Khekiye K Sema IAS (Rtd)
3rd Mile Thilixu village, Chümoukedima
Fellow Nagas, the following thoughts are being shared with utmost seriousness and concern as a father, appealing to every Father and Mother of Nagaland and beyond to prayerfully and honestly look at our present Naga reality on a value based Christian consideration without tribal or sectarian or factional biases. We have glaringly become a confused self-seeking race without a moral compass, so devoid of honest concerns for the collective future of our children’s generation. We now live under the shadow of a viciously corruptive system that focuses on money and money alone. This damning scenario must change!
For whatever his human shortcomings may have been, Late Mr. A Z Phizo, hailing from the then Naga Hills now called Nagaland, rekindled the spirit of freedom that was dormant in the blood of every living Naga and unwaveringly lead the Nagas on a challenging road to self-determination. We acknowledge and honour his exceptional leadership. However, the times have changed. The present world has since travelled through a very comprehensively unimaginable transformation into a fast track futuristic planet of Artificial Intelligence (AI), where the best compete with one another in every National and International arena. As for the Nagas, we are still stagnating within the cocoon of our ancestral past for the last 79 years…desperately at odds with each other sans vision, despite collectively struggling and groaning each day under a merciless burden of the so-called ‘Sovereignty (extortion)Taxes’. Given a peaceful and lawful environment with sufficient infrastructural development, I dare say that our children have all the God given natural talents which can very well be nurtured and groomed into a competitive level, comparable with their peer counterparts at the National or international arenas. The onus and the responsibility therefore, now rests on us, the elder citizens, to pragmatically, resolutely and honourably define the destiny for our younger generation rather than pass this cancerous problem down to them yet again… unresolved.
Let me make a clear unambiguous statement of undeniable truth that the Naga National Movement belongs to US…THE STAKEHOLDERS. It does not belong to NSCN (IM) or any other NPG Factions. They too need to clearly understand and acknowledge that they are all only negotiating on our behalf and therefore the last word in this matter still rests with US…the Stakeholders. Today, I do sincerely believe that all sensible Nagas would want to cross over from the present suffocating abnormal environment to a more sensible sustainable world of peace and opportunity for our children. The time has dawned on US…THE STAKEHOLDERS…to make this final call and pragmatically reclaim the Naga destiny for the sake of our posterity!
On the Indo-Naga Political issue, considering the FACT that the Naga solution has been envisaged within the Indian Constitution sans Sovereignty and Integration…the State Government could have rightly taken up a leadership responsibility to galvanize the voice of the stakeholders for an early resolution to this vexed problem but have unfortunately failed miserably to shoulder this responsibility for reasons best known to them. They identify themselves as ‘facilitator’ facilitating N-O-T-H-I-N-G and instead generating roadblocks. Our Naga Tribal Apex Hohos is the other possible forum that could have taken the lead in a matter such as this but none has shown any positive initiative to address this subject of Naga Solution…other than cause further confusion and division as is apparent with their press release stating that “NTHCC will abstain from Nov 18 public rally”. Beyond our State Government and the irresponsible Tribal Apex Hoho there is not a single NGO or Association who can bring our 17 Tribes together on a single platform. In this stark abject horizon of indifference and disunity we ought to be grateful to our Nagaland GB Federation (NGBF) for coming forward to tackle this long neglected subject for an early inclusive solution that everyone sorely desires. Instead of thanking NGBF we have been hearing snide remarks and criticisms that the GBs are Government Servants and low profile entity unqualified to address this subject. Let it be made clear in no uncertain terms that the GBs are NOT repeat NOT Government Servants. They are NOT monthly salaried employees of the Government. All they get is but a notional Govt. appointment with a red blanket in acknowledgement of their social standing. Let it also be made known that the institution of GBship is grounded on our traditional customary social structure that had existed from time immemorial even before the British has stepped into the Naga territory…the British