No one has divided Nagas but ourselves, says former Nagaland CM Dr. SC Jamir

Our Reporter
Dimapur, Aug. 26 (EMN): Nagaland had been witnessing the fragmentation of both ‘underground and over-ground organisations’ into multiple factions, and divergent outlook and agenda, threatening peace and unity in the state, lamented former Chief Minister of Nagaland Dr. SC Jamir.

Addressing the gathering at the 28th Freshers’ Day of Tetso College at its Sovima campus on Friday, the veteran Congress stalwart said Nagas are facing a peculiar negative future which has blocked its ‘existence and survival’.

Stressing on the theme “A tryst with the future of Nagaland”, he told the students that one should know the past and the present if one has to design a future, and that there is no point of criticising each other but should ‘introspect, retrospect and analyse the entire gamut of the terrible mess that we are in’.

Referring the present Naga society to the Biblical story of the “Tower of Babel”, which was build in unity and one accord but turned into confusion, Jamir said the Naga leaders who had one accord and one dream gave way to multiple factions with different approaches and no cause.

‘No one has divided us but it is ourselves that we have borne bitter fruits,’ he said.

“A polity dominated by alien people who are trying to suppress, oppress and enslave the indigenous inhabitants of Nagaland through gun culture, living in a perpetual fear under the gun culture but no one dares to speak the truth,” he said.

He also said that the land of festivals is witnessing road shows, fashion shows, beauty contests even at village level, and celebrations of different jubilees to name a few. Aren’t these not negative features of Nagