Kathmandu, 26 June: Indigenous lawmakers have stated that since a draft law has yet to be prepared for the establishment of protected, special, and autonomous regions for indigenous communities as provided for in the Constitution, a joint initiative must be taken in Parliament.
They expressed this view during an interaction program titled “National Consultation on the Directive Order of the Supreme Court,” organized by the National Foundation for Development of Indigenous Nationalities (NFDIN).
The lawmakers emphasized that since the very preamble of the Constitution commits to building an equitable society based on proportionality, inclusion, and participatory principles, a law must be enacted to implement those commitments in practice. They argued that even ten years after the Constitution was promulgated, the failure to draft such a law amounts to an attempt to suppress indigenous rights.
Amanlal Modi Tharu, a Member of Parliament from the CPN (Maoist Centre) and former Minister, said that while he was serving as Minister for General Administration, he had initiated the drafting process of the law, but it was never taken forward. He urged fellow MPs to raise their voices for indigenous rights at the party leadership level.
CPN (UML) lawmaker LB Sawa Limbu remarked that while the Indigenous Nationalities Commission and the Tharu Commission were established as outcomes of past indigenous movements, they have not been granted real authority. Apart from the power to make recommendations, he noted, the commissions lack actual decision-making power. He also called for the swift enactment of a law to implement the use of indigenous languages in provincial government affairs, based on the recommendations of the Language Commission.
MP Sushila Shrestha stated that various forces are actively working to prevent unity among indigenous communities, fearing that if they unite, other groups may lose their dominance. She suggested that true unity among indigenous peoples would render such obstructive forces ineffective.
CPN (UML) lawmaker Saraswati Subba urged indigenous members of parliament to raise their voices within their respective party’s parliamentary caucus meetings. She suggested that there would be no issue in consulting with party leadership to ensure the rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
“As MPs who come from grassroots movements, it is our duty to make sure the voices of the common people are heard,” she said.
Ranjita Shrestha, Chairperson of the Nagarik Unmukti Party and a Member of Parliament, stated that indigenous rights cannot be addressed unless the provisions in the Constitution are fully implemented. She noted that legal consultation has not reached the grassroots level and emphasized the need to educate and train the public about their constitutional rights.
The program was chaired by Resham Gurung, Vice-Chair of the National Foundation for Development of Indigenous Nationalities (NFDIN), and included remarks from lawmakers Ishwari Gharti, Ashok Kumar Chaudhary, Rupa Chaudhary, Maoist leader Suresh Ale Magar, Chairperson of the Indigenous Nationalities Commission Ram Bahadur Thapa Magar, Acting Chair of the Tharu Commission Subodh Singh Tharu, and President of the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities Gelje Lama Sherpa, among others.
At the event, Advocate Shankar Limbu gave a presentation on ILO Convention 169, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), and the directives issued by the Supreme Court regarding indigenous rights.
