Kohima, November 14 (MExN): The Global Naga Forum (GNF) has rebutted remarks made by former Chief Secretary Alemtemshi Jamir and retired IAS officer K.K. Sema during a consultative meeting of the Central Nagaland Tribes Council (CNTC) on November 11, asserting that administrative boundaries cannot divide the Naga people or undermine their shared historical identity.
In a statement titled “The Burden of Truth: Why State Borders Can Never Divide the Naga Family”, the GNF expressed concern over what it described as divisive narratives, particularly Jamir's assertion that Nagas had little collective identity before 1917 and that Naga nationalism was a recent construct.
It also objected to Sema's reported statement that Nagaland's future would not be decided by the Tangkhuls and his ultimatum asking “Southern Nagas” to either comply with his demands for transparency or “get out”.
Questioning the authority to treat administrative boundaries created in 1963 as grounds for excluding fellow Nagas, the GNF said state borders could not override shared ancestry, historical connections and collective sacrifices.
It also questioned claims of exclusive ownership over Nagaland based on the 1960 16-Point proposal, arguing that its integration provision under Point 13 had been abandoned. The forum further questioned why transparency was demanded selectively while the circumstances surrounding the 16-Point proposal, which it said was concluded without a popular plebiscite or collective mandate, remained beyond scrutiny.
Rejecting the assertion that Nagas had little collective identity before 1917, the GNF said decentralised village governance did not mean the absence of nationhood. It maintained that the Naga nation was rooted in autonomous, self-governing village republics that later adopted a federal system while retaining local self-rule.
The forum cited historical instances of inter-tribal cooperation, including Nagas from different hills working together in Upper Assam during the 1830s and 1880s, the development of Nagamese as a common language, participation in frontier expeditions during 1911-12 and the mobilisation of over 2,000 men for the World War I Labour Corps.
It also referred to the formation of the pan-Naga Naga Club in 1918 and the submission of the 1929 memorandum to the Simon Commission asserting the Naga people's right to self-determination.
Distinguishing between the 1947 Nine-Point Agreement negotiated by the Naga National Council (NNC) and Governor Sir Akbar Hydari and the 1960 16-Point proposal submitted by the Naga People's Convention, the GNF said the former recognised Naga rights over their lands, customs and administrative unity.
It maintained that the 16-Point arrangement was designed to fragment pan-Naga unity. The forum also cited the May 16, 1951 voluntary plebiscite and the efforts of Tangkhul Naga MP Rishang Keishing towards integration of the Naga Hills, Tuensang and Tirap.
Expressing concern over the impact of exclusionary rhetoric on younger generations, the GNF said it supported transparency, integrity and accountability across public institutions but opposed personal attacks and collective scapegoating of the Tangkhul community and Southern Nagas.
Calling for mature and dignified statesmanship, the forum urged tribal councils, senior citizens, intellectuals and public figures to rise above parochialism and personal invective.
It called for open debate, accountability from all leaders and honest examination of internal shortcomings, asserting that the strength and future of the Naga people rested on solidarity rather than administrative boundaries.
