Thomas
NNC Member
Recently the Naga Shisha Hoho and Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) successfully convened a big gathering of prayer meetings for the Naga reconciliation from 16-18th February 2024 at ütsapo Village in Chakhesang Region. It is learned around seven hundred people attended.I appreciatethe meeting convenedin the interest of Naga national reconciliation.
I would like to ask the following questions to the factional leaders in the interest of Naga national reconciliation,
As our God gave wisdom to the Naga national leaders, the Naga National Council (NNC) declared the age-old Naga Independenceto the world on 14th August 1947, before India and Burma became independent nations. Again, the declaration was reaffirmed by 99.9% of the Naga people when the NNC conducted a Plebiscite on May 16, 1951. Which was the final verdict of the Naga people for the future of Nagaland.
Why then some educated Nagas accept statehood under the Indian Union by signing a 16-point Agreement with the Government of India (GoI) in 1960? Do they declare the 16-point agreement is withdrawn and accept the Nagas as an independent nation? The state government is the first faction of the Nagas.
In 1975, more than five divisions of the Indian Army heavily surrounded Nagaland and it faced the brink of doom. However, God stretched out His Mighty hands and delivered the Naga nation from complete capitulation. Why then the renegade leaders said, the Accord was a capitulation accord? They explicitly knew that the words the Naga, Nagaland, and even the NNC/FGN were not mentioned in the Accord.
Why are they telling lies that the Accord was signed by the NNC and surrendered? In the interest of Naga national unity, will the factional leaders accept the Naga nation or the NNC did not surrender as it was protected and was saved by our Lord God?
The conflict with India and Burma is not a political issue or secession, but a case of agreement and war. Because Nagaland was never part and parcel of India and Burma by conquest or consent in the Naga national history. Moreover, the Nagas declared their age-old Independence before they (India-Burma) became nations. So, it is not a political issue or secession and the Nagas do not demand any political status from India or Burma. But India and Burma divided Nagaland by themselves in 1953 without the knowledge of the Naga people, and as a result, a conflict with them started. Since then, the NNC firmly stood to defend the sovereignty of Nagaland but not to demand any political status from India. Thus, the NNC does not stand for political issues. It stands for Naga nationalism.
Why then the renegade leaders or factional leaders stand for political issues and demand a political status such as shared sovereignty from India? They celebrate Nagaland Independence Day every year,even then why are they firmly standing for the Framework Agreement and demanding a political status from India?It is a political game of deceiving the Naga people. Will they stop it in the interest of Naga national unity?
In 1976-1979, at the Eastern Oking (Headquarters), the division among the Naga national leaders took place between those who stood for the Naga traditional democracy and Muivah’s Socialism. Those who refused to support socialism were killed by Isak-Muivah, and Khaplang. But why are they not telling the truth that the division took place because of Muivah’s socialism? Why are they telling lies up to date that the division took place because of the Shillong Accord? The Eastern Oking was not in a Shillong Accord zone, but out of the Accord, and the Naga national workers who were there were out of the Accord. If the Accord was the main reason for division, why then did they sign a Framework Agreement on 3rd August 2015 with the GoI and demand shared sovereignty, Constitution and Flag from India? If they stand for Nagaland for Christ, they should never commit to telling lies. They believe in Jesus Christ, but telling lies and killing is sinning and against Jesus Christ. Why are they not proudly saying thanks to the Lord our God for saving Nagaland from the doom fiasco in 1975? Why have they termed the Accord as the infamous Accord for 45 years? (See a speech of so-called Chairman of NSCN-IM Eno Qu Toccu on NSCN raising day January 31, 2024).
The conflict with India and Burma must be solved based on the Naga national history. The Naga national history is the records of the NNC and it belongs to the NNC alone. The NSCN leaders write and speak of it, but it doesn’t become the record of the NSCN.The NSCN history started only in 1980. When Isak-Muivah moved away from the NNC, they moved away from the platform of history andhad no historical background and neither had the mandate of the people. The history and mandate of the people cannot be used as the private property of Muivah, Isak or any Naga factional leaders. The people’s mandate was given to the Naga national leaders on the platform of NNC. They are not in the NNC, but are saying, they uphold the Declaration of Independence and Plebiscite of 1951, which is also telling lies only. It is a proven fact that they are celebrating Naga Independence Day but stand for a framework agreement and political issues and demand political status from India. It is a blatant lie. Will they stop such deceiving and blatant lies in the interest of Naga national unity?
The following points are foremost and essential for the factional leaders to accept in the interest of national unity.
1. All the Nagas must accept the Nagas as an independent nation from time immemorial,
2. To speak in one voice as a nation, but not secession or demanding any political status from a foreign nation,
3. To accept the NNC as an authentic political institution of the whole of Nagaland,
4. To accept the Naga traditional democracy which is handed down to us by our ancestor fathers, but not foreign political ideology (socialism). If we stand for such a foreign political ideology, it should dilute our national stand and issues. The stand of NSCN-IM confused the whole world. So, they should stop it.
5. To stop false accusations, and false propaganda as we are a Christian nation. Particularly do not use the Shillong Accord for your false propaganda, and false accusations against the others, because it was a miraculous work of God to save the Naga nation from doom. Fear of God for telling lies and false accusations.
6. To let the NNC take responsibility for solving the Indo-Naga conflict and all the Nagas in unison should support the NNC. But bypassing the NNC, the factional leaders should not attempt to solve it. The factions have no history. The Indo-Naga conflict is a matter to solve based on Naga national history.
7. To give up factionalism, because the Nagas do not stand for factionalism, but only for nationalism at this juncture. Party politics will follow after we achieve a recognition of our sovereignty by the world.
If the Nagas are united under the banner of NNC and firmly stand as an independent nation, our case will be solved very easily, said our great leader AZ Phizo.
