‘Half-bred Garo’ Bernard foresees dangers
SHILLONG: BJP member from West Garo Hills and former ANVC-B chief Bernard Marak has called for repeal of the Garo Customary Bill passed by the NPP-led Executive Committee of GHADC.
In a statement to the media on Sunday, Marak said the Garo Customary Law (GCL) will become the worst nightmare for ‘pure’ Garos.
“When half-breed Garos are not considered as Garos anymore and only ‘pure’ Garos are considered as genuine Garos (STs), the tribal population in Garo Hills will shrink to some thousands. Imagine the anguish of people when they will realise that they have become minorities in Garo Hills just like in Tripura,” Marak said.
According to Marak, politically most of the constituencies in Garo Hills will cease to be ST seats according to the Bill as half-bred Garos will add to the general population making many constituencies general.
“Worse is these seats will not be won by so-called genuine Garos as people in the general category will opt for leaders with vision,” Marak said and added that when majority seats are won by non-Garos, a new Bill can be introduced in the State Assembly and passed in the interest of the non-Garos.
According to the Sixth Schedule (Para 12A), the Act passed by the State and the bill passed by GHADC will overlap and that will be a worse nightmare for many, the BJP leader said.
“Passing GCL hastily in GHADC by a handful of people has a political agenda. But once it becomes an Act the worse will unfold,” he added.
Admitting that he is half-bred, Marak said the proposed GCL will have a big impact on the Garo society.
“The intentions of the GCL Committee and the Denang-led Executive Committee in GHADC are questionable as to whether they examined the political, economic and social repercussions before placing the Bill or were they simply too dump to see the bigger picture. Either way, it will have a negative impact on the peaceful coexistence of the Garos,” he said.
“Treat this as an insight as there are thousands out there who are not scared to face what may be in future but are rather motivated to stand for the rights of the section of people disowned through Garo Customary Law. For the safety of the Garos, this bill needs to be repealed immediately,” he added.