Naga Independence Day Speech by Brig. (Retd) S. Singnya, Kedahge, Federal Government of Nagaland

My dear Countrymen & women,

On this historic day, the 14th day of August 2024, as the Nation celebrates the 78th Naga Independence Day; it is a privilege and an honour to address you all on my own behalf and on behalf of the Federal Government of Nagaland as well as on behalf of all the true Naga patriots who are no more with us today. It was on this day in 1947 that our pioneers and visionary leaders took the momentous decision to proclaim the aspirations of the Naga people to the world. We are grateful to our Almighty God for the guidance, protection and sustenance throughout all these years of our struggle for an honourable existence and to earn a rightful place as a Nation among the Nations of the world.

Naga Nationalism is a movement for the restoration of our political and historical rights. Nagas as fierce lovers of freedom and equality, our aspiration has always been for self determination; we do not covet what is not ours but we will keep what is rightfully ours. The political history of the Nagas first started with the resistance of the British colonisers and later with Indian imperialism. The Naga people for many decades have been fighting for a free homeland and resisting the oppressive occupational forces of India and Myanmar on our land ever since the British colonial empire left the Indian sub-continent. Since the British Government remained silent on the Nagas’ right to self-determination at the time of its departure from the Indian sub-continent, the Naga National Council (NNC) after informing the top Indian leaders of the time, declared Naga Independence on 14th August 1947, a day ahead of India’s declaration of independence. To augment this declaration, the NNC conducted the Plebiscite on 16th May, 1951 wherein 99.9% voted for Sovereignty. And ever since its establishment, the Federal Government of Nagaland has always stood for the restoration of “the historical and political rights of the Nagas.”

The Naga national struggle has also faced challenges from within and without. Some leaders were tempted and lured, sowing the seed of discord amongst us. We have been manipulated and used as tools by our enemy to fight our own brethren. The external powers sought to destroy the fabric of our own existence and unity as a people and a nation. They equated our movement with developments and facilities. We do not ask of the things which do not belong to us but of our freedom and independence that were snatched away from us. Our oppressors even demeaned our struggle to that of a secessionist movement but the Naga political struggle has never been a secessionist movement but it has always been a movement for the restoration of our historical and political rights. Our rights are deeply instilled in historical declarations; beginning with the declaration of independence on August 14th, 1947 a day before India declared her independence from the British rule, the declaration of independence finds it attestation in the historic Voluntary National Plebiscite on 16th of May, 1951. The momentous declaration and action were followed by the formation of a federation of the then divided Nagaland under the British rule at the first historic Tatar Hoho, convened by the Naga National Council on 22nd of March 1956. The Tatar t ratified the Articles enshrined in the constitution, enabling the Nagas, thereafter to act with legal authority. Accordingly, the NNC representing the then Naga Hills District and the Hongki Government, representing the Free Nagas, freely and willingly merged into a single Federal Republic resulting in the establishment of the Federal Government of Nagaland. This testifies that our political foundation is one that rests on the will and mandate of the people based on the Naga system of democracy.

The Nagas as a people were known for our culture of hard work, honesty and integrity. Over the years, time and again our patience and tolerance, our intelligence and wisdom, our unity and nationhood have been challenged. Today, we are aware that a big threat to our identity and culture has emerged owing to the alien cultural and religious practices of the overwhelming majority of the Indian population being imposed on our people which has the possibility of entirely wiping out our identity and culture and even our civilisation. However, we as a people and as a Nation are prepared to resist with all our might to defend our identity and preserve our culture and religious practices. In the course of our journey, we have faltered against the tides of division and compromise among ourselves; fractured by the tempting promises and some were lured to even work against our own nation. Modernism has tried to persuade us to abandon our cause with the rhetoric that Sovereignty comes in different faces. But we are also aware that sovereignty is a word, a vocabulary and most of all a political term and it can never and will never change. Sovereignty has no modern face; modernity and civilisation cannot create sovereignty. Sovereignty by simple definition is to be what we desire and ought to be without the dictate of other people or forces outside of us. Beyond this definition it becomes a mere argument of convenience. Human arguments and wisdom can never alter the fact that Nagas never wish to be part of India or for that matter of any nation, then and now.

