Kanak chief resigns from New Caledonia’s customary senate

Inaat Ne Kanaky, President of the Grand Council of Chiefs of New Caledonia – Hyppolite Sinewami.
photo: Radio Regulations Board

A Kanak chief has announced his resignation as a member of New Caledonia’s customary senate.

Hippolyte Sinewamy Khatamu served as President of the 16-member Senate of Traditional Chiefs, which was established as part of the implementation of the Nouméa Accord (signed in 1998).

In announcing his resignation, Sinevamy said he wanted to denounce the “inefficiency” and “politicization” of the Senate.

The agency works on issues concerning New Caledonia’s indigenous Kanak people, including matters relating to customs, land and identity.

But Sinewamy said one of his motivations for resigning was that the Senate was not representative of all New Caledonia’s chiefdoms; and that it was too dependent on the New Caledonian government and its National Assembly (parliament).

“So now, it’s more or less like a government department because we rely on the government,” he told public broadcaster New Caledonia first.

The 47-year-old director also said the agency had remained “silent” since violent unrest and riots broke out in the French Pacific islands and are still ongoing since May 13.

Sinevamy himself is the Grand Chief of the La Roche District (located on Mare Island, part of the Loyalty Islands, northeast of the large island of New Caledonia), and is also the leader of another chiefs’ conference, Inaat ne Kanaky (Kanaky Grand Council of Chiefs), which he founded in late 2022.

He also said many members of the indigenous Kanak community felt that “trust no longer exists, both at the level of traditional institutions and at the level of politicians.”

The rift is widening

“As a member of such a body, I did not expect that I would continue to do the work I do with young people,” he said, highlighting what locals described as a growing rift within the Habit Senate.

He called on New Caledonian institutions to ensure that decisions taken at the traditional level were “heedled”, including in future political negotiations on New Caledonia’s long-term future.

The “Kanak Congress” is scheduled to be held on September 24, which is also the date when France officially “occupied” the islands (1853), which is of symbolic significance.

Future negotiations: Challenges for politicians and France

Sinevamy told local media that his “Inaat Ne Kanaky” movement is currently working to “reaffirm and re-establish” Kanak rights in light of the September conference.

“So September 24 is a declaration of the sovereignty of the chiefdom… That includes challenging the (French) state and even the politicians we elect here to have a seat at the table for our traditional people in future discussions.

“It’s so important to have our voices represented.”