Vanuatu's National Council of Chiefs says the new Chiefs Bill has fallen short of what it was originally intended to do.
The Bill, which was passed unanimously this month, regulates the customary system and sets out guidelines under which the Chiefs operate in Vanuatu.
The Council's secretary general Selwyn Garu says key provisions that the Chiefs wanted in the Bill were taken out before the amended version was passed.
Mr Garu says if the Chiefs are to perform their role in the communities, the Councils should have more the power to do so effectively.
"To make the guidelines using the by-laws. The by-laws should help them to actually asddress all these different issues in the communities. The way it is now is just how it's always been - the Chiefs are there struggling to see that things are done but then they don't really have any strong back-up from the government or from the law."
Selwyn Garu says they will work to see that provisions like control of own staffing and financial management for Councils and the power to make by-laws are placed in the Bill in the next session of parliament later this year.
