Participation or just Right?

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights have stated that “ Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” However, Shetonmon people, the indigenous peoples in Shigatse when the international mining company Hunter Dickinson Inc. (HDI) started explore mine in their native land; they don’t have the real rights to participate and the government did not consult local people for their concerns.

The mainstream culture and society treated indigenous peoples as vulnerable segments of society, especially subjectively agree and making a decision on behalf of them. In the case of Shetonmon, the lack of participation and different perspective makes the issue more complex. Because, indigenous peoples, Tibetans over there consider the land, the nature as sacred and human being should to be cared not for violation, therefore, effective communication and participation from local people is needed for protect and respect their culture as well as environment and further development, but the question is how much effective can be made through participatory approach, and who.

Take another example from my previous work, as a rights-based organization Save the Children’s project activities should based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), however, since Tibet geographically, culturally and historically is unique. People have different understanding and interpreting of the four principals, especially the participation.

Although the need for a participatory method is widely accepted by different agencies but it is still difficult to implement and have a positive results in less development regions. Participatory approach helps stakeholders express their thought and plan or even monitor the result by themselves. But the key to success sometimes are depending on stockholder’s education level and overall understanding of the issue. Moreover, the manipulative and passive participation are still dominated approach. Therefore, to ensure indigenous people (Tibetan) rights’ to land, natural resources and political not only need sound participatory approach but also provide quality and high education for Tibetans; basic education and skills are no more enough to fight for their self-determine. Encourage self organizing and cooperating among indigenous groups as well as with external bodies. And conduct workshop or tranining for skill development or better undersanding of the law and regulatios from the center goverement.