French Polynesia's new opposition grouping has accused the President Oscar Temaru of abusing his own people by seeking to re-inscribe the territory on the UN decolonisation list.
The Atia Porinetia group says it is stunned by Mr Temaru's bid, describing his speech to UN delegates in New York last month as unacceptable and outrageous in regard to France.
It has written to the French President, Francois Hollande, asking him to do his utmost for the opposition's voice to be heard at the highest international level.
The party says months out from the territorial election, Mr Temaru's initiative is devoid of any democratic legitimacy and a simple provocation to mask his political, economic, social and cultural failure.
It warns that the territory would fall into severe poverty if France stopped its financial support.
This comes as lobbying at the UN has raised the probability of the decolonisation initiative being put to the General Assembly within the next weeks.
France took French Polynesia and New Caledonia off the UN list in 1947 but returned the latter in 1986.
