W Shapwon
Joint Secretary, NNC
The reconciliation with God by a human being is through repentance and confession of sins, without which there is no reconciliation with God. For Naga national reunification or reconciliation is; to reaccept the Naga original stand by those who deviated from it and rejoining with the parent political body.
The Naga National Council (NNC) was formed on February 2, 1946, with full preparation to declare Nagaland Independence before India and Burma become independent nations when the world was changing after post-World War II. As pre-planned, the NNC duly declared the Independence of Nagaland on 14th August 1947. The Yehzabo (Constitution) of Nagaland Article 143 reads; “The Naga National Council shall be the only recognized Political Institution in Nagaland”. The Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN) was formed by the NNC on 22nd March 1956. The NNC/FGN is, therefore, a parent body of all Naga factions and a recognized Political Institution and Government in Nagaland. And the NNC/FGN has been defending the sovereignty and independence of Nagaland unflinchingly up to date (66 yrs) since India and Burma invaded Nagaland in October 1955. The original Naga national stand is as a nation and a people among the nations of the world. The sovereignty of Nagaland was not brought in from abroad but handed down to us by our forefathers and we dearly love to defend it.
Under the banner of NNC, the Naga were in one accord defending the sovereignty of Nagaland, and no Naga (old and young alike) has confused on the Naga national stand, that is ‘a sovereign and independent nation’. But the solidarity of Naga people was shattered when some renegade leaders defected from the NNC/FGN and formed the so-called National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) on January 31, 1980. The imposter leaders reversed their stand deviating from the Naga original stand. They submitted a 21-point competencies proposal demanding shared sovereignty from India, which confused the gullible Naga young people on the Naga national stand. It was unfortunate for the Nagas, since the formation of the NSCN, fratricidal killing started among the Nagas. As such a sad story was started, many able leaders of Naga NGOs and Christian Church leaders strived to bring peace and reconciliation among the Nagas. But none of them achieves reunification and reconciliation among the Nagas.
However, a green light for reconciliation and reunification among the Nagas appeared when the Nagas from all works of life joyously celebrated 75th Naga Independence Day on 14th August 2021, proclaiming Nagaland as an independent nation and the NNC as a parent political body. It was the fact that a problem we have been facing is; some of our Nagas do not recognize or accept the Nagas as a sovereign and independent nation. But now, even the Naga Global Forum (NGF) is posting the greetings of 75th Naga Independence Day on Facebook to date (August 28). The greetings expressed by Naga youths (boys and girls) from all Naga communities, which reads as follow:
“On this 75th Naga Independence Day, I wish all of my Naga brothers and sisters to come and unite together across the artificial boundaries and let us bring love, peace, and unity under one God and one nation. And come, let us stand together as one”.
The greetings is a clarion call to all Nagas to unite as a nation and stand together as one nation and under one God. When we solidly stand as a nation, then only our sovereignty will be recognized by the world,and there would be no artificial boundaries among the Nagas. But if we demand an autonomy state from India, that is to sell out our national right and the artificial boundaries would be recognized permanently by ourselves. The youths’ clarion call is yet very clear that not to stand for demanding self-determination or shared sovereignty from India but to stand as a nation. Because the Nagas were never part of India nor subjected to the Indian colony either.
The celebration of 75th Naga Independence Day in one accord as an independent nation and a clarion call to unite as a nation once again is a green light shown to the Nagas for national reunification in the chapter of history since the creation of factionalism in 1980.
