THE Vanuatu Malvatumauri Council of Chiefs has raised fresh objections to the use of the word “Nakamal” in Vanuatu’s new bilateral agreement with Australia.
Chiefs have warned that the culturally significant term should not have been adopted without wider national consultation.
Chief Paul Robert Ravun, president of the Malvatumauri, said the decision to name the agreement after a term deeply rooted in Vanuatu’s custom should have involved chiefs, church leaders, women, youth and other stakeholders, not just government leaders.
“It must be consulted at the highest,” Ravun said.
He said the council was not opposing the agreement itself but objected to how the name was chosen.
“The matter had been raised before, after the agreement was first signed in Tanna last year but had not been properly addressed.
“This is the second time we have raised this concern,” he said.
“We are not disputing the agreement that the Government has signed. Our concern is the use of the name ‘Nakamal’.”
Ravun said custom systems in Vanuatu were inclusive and that national symbols or culturally significant terms should reflect collective agreement.
The issue was revived this week after Prime Ministers Jotham Napat and Anthony Albanese formally signed the Nakamal Agreement in Canberra, with the Vanuatu government saying the name reflects “the values and spirit of the traditional nakamal.”
But the Malvatumauri says that explanation does not replace consultation.
Meanwhile, the Intellectual Property Office has confirmed that no individual, community or organisation has registered the name “Nakamal” in Vanuatu.
Compliance officer Harry Abong said the term fell under the country’s laws protecting cultural expressions and traditional knowledge.
“Vanuatu has various laws that protect intellectual property, and we also have legislation that protects our expressions of culture and traditional knowledge. Nakamal falls within that category.”
Abong said anyone claiming ownership or custodianship of the term can apply to register it, but the office would first seek advice from the Malvatumauri National Council of Chiefs before making any decision.
“If someone applies to register the word ‘Nakamal’, the office will seek advice from the Malvatumauri Council of Chiefs,” he said.
“Once we receive that advice and ownership is verified, the office can issue a certificate of registration authorising the rightful owner of the name.”
The disagreement has put a cultural and political spotlight on the agreement, which the government is promoting as a major milestone in ties with Australia.
However, for Malvatumauri, the dispute is not about foreign policy. It is about who has the authority to name something that carries custom and national meaning.
