Staff Reporter
SHILLONG:
The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) introduced the Khasi Hills Autonomous District (Khasi Social Custom of Clan Administration) Bill 2022 on the opening day of its summer session on Wednesday.
Chief Executive Member (CEM) Titos Chyne said that the executive committee has gone through the report of the advisory committee and decided that the Khasi Hills Autonomous (Khasi Social Custom of Clan Administration) Bill, 2018 should be recalled and replaced by a fresh Bill, with some corrections/modifications as advised by it.
“Therefore, to enable the executive committee to introduce the Khasi Hills Autonomous District (Khasi Social Custom of Clan Administration) Bill, 2022, the Khasi Hills Autonomous District (Khasi Social Custom of Clan Administration) Bill, 2018 may be recalled,” he added.
Chyne further reiterated that the Bill was introduced by the council in a session on November 20, 2018, and was passed on November 22, 2018. It was then forwarded to the Governor for assent.
Notably, the Governor, however, returned the Bill for reconsideration in a message dated May 6, 2019. The executive committee had then constituted the advisory committee on law and traditional affairs to re-examine the Bill and advise the executive committee with concrete suggestions.
The CEM said that the said Bill was posted on the council’s website for views and opinions where various groups such as Seng Khasi Kmie, Seng Kur Kharshiing, Seng Kur Suting, Syngkhong Rympei Thymmai, Hynniewtrep Youths’ Council (Sohiong Circle), Seng Kur Thabah and Michael N. Syiem had submitted their views and suggestions, some of which have been incorporated in the proposed Bill.
He further said that the proposals of Syngkhong Rympei Thymmai and Michael N Syiem that states that persons who have adopted their father’s surname were not accepted by the advisory committee as the Bill itself is based on the matrilineal system of lineage practised by the Khasis.
The executive committee, in its meeting held on March 7, 2022, discussed and considered the report of the advisory committee in the matter of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District (Khasi Social Custom of Clan Administration) Bill, 2018.
Thereafter, the committee deemed it necessary to send the comparative copy of the Bill, 2018 and the proposed Khasi Hills Autonomous District (Khasi Social Custom of Clan Administration) Bill, 2022 which the advisory committee had prepared to all the members of district council (MDCs) for views/comments and the same was not received from any member.
It may be mentioned that through the Bill, the KHADC has deemed it necessary to formally systematise the broad-multiple practices of the Khasis and their unique matrilineal clan system, by clan legislation and also to forthwith bar others from surreptitiously claiming Khasi titles for personal interest.
Section 2 of the Bill, 2022 lays down the definition of clan certificate (a certificate granted by the Rangbah Kur or an authorised person of respective clan or kur under the provision of the act), the Khasi Social Custom of no beggary (in sync with the Khasi philosophy and practice where there is no beggary among the Khasis, the society being inclusive, it is the social obligation of every Khasi clan/kur to take care of parentless children and desolate elders.