The Nagas as a people and as a nation have an ardent desire to live in peace and harmony and have always sought to live in peaceful co-existence with our neighbours. As such for Peace to prevail and for a peaceful resolution of the Indo-Naga political issue, the Federal Government of Nagaland with all sincerity, actively participated in the political dialogue with Government of India as an entity of the NNPGs Working Committee. However even after a lapse of more than four and a half years of concluding the Political dialogues on 31st October 2019, the final inking of the agreement remains. The lackadaisical attitude of the Gol makes us realise once again that India is not genuinely concerned about resolving the Indo-Naga political issue and that India is not prepared to be honest with her commitments.

Our ancestors were honourable people and their words used to be their law. The British recognised this custom and treated the Nagas as honourable people. Despite several conflicts and agreements between the two, no written document was necessitated. And so we respected each other for what each was. But when the Indian leaders made the first agreement with the Nagas, they neither honoured our customs nor their promises. We had to make a written agreement – the 9 point agreement (Hydari agreement). Even after getting written assurance from the representatives of the Gol, a letter signed by Bordoloi and Hydari themselves, the agreement never saw the light of day. Successive Indian leaders have failed to uphold even the promises made to the Nagas by their most venerated leaders like Gandhi and Rajagopalachari. These have made us to wonder what we are up against, a people whose honour is questionable. To cite few instances – India never honoured the Hydari agreement; India betrayed the Peace Mission of 1964; India divided the Nagas even after her promise to bring the Nagasunder one political umbrella; India has not even been serious about her commitments to the 16 point agreement in all important matters. Being aware that the conflict between the Nagas and India could have been resolved long ago had the Government of India been really sincere in trying to resolve it and that the Gol has instead of seeking permanent solution has rather basically succeeded in prolonging the problem by manipulating the situations as and when desired by her. Coming to the present, it also appears that the Gol has no intention of honouring either the ‘Framework Agreement’ of 3rd August 2015 signed with the NSCN (I-M) or the ‘Agreed Positions’ of 17th November 2017 signed with the NNPGs. While we had hoped to witness India live up to her world image as the largest Democracy in the world by becoming a self-respecting and honourable country, at the same time, we the Nagas, as a Nation of trustworthy and honourable people have the moral strength to continue and persevere in the pursuit of the Naga cause by following the chartered path of our pioneers and founding fathers, putting our trust in God and still firmly believing that what is rightfully ours cannot be crushed by power or might.

The NNC/FGN will continue to work for the reconciliation of the Naga political groups and will continue to support the FNR and her work to unite the Nagas as long as the path is charted by wisdom that comes from God Almighty. We work for wholesome solution and we also believe in a unified, concerted effort. We believe that our victory lies in our unity though we also believe that unity does not imply uniformity. The Naga Political Groups have to learn to speak the same political language as one nation, one people with one political agenda. Collective wisdom must be sought at all times. We should work toward minimising suspicion on each other. And above all, we must learn to put the cause of the nation and the people as our priority lest we hurt each other sentiments and blow the hard earned move of reconciliation further away from us. However, we are opposed to any vice that would go against our political vision and foundation and will do so even in the future.

As we celebrate this Historic Day, let us renew our spirit, our commitment and our dedication to the service of the nation. Let us also celebrate with pride and fondly remember the contributions and sacrifices of the patriots who selflessly gave their lives for the Nation and the patriots who selflessly chose to bear the hardships and sufferings in the pursuit of the noble cause. I join the nation in paying my homage to all those martyrs and patriots who are no more with us today. I warmly congratulate all the recipients of the awards and special commendations for their dedication and commitment. May we all march forward with our head lifted high until we find our rightful place as a Nation among the Nations of the world.

God bless us all.

KUKNALIM