With due respect to your opinion..... Human communities differ vastly and so
rights and privilages should too. Our worlds and ways of getting around differ
vastly. And in this process, hierarchies have been etched . We need to recognise
this and work towards not allowing these hierarchies to 'handicap' or
marginalise a community more than what it already has to deal with.

While the principle of equality is enshrined in it, our Constitution allows for
special rights to Scheduled Tribes. The purpose is to move towards lesser
inequality by enabling disprivilaged communities through proactive instruments
that have greater rights for tribal communities in their territories. So the
distinction between settler and Nicobari is, in effect, most fair. It is also a
statement of recognition of the Nicobari's special right granted to him/her
constitutionally. This statement does not in any way take away the human rights
of the 'settler' who finds himself/herself in the islands due to one or more
complex reasons.

Manju



----- Original Message -----
From: devi@...
To: andamanicobar@...
Sent: Tuesday, March 08, 2005 10:59 AM
Subject: Re: [andamanicobar] Indian Tribe Refuses to be Silenced After Tsunami


Hi
I am concerned about such "stories" written for the popular press being posted
on to this group
without caveats. I do not believe in restricting flow of information and view
points - but since
this is supposed to be a group of inidviduals with some prior familiarity not
much is served by
positing of general articles

Regarding the article itslef, I have some questions.
Are tribals denied suffrage either by law or usage? If the answer is no then
the article misstates
fact when it says:
"Lacking their own parliament, Yusuf says their voices are scarcely ever
heard.... "

That the Indian Government is unresponsive may be a general plaint but stated
the way it is in the
article I am afraid that the statement is not entirely factual nor innocent of
motives.

Now the question of "settlers". I wonder whether in our constitutional
framework it is fair to
describe anyone as a "settler" as against a "native". All are citizens of a
country and have
"equal" rights. That the indigenous people need to be prtoected against
exploitation of any kind -
including by journalists - is entirely a different question.

If we see some as having a prescriptive right over natural resources then the
proper approach and
this group's endeavour should be to create mechanisms for recognising these
rights and create
"vehicles" for the expression of the rights. Just thoughtlessly spreading
articles that appeal to
specific sectors of fund giving western populations does not help the people.
It serves neither
the Nation nor its people to pit citizens against each other.

The article is self-revealing when it talks quite unnecessarily and out of
context the religious
persuasion of the island population.

I would suggest that instead of circulating such pieces we get our head
together and think on what
should be done to protect the islands' ecosystems including homo sapiens.

devi





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