Already last week it was clear that the Frp’s Sámi parliamentary group, consisting of Arthur Tørfoss, would put forward a motion of no confidence against Sámi parliamentary councilor Hans Ole Eira. Avisa Ságat mentioned the case first. The background for the no-confidence motion is an agreement on duodji, Sami crafts. The so-called “main agreement for the duodji industry” is an agreement between the Sami Parliament and Sami duodji organisations. The agreement stipulates that the Sámi Parliament and the duodji organizations must work together to promote the Sámi duodji industry. Duodji can be anything from wooden knives and cups to leather bags and jackets. Photo: Dan Robert Larsen / news Believes the Sámi parliamentary council has been misinformed In the Sámi context, the Sámi parliament is the highest political body. The Sami Parliament Council can be compared to the Norwegian government, while the Sami Parliament plenary can be compared to the Storting. When the FRP accuses the Sámi parliamentary council of misinforming the plenum, it will be as if the government is misinforming or lying to the Storting. A motion of no confidence simply means that someone in plenary proposes that the council has lost confidence in plenary. If the majority agrees, the council must go and be replaced. The case is about Arthur Tørfoss believing that the Sámi parliamentary council has misinformed the entire plenum about the duodji agreement. Photo: Benjamin Fredriksen / news It was decided in October that the agreement should be terminated. Hans Ole Eira is accused of not having informed the duodji organization that the Sámi parliament will terminate the agreement. He is also accused of subsequently misinforming the Sámi Parliament’s plenum that the organizations had been informed. – We in the FRP want to promote distrust towards Sámi parliament councilor Hans Ole Eira, because we really trust the duodji organizations more than Eira, says Sámi parliament representative Arthur Tørfoss. Sami Parliament Councilor Hans Ole Eira does not agree with the accusations. Photo: Kenneth Hætta Sami Parliament Councilor Hans Ole Eira, for his part, says that he has done nothing wrong. – I do not admit to having done anything wrong. It has been a large and comprehensive work that has been going on for several years, says Hans Ole Eira to news. At the plenary meeting on Tuesday morning, it emerged that a no-confidence motion cannot be put forward against a single council member, and therefore Arthur Tørfoss proposed a motion of no-confidence against the entire Sámi parliamentary council. Was voted down After the Sámi Parliament plenary voted on the motion of no confidence on Tuesday, it was clear that the majority did not agree with the motion of no confidence. The proposal was voted down with 12 votes in favor and 27 against. In advance, there was tension as to which parties would support the no-confidence motion. The Sámi people’s party, one independent party representative and the Nordkalott people voted in favor, while the Labor Party, the Center Party, the Norwegian Sami National Federation and Flyttsamelista voted against. Nevertheless, news’s Sami political commentator Mona Solbakk believes that the case will have consequences in the Sami Parliament. news’s Sami political commentator Mona Solbakk. Photo: Dan Robert Larsen / news – This means that the Sámi Parliament must become better at documenting its meeting activities. It will also be important for the administration at the Sámi Parliament, she says. Solbakk says that the opposition now expects that documentation will be in place in the future, and that they will follow closely. – Even if the Sámi parliamentary council did not have to follow up on the case, it has probably been a wake-up call for them, says Solbakk. – I don’t have good enough routines – I have carefully gone through the case and all communication in the case, says Sámi Parliament President Silje Karine Muotka. The president believes that the routines for documentation are too poor. Photo: Truls Alnes Antonsen / news She says that she has full confidence in the Sámi parliamentary council, but at the same time criticizes the routines for documenting meeting activities. – I want to review our routines, she says. Although the Labor Party voted against the proposal, leader Ronny Wilhelmsen was strongly critical of the handling of the case, and believes, like the Sámi Parliament president, that documentation of meeting activities must be improved. – In addition, the termination of the agreement has created uncertainty for the duodji industry, and the Sami Parliament president must sort that out, he says to the plenary. The Labor Party’s Ronny Wilhelmsen voted against the motion of no confidence, so he is critical of the process in the case of the duodji agreement. Photo: June Grønnvoll Bjørnback / news
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Motion of no confidence against the Sámi parliamentary council – news Sápmi