only formalised the common identity of the already existing status of the responsible Village Elder…as GB…Gaon Burah…Village Elder. Every tribe had their own norms and customs of democratically selecting responsible elders from the Clan or Khel barring few Tribes like Sumis and Konyaks who had and have their customary hereditary Chieftainship. Let it also be made clear that there were no Tribal Apex Hohos when the Naga National Movement had begun. Our GBs have been standing in the eye of the storm right from the very inception of the National Movement. On the one hand they organized and facilitated the Undergrounds (as they were called then) in every possible way, feeding them and sheltering them within their village boundaries and on the other hand getting a thorough bashing thereafter from the Indian Army for assisting and sustaining the lifeline of the undergrounds. They literally were the punching bag from both ends from the very day Naga National Movement had begun. So why should the present Nagas generation including the present Tribal Apex Hohos who have no inkling of the past brutal reality, now callously question the eligibility of the GB fraternity and thwart them from addressing an issue such as this? No one but no one has suffered the immediate raw end of our National Movement than the GBs of all Tribes without exception. Today, the NGBF is the only united forum of all the 17 tribes of Nagaland who are prepared to represent their respective Tribes to attend the proposed Common Platform on the 18th November 2025 at Agri Expo and express their sincere concern to the GoI for an early inclusive solution based on the agreements called the “Framework Agreement” and the “Agreed Position”.
It is a sad commentary on the part of so-called NTHCC to declare non-cooperation towards the proposed Common Platform on the 18th Nov. 2025 and discouraging their respective constituents from attending the same. The question I raise is: Did the NTHCC consult their respective community about the subject matter before declaring their authoritarian dictate or is it unilateral exercise of authority by the Office Bearers without assessing the mind of their constituents? Further, our Tribal Hohos are contradicting themselves when on 29th Nov.2019 the 14 Tribes had called for logical Naga solution and are now opposing the NGBF for executing what they had stated. There is a clear signs of confusion here as all can see. The NTHCC is further confused about the subject of Naga reconciliation with that of Naga political solution. Unity and Reconciliation of the Nagas under the banner of FNR is a laudable effort that must go on now or even in the aftermath of post solution scenario. In fact the Tribal Apex Hohos and FNR should be focusing on reconciliation efforts with the ENPO rather than attempting to take the Nagas back to the so-called “common political vision without precondition” which is an unrealistic ‘vision’ that has long been crossed. We need to understand that our Naga negotiators have painstakingly and minutely addressed the status of freedom and the historical rights of the Nagas and everything else under the sun in course of the long drawn out negotiation with the GoI for the past several decades and after a lot of ‘give and take’, arrived at a conclusion called the “Framework Agreement” (FA) and the “Agreed Position” (AP). This is our down to earth reality. Today therefore the need of the hour is to let the GoI know in no uncertain terms that we, the STAKEHOLDERS, want an early solution to this vexed problem based on these two agreements. It’s as simple as this. NTHCC should spell out without ambiguity whether they are in favour of an early Naga solution…if no…then continue being a roadblock but otherwise gracefully withdraw from being a negative roadblock to the sincere efforts of the NGBF.
Finally, it is my sincere appeal to all the STAKEHOLDERS especially the youth of Nagaland to understand that the earlier this Indo-Naga Political issues is resolved the better it is for them all to live a full wholesome life under a peaceful extortion less environment where their God given talents can get a breathing space to shine. Therefore, no matter what the confused sectors may opine and discourage, take ownership in a very personal way and take the responsibility to show up at Agri Expo ground on 18th Nov. 2025 at 10.00am to make a our voices be heard loud and clear affirming that WE THE STAKEHOLDERS WANT AN EARLY INCLUSIVE SOLUTION, based on the two Gentlemen’s Agreement called the FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT and the AGREED POSITION.
May the Good Lord speak to each individual conscience so that we the Nagas can finally come to terms and make a pragmatic call to reclaim our Naga destiny.
