Indigenous activists and Gen-G have urged an end to partisan interference and division in the Nepal Indigenous Peoples Federation (NEFIN).

Issuing a joint statement on Tuesday regarding the indigenous peoples' movement and the upcoming 11th general convention of NEFIN, they emphasized the need to free the federation's leadership selection process from partisan interference and participation.

'We believe that the federation should develop and expand as an alternative consciousness for indigenous rights, but it is suffering from extreme partisanship and project-centered activities,' the statement said. 'To eliminate such distortions and anomalies, legal provisions should be made in the federation's statute to free the leadership selection process from partisan interference and participation, and to make it community-oriented, issue-movement-oriented, and not party-oriented, state-political profit-oriented, after becoming an office-bearer.'

They have specifically urged all indigenous organizations and the federation to adopt a clear policy to ensure the participation of the indigenous community through a transparent democratic system.

Similarly, the press release has also urged the person coming to the leadership of the federation to present himself as a common psychology and common leadership and to keep him free from party politics. 

Considering that structural reform of the federation is an inevitable issue in the changed situation, it has been emphasized that the Federal Council should be developed as a place for policy debate and approval and the Secretariat as a place for effective implementation. For that, the statement mentions that the Chairman or Speaker and Vice-Chairman or Deputy Speaker (of different genders) of the Federal Council should be elected from the general assembly or the chairman should be the chairman according to the alphabetical order of the names of the tribals affiliated with the federation.

Similarly, it has been demanded that each tribal organization and the federation should legally arrange an effective mechanism to transfer and pass on the organizational experience and learnings worked in the federation and tribal organizations.

They believe that such tribal organizations should not have the same structure and practices as political parties, but should adopt the values, norms and practices of traditional tribal organizations based on (non-)hierarchy and (non-centrality). In addition, a special request has been made to all tribal organizations and federations to elect office bearers unanimously by including all parties from the upcoming general convention.

The statement was signed by more than 75 people including Ankala Baram, Arnav Chaudhary, Amrit Gurung, Amrita Thebe, Indramani Yampu, Shree Maharjan, Kamal Thapa Magar, Kumar Jathar Tamang, Kailash Rai, Krishnaraj 'Sarvahari' Tharu, Khim Ghale, Ganesh Yonjan, Gobind Chhantyal, Chinimaya Majhi, Tashi Lhajom, Parashuram Tamang, Prof. Mahendra Lawati, Rajendra Maharjan, Suresh Ale Magar, Som Dhimal.