In his Finnish text, Juuso explains the work of the legal committee and the Sámi Council’s negotiation work in the parliament across party lines.
“It is important that everyone knows the twists and turns of the law reform process,” Juuso said.
The twists and turns of the Sámi Council Act have also received significant attention in the media, especially since the processing of the law has lasted until the last days of the election period. Juuso wanted to ensure that all information about the reform process is as accurate and accessible as possible.
“I wanted everyone to hear what happened during the process, and I hope that as many people interested in the subject as possible will take the time to read the text,” Juuso said.
Juuso particularly regrets that the centre, which opposed the bill, was not willing to negotiate solutions.
“It is unfortunate and strange that the director of the center, Annika Saarikko, refused to meet with us even once. I would have thought that they too would have seen the need to discuss the threshold issue with them, so that we could at least try to find solutions,” Juuso said.
The reform of the Sámi Council Act has now failed during three successive governments. The UN Human Rights Committee and the Committee against Racial Discrimination have also obliged Finland to change the current law in order to respect the Sami people’s right to self-determination, especially with regard to electoral roll criteria.
HT
Source: The Nordic Page
