Summary: The Nordkalott people have submitted a petition to the district court to stop Telemarksforskningen’s investigation into the criteria for enrollment in the Sami Parliament’s electoral roll. The party believes the investigation is against the law, as the Sámi Parliament has not given consent to it in plenary, and now wants a legality check. Norske Samers Riksforbund (NSR), believes the rhetoric used by the Nordkalott people is blown out of proportion. It is not clear whether and when the case will eventually come up in the Vestre-Finnmark district court. The control committee is in the process of checking the legality of the case and will conclude on 29 January. – We have submitted a petition to the district court, to stop the investigation that Telemarksforskning will carry out, says Vibeke Larsen, the Sami representative of the Nordkalott people. The party is reacting to the fact that the Sámi Parliament last week tasked Telemarksforskning to examine the criteria for registration in the Sámi Parliament’s electoral roll. Telemarksforskning has been commissioned to investigate the Sami Parliament’s number of electors. In order to join the Sámi Parliament’s electoral roll, you must answer yes to two criteria. One is that you perceive yourself as Sami. The second is that you are the child of someone listed in the census, or that you yourself or at least one of your parents, grandparents or great-grandparents spoke Sami at home. Telemark research in the project will, among other things, find out to what extent those who answer the survey themselves feel that they fulfill the requirements for registering the number of voters. The background for the investigation is news’s revelations which showed that a number of people have been approved for the Sámi Parliament’s electoral roll without being Sámi. Wants legality check Scrutinizing the number of electors has therefore not gone down well with all the parties in the Sámi Parliament. The Nordkalott people describe the investigation as “joint inquisition” and “modern skull measurement”. – You must send out a question to everyone in the electorate and ask if they and their relatives are Sami. Right from the start, you go out and suspect everyone who has registered with the electoral roll, says Toril Bakken Kåven, parliamentary leader of the Nordkalott people at the Sami Parliament. The party believes the investigation is against the law. But the matter was dealt with in the Sámi Parliament’s plenum on 9 December 2022 and received a majority of 27 votes, while 12 voted against. Vibeke Larsen is one of those who describes the investigation as “joint inquisition” and “modern skull measurement”. Photo: Nordkalottfolket – We want to have a legality check of this before proceeding with this type of investigation, says Larsen. – Constructed Sámi The Nordkalott people write that they believe the Sámi Parliament’s plenary leadership portrays Lars Monsen as an example of a person who is only a member of the Sámi population in order to take advantage of being Sámi. – The NSR and the Labor Party have long argued that there are so many “cheats” among us. It is nevertheless frightening and disappointing to experience that the Sami Parliament defines its fellow Sami as contrived and fortune hunters, says Bakken Kåven. Toril Bakken Kåven comes out strongly against the Sami Parliament’s agreement with Telemarksforskning. On the left sits the leader of the plenary committee, Tom Sottinen. Photo: Johan Ánte Utsi / news – It is appalling that this attitude lays the foundation for the investigation and research that the plenary leadership has initiated of everyone on the Sami Parliament’s electoral roll. Bakken Kåven and Larsen believe that the desire for an investigation of the number of people shows that those in power in the Sámi Parliament believe that some Sámi are worth more than others. – While the rest of us are just constructed Sámi. It is terribly tragic to be confirmed that the majority do not consider us all to be equal Sámi. Without root in reality – They have every right to use the legal system if they believe that injustice is taking place, just like everyone else in a state governed by the rule of law. It’s fine, even if I’m a little puzzled by the basis for it, says Beaska Niillas, political deputy leader of the Norwegian Samirs Riksforbund (NSR). He believes the rhetoric used by the Nordkalott people in this matter is blown out of proportion. Regarding the allegation of constructed Sámi, Niillas replies: – It is an allegation without root in reality. We have never said, and will never say, that those who meet the criteria and are in the electoral roll are not good enough Sami. All Sami are good enough and equal Sami and we have said that time and time again. Beaska Niillas, political deputy leader of NSR, believes the allegations have no roots in reality. Here from the fosse action last year. Photo: Dan Robert Larsen / news Tom Sottinen (Ap), leader of the plenary leadership, does not want to say anything about the case. – It would be completely wrong for me to comment on this case as long as it is in the legal system. We await the processing there before making any comments. It is not clear whether and when the case will eventually come up in the Vestre-Finnmark district court. The district court has not framed the case, which means that the district court has not decided whether the case will come before the court. Several requirements must be met Former magistrate at Indre-Finnmark district court, Finn Arne Bieski-Selfors, says in a radio interview that there are several requirements that must be met if an urgent case such as “temporary pleasure” can go to court. An important prerequisite is assessment of the Nordkalott people as plaintiffs and parties to the case. If this is a case that has direct consequences for the party or affects them in particular, then the Nordkalott people can be considered to have a real need to have the claim settled and the case can go to court, says Bieski-Selfors. Whether the case is urgent and has major consequences is another important consideration for the district court. The Nordkalott people have asked the control committee to assess the legality of giving Telemark research access to the Sami Parliament’s electoral roll. The control committee is in the process of checking the legality of the case and will conclude on 29 January. – We do not have the authority to stop the Sami Parliament or Telemarksforskning from carrying out surveys of the population, says chairman of the Sami Parliament’s control committee, Arthur Tørfoss.
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The Nordkalott people get the right to go to court to stop the scrutiny of the Sami Parliament’s voter numbers – news Troms and Finnmark
