lanuary 14, 2002 Opinion. ____ Over The Edge Page 3

No One is Going to Nuke Each Other Over Kashmir

By: Stephanie Wilson

We have all seen the pic-
tures: a huge nuclear blast,
planet-wide destruction, and
the end of humanity. If you
tend to be swayed by the
media, perhaps you feel that
such a blast blast will occur in
either Pakistan or India,
especially if you take CNN as
pure truth. Forgive me for
being the perpetual ray of
sunshine, but | hardly think a
similar scenario will play itself
out in the current India-
Pakistan dispute over
Kashmir. Both countries have

nuclear capabilities, but |
really do not think they will be
used in the near future.

First of all, this dispute is
over land. And not just any
land. Land that lies in one of
the most fragile ecosystems
of the world: the Himalayas.
India and Pakistan want use-
able land, not some
scorched, barren, desolate
rock that will not support life.
What's the point of spending
years fighting for land if you
cannot even use it?

Secondly, it’s not like India
and Pakistan are on opposite

sides of the world. A nuclear
detonation in either country
will most likely affect the
other. However, if one of the
countries launched a
weapon, the other side would
probably retaliate immediate,
which would just quicken the
destruction of the two coun-
tries.

The United States is cur-
rently developing policy that
will prevent the use of nuclear
weapons in the dispute.
While this may be construed
as stepping outside their
jurisdiction, they are trying to

prevent a possible cata-
strophic event. They have
others in mind besides them-
selves, and we might as well
enjoy the moment. We may
not see it again. But that’s
how hegemony works.

How will the dispute end?
Personally, I’m a fan of grant-
ing Kashmir true sovereignty.
On the humanitarian side,
sovereignty means those in
Kashmir will not have top give
up their culture, language,
and religion as they would if
they had to be integrated into
Indian or Pakistani society.

Secondly, sovereignty pre-
vents the losing side from
retaliating and trying to get
Kashmir back. This dispute
has gone on for far too long,
and we might as well put an
end to it quickly and peaceful-
ly in a way that will prevent
further animosity. While |
can’t say how the dispute will
end, | can say one thing: the
world is not going to be blown
into eternity because of this.
Save your money and don’t
buy the bomb shelter.

An Opinion on the First Nations Referendum

By: Alexandra N. Luggi

The First Nations
Referendum in BC is nothing
more than a_ right-wing
attempt at coercing the politi-
cal will towards racism. The
provincial government wants
to ensure that they have sup-
port for their redneck ideals.
The following is a draft copy
of the referendum questions,
not the official list:

1. Treaties should be nego-
tiated in as transparent a
manner as possible. Treaties
are already negotiated in as
transparent of manner as
possible. Vote yes.

2. Treaty negotiation should
be responsive to the input of
local community and eco-
nomic interests. The provin-
cial government is able to
pick its negotiating team, and
if it wants the local govern-
ment to sit with them at the
table they have that right.
Vote yes.

3. Local Government par-
ticipation in the treaty
process is guaranteed. The
local governments are
already represented by the
Regional Advisory Board and
the Treaty Advisory
Committee. Local govern-
ments should not get guaran-
teed participation in the treaty
process. Vote NO.

4. Private Property is not
negotiable, unless there is a
willing seller and a_ willing
buyer. All land originally taken
from Aboriginal people as a

Over the Edge reserves the right to edit for length, grammar
and content. Please send your comments and opinions to

over-the-edge @ unbc.ca.

nation must be either
returned or compensated for.
Willing seller/buyer process-
es are preferred by aboriginal
people. Vote yes.

5. Continued access to
hunting, fishing, and recre-
ational opportunities will be
guaranteed for all British
Columbians. As Aboriginal
people will have control over
the resources of their land,
they will decide when and to
whom access will be granted.
Also, Aboriginal people have
first priority on their land, and
therefore it cannot be guaran-
teed that there will be enough
left for anybody else. Vote
NO.

6. The Province will main-
tain parks and protected
areas for the use and benefit
of all British Columbians.
Does this allow Aboriginal
people to have an active role
in the management of parks?
This question seems to
assume that if Aboriginal peo-
ple had some control over
parks that other BC citizens
would have no access to
them. Vote NO.

7. All terms and conditions
of Provincial leases and
licenses will be honoured. As
these agreements were
made without Aboriginal
input, it cannot be guaran-
teed that they will be hon-
oured. The province has the
ability to buy out the interests
and they may need to do that.
Vote NO.

8.Fair compensation for
unavoidable disruption of
commercial interests will be
assured. Anything could be
construed as a commercial
interest. Who will decide
what is fair, and what consti-
tutes an unavoidable disrup-
tion? Vote NO.

9.The Provincial
Government will negotiate
Aboriginal Government with
the Characteristics and legal
status of Local Government.
Aboriginal people have the
inherent right to govern them-
selves; this is also covered by
the Constitution and interna-
tional policy. The Provincial
Government does not have
the jurisdiction to dictate the
governmental policy of
Aboriginal people. Vote NO.

10. Treaties must strive to
achieve administrative sim-
plicity and jurisdictional
clarity amongst various lev-
els of government.
Jurisdictional clarity is a
must to ensure that the con-
tinued infringement on
Aboriginal rights is stopped.
Vote yes.

11.Province-wide — stan-
dards of resource manage-
ment and environmental
protection will continue to
apply. The province’s stan-
dards are poor, and there-
fore should not be forced
upon Aboriginal govern-
ment. Vote NO.

12.Treaties should pro-
vide mechanisms for har-

monization of land-use plan-
ning between Aboriginal
Governments and Local
Governments. Though
Aboriginal people have a
right to do their own land-use
planning, there may be mutu-
al benefits to this common
vision. Vote yes.

13. Affordability should be
a key factor in the determin-
ing the amount of land provid-
ed in treaty settlements. The
most important point should
be the cost of NOT settling
the land question. In addi-
tion, since the land rightfully
belongs to Aboriginal people,
the affordability of the land
returned should not be a
question. Vote NO.

14. Treaties must ensure
social and economic viability
for all British Columbians. \n

principle, if this includes
Aboriginal people, it is a good
idea. Vote yes.

15. The existing tax exemp-
tions for Aboriginal people will
be phased out. The province
has no say in the tax-exemp-
tion question, as it only
applies on reserves. Vote
NO.

16. Treaty benefits, includ-
ing cash and land, should be
distributed and structured to
create economic opportuni-
ties for all, including those liv-
ing on and off reserve.
Aboriginal people should
develop as they see fit.
Despite the good principle, it
should be determined by
Aboriginal people on their
own, not dictated by others.
Vote NO.

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