On behalf of my Government, The Federal Government of Nagaland, I extend my warm greetings to the people of Nagaland on this 57th Republic Day.
Our struggle from the beginning has been a struggle of principle and rights. We have traveled this far, at times through tedious road, but all through our journey, God Almighty has been our strength and the people who stood behind us have been our inspiration. And this has made the journey worthwhile.
Today as we celebrate and commemorate the 57th years of our Republic, it is a reminder that no forces on earth will be able to destroy the foundation which has been laid by our forefathers. They were farsighted in their vision for a Sovereign Nation and what was laid by them will not be thwarted under any circumstances. We do not exist as a nation by the will and wisdom of other people but by God given wisdom to our leaders of yesteryears who framed our future through which we must stride. The path they have charted for us is the path of freedom and self determination and to live as a sovereign people and nation. It is choice based on our birthright imbedded deep within our historical rights enshrined in us as people and nation chosen and gifted by God. This, we will not compromise now and later any circumstances. It must be known this day that, the rhetoric of modernism with its philosophy of accommodation and convenience has no place in our nation’s vocabulary.
Freedom and dignity are words that are like thorns to those who seek to destroy us and control us. But we are born with it and therefore, they are not bestowed upon us but are part of us as human being. Practical and accommodation are words of convenience to those who see the will of our people as a disturbance to their convenience because they believe in “unity in diversity”. To this end, we cannot simply surrender what legitimately belongs to us for the sake of others. If we cease to exist as a free people we must choose to parish together in dignity as a dignified people. If the principles we believe for so long is no longer practical we will parish together as fools. We cannot and shall not bow down to the politics of other people outside of us who do not feel our heart beat and the suffering that we have gone through.
From the cross road, Nagas have now come to a critical juncture. We hear voices, voices that are discouraging and disheartening. Voices that are encouraging and heart warming. We must acknowledged that, in our journey, many hurdles were overcome and we have made a fine decision to journey together, simmering down our differences and harmer those that need to be nailed deeper. It has made us to realize that without reconciliation through forgiveness our future remains bleak and we will continue to struggle in the same predicament. The journey is filled with challenges and opportunities and my Government will never hesitate to seize the opportunity to speak the truth and we will never betray the people. This we must not forget. We have always taken into account the voices of our people and we will continue to do so. At this critical juncture, I must once again appeal to our people in general and the leaders of different political groups to once again read the handwriting on the wall that we must forgive and reconcile.!
In our present endeavor, we must not forget the past which have shaped our political aspirations. Therefore, on this day we stand on the platform of the 1947, August 14th where we declared our independence to the world, proclaiming that we are a Sovereign Nation. This proclamation was thereafter sealed by the Naga Plebiscite on May 16th, 1951. These are the bone and nerve of our contention and when forgotten and exhumed our hope and aspiration as sovereign nation become baseless. My Government, the NNC/FGN will not bow down to any thing that is less than what belongs to us. We will not betray the vision of our Nation-Fathers who gave us the reason to be proud people and nation different from others.
On this day, it is also proper for my Government to pay homage to the souls who paid the price of patriotism by selflessly giving their best and their life above all things else for the cause of our nation. Their sacrifice is exemplary, and we are what we are today because they chose the path for us.
I pray that God Almighty will give us the grace and the strength to move forward.
May God bless us all and KUKNALIM.
