Tura, Aug 05: The recent attempt of the GHADC to pass the Garo Customary Law Codification which is drafted without caution and without
consideration for the future and protection of the Garos met with
stiff resistance from us. This type of attempt to dilute the Garo
customary law which uniquely defines us as indigenous people will face
the stiffest opposition from the GSU and the GSU along with the other
NGOs and Civil Societies have organised a sit-in protest which was the
first phase. We keep hearing that the GHADC will try to table the same
draft of Garo Customary Law in a special session. We are getting
information that the CEM, GHADC will try to push the draft in the
CEM’s Chamber by brute majority. We promise the GHADC if it throws
caution to the wind and attempts such a move again we will be forced
to carry out the next phase of agitations. We promise the GHADC that
the people of Garo Hills will be with us to oppose any attempt to
dilute the Garo Customary Law which have been followed from times
immemorial and which is the truest identification and authentication
of the Garo culture.
The GHADC has never intimidated the GSU or the stakeholders about the
codification of the Garo Customary Law. The codification will have
huge impact on the importance of the Garo Customary Law and the
present draft will negatively impact it from the legal point of view
and will drastically encourage influx providing a convenient way or
avenue for the illegal immigrants by allowing them to identify
themselves as Garos just by following simple rules as envisaged in the
present draft. The present draft will dilute the Garo Customary Law
and will weaken the protective attributes of the customary law. This
is something the GSU will not allow. Let the non-tribals be
non-tribals and we will never allow the easy way for the non-tribals
to infiltrate our Garo society.
The articles in the present draft which are defined in Chapter I
clause ii,iii,iv,v is an clear attempt to rechristen the Garo
Customary Law. The Garo custom of “Deragata” and “Deba’a” is strictly
a closed system within the Garo community. These two customs cannot be
entertained to mean “adoption”. A person who is not a Garo cannot be
entertained in the Garo custom of Deragata and Deba’a so all the
articles defined in Chapter I is a pure manipulation and corruption of
the customary laws and so clauses ii,iii,iv,v of that chapter must be
completely struck out.
Article 76 of ChapterXII, the Missellaneous section talks correctly
about the forfeiture of the right of the woman to call herself a Garo
and her right to inheritance of properties but Chapter I in a
contradictory manner talks about the possibility of a non-Garo to
claim himself/herself as a Garo. Garo women can lose her identity but
a non Garo can become a Garo this is absurdity on the highest level.
This is a discussion of the concept of integration which is alien to
the Garos and its customary laws. The Garo people will never stand for
it. (SP News)
