TEMARU to the government.

Gaston FLOSSE had announced he would resign if his party did not get a majority of polls, and yet he maintained his position as chief leader of the Tahoera’a Huiraatira.

Jean-Christophe BOUISSOU will consequently decide to resign from the Tahoeraa Huiraatira in July 2005, considering Gaston FLOSSE should have kept his word and he did not accept the will for change of the population from the Society Islands.

As soon as he resigned from the Tahoera’a Huiraatira, Jean-Christophe BOUISSOU asserted himself on the Tahitian political scene and on the 14th of July 2005, he creates the autonomist party “RAUTAHI, French Polynesia United”

As Chief leader of RAUTAHI, Jean-Christophe BOUISSOU will denounce marking events of Oscar TEMARU’s politics, such as xenophobic and anti-French comments from the Separatist president and separatist deputies from the “UPLD” (Temaru’s Union for Democracy, left wing separatist party).
To fight against politics of racism of the TEMARU’s government, RAUTAHI will launch a popular “"Petition against Racism"” signed by 30 000 French Polynesians (total population: 260 000 inhabitants)

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Jean-Christophe BOUISSOU and RAUTAHI took part in the creation of the “"Autonomist political platform"” reuniting all the autonomist parties, Tahoera’a Huiraatira (Gaston FLOSSE), te Niu Hau Manahune (leaders from Austral, Marquesas, Tuamotu and Gambier Islands), Ai’a Api (Emile VERNAUDON). This union enabled the Autonomists Deputies to adopt a motion of censure against the TEMARU government that will fall in December 2006. Gaston TONG SANG will be elected new President of French Polynesia.

"In March 2007", Jean-Christophe BOUISSOU becomes president of the deputy group « Polynesians Together » at the Parliament, a third political force situated in between two strong and extreme political tendencies, TEMARU’s and FLOSSE’s.

Overall, Jean-Christophe BOUISSOU’s political ideology is centrist, but more adequately “"the alternative political pro-French option"”. His party is affiliated to Nicolas SARKOZY’s UMP (right wing party) as opposed to Nicole BOUTEAU’s No oe e te nuna’a party that is centrist and affiliated to François BAYROU.
Jean-Christophe BOUISSOU insists on the importance of maintaining good relationships with French Republic and defending Human Rights.

"In May 2007", the elections for deputies of the National Parliament in France, puts Jean-Christophe BOUISSOU as the third political alternative force in the polls.

The main projects that concern Jean-Christophe BOUISSOU’s politics are local employment and environmental issues. He will suggest the creation of "Ecological city", as main cultural and social attractions of Polynesian islands, by developing important ecological infrastructures such as Ocean Thermal Energy. He is particularly concerned with the raise of the level of the ocean that threatens the many islands and atolls of French Polynesia. He will also sign Nicolas Hulot’s Ecological Chart.

Jean-Christophe BOUISSOU does not consider separatism as an alternative.
Maintaining strong relations with French Republic is essential to develop French Polynesia. He also considers French Polynesians are all mixed blood and that Nationalist Ma’ohi-ethnic propaganda from Oscar TEMARU can only divide his country.

Jean-Christophe BOUISSOU is a Universalist and he will say, during one of his speeches at Faa’a: « "We all have the same ancestors" ». Jean-Christophe BOUISSOU also considers that Culture is the pillar of a healthy and strong society and his political program fights for an Academy of Polynesian language, linguistic stages in the islands, valorization of musical, pictorial art and literary creations with the founding of a House of Arts and Letters. He condemned, earlier on, the TEMARU budget cut of the Minister of Culture.

Therefore, Jean-Christophe BOUISSOU’s vision of French Polynesian society is one of multi-ethnicity, a united community, French and Polynesians together. This is why his party was named RAUTAHI: "all different, all together".