Himalayan Times (1962)

Six

Himalayan Times

July 1, 1962

S1KKIM TODAY

( Continued from page 2 )
phrases an "country of
origin," ''any other coun-
try," "foreign country,"
"prescribed rules," appear
in the regulation. The
Sikkim National Congress
wrote to the Dewan of
Sikkim asking for clari-
fication of these phrases,
but it would appear that
either the Dtwan is ap-
parently too much occu-
pied elsewhere to deem
it fit and proper to find
time to send an answer
to them on the subjeot,
or, he rejeots the view
that it is the right of
the intending subjects to
demand clarification of
the doouments he is cal-
led upon to sign. It
would seem, therefore,
that the country of ori-
gin of these Nepalese set-
tled in Sikkim must be
Nepal, just as the eountiy
of origia of the ruling
family is Tibet, and that
of the Lepehas is Sikkim.

Wo are informed that
Elections will take place
in Sikkim sometime this
year, but we are not
allowed to know under
what rules and regula-
tions, or under what eye.
tern ! One might also ask
the very pertinent- ques-
tion as to what possible
value the elections can
have in the absence of a
written Constitution? It
Would appear that the
elections are to be run

on the usual oommunal
lines. Whereas, in India,
it is tantamount to a
crime to enoourage the
disintegration of the peo-
ple 'through oommunal
means, yet, in India's
Protectorate of Sikkim
the very same oommuna-
lism in an aoute form is
ardently encouraged !

A further soaree of
acute grievanee is the
fact, there being no Cons-
titution, the administra.
tion is not uniform through-
out Sikkim, and the huge
Private Estates belonging
to the ruling family and
the Monastery Estates,
flourish aud feed vested
interests in the midst of
the dire poverty and
misery of our people.
Despite frequent requests
by the Sikkim National
Congress that representa-
tives of the people should
find plaoes on the Deve-
lopment Plan Committee,
no such representative has
been nominated, Thus,
people living on the Mo-
nastery KBtate are being
forcibly deprived of their
lands and homes for the
so-called "development
plans", as the Private
Estates and the Monastery
Estates are under the
control of the Sikkim
Durbar, i. e. under a quite
different administration
from the rest of Sikkim.
Thus the people have not
' the protection of their
own representatives on

the Planning Committee.
Again, a reoent instance,
whioh has caused a sen-
sation in the Lepcha area
of Dikohu-Jongu, whioh
forms part of the Maha.
rani's "Private Estate",
was the "fine" arbitrarily
levied on a Lepcha Mandal
for the alleged offence of
cutting down some trees
in his own patta land,
whioh, incidentally,. he
denies, of Rs. 10,298
80 nP., which he was
summarily oommanded
by the Private Secretary
to the Maharaja of Sikkim
to pay into the Maha-
rani's account. Apart
from literally, staggering
amount of the "fine", the
Mandal is a simple Lepcha
villager, and, as such, he
has little or no redress
against such a grave in-
justice. But, does this
not furnish a startling
example of the neoessity
for the immediate aboli-
tion of the whole perni-
cious system of "Private
Estates" throughout Sik-
kim, for after all. this
is the twentieth century !

When we read that
the Prime Minister of
India said in a speech
at Jaipur during the last
eleotions that "the dream
of the Swatantra Party
to bring baok the old
feudal times would never
be fulfilled'', theSikkimese
wonder why, in India's
Protectorate of Sikkim,
feudalism is allowed to