Indigenous people finally decide on new party

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: Following a discussion spread over two days on the pros and cons of forming a separate party, the Political Conference of the Indigenous People concluded today that the new party was a historical necessity to safeguard their rights.

Most of the speakers addressing the two-day political conference had stressed on the need to form a separate political party comprising disadvantaged groups.

Some 1,200 indigenous activists, including dissatisfied leaders of all the major parties, including Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, Unified CPN-Maoist and CPN-Maoist were present in the conference. Dozens of participants from several countries representing their respective indigenous organisations were also present.

“As Nepal’s major political parties are controlled by people following Brahmanism and upper-class supremacists, they don't represent the entire nation. The formation of an inclusive political party based on the doctrines of human rights, social justice, equality and indigenous customs is a historical necessity and this should be immediately substantiated,” states the 11-point charter endorsed by the political conference.

The indigenous leaders have claimed that they would launch a new party on August 9 -- the International Day of the World's Indigenous People.

Irate indigenous leaders and cadres had accused the major parties of promoting single ethnic-identity based state of Brahmins and Chhetris, where all the indigenous nationalities and other groups have been dominated for centuries.

A concept paper was prepared by eight indigenous leaders, including president of the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities Raj Kumar Lekhi, its general secretary Aang Kaji Sherpa, Bam Kumari Budha, Khagendra Makhim, Jyoti Danuwar, Pasang Sherpa, Chaitanya Subba and Krishna Bhattachan.

“We are for drafting new constitution from the Constituent Assembly. Constitution drafted outside the Constituent Assembly will not be acceptable to us,” the declaration reads. It makes clear that any agreement made by the three parties only, excluding the Janajatis, would not be acceptable to them.

The conference appealed to all the leaders, workers and supporters of political parties to actively take part in the establishment of a new force and urged them to resist the forces opposing the identity-based federalism. The declaration states that the movement of the indigenous nationalities was aimed at exercising the human rights of the disadvantaged groups as per the international standards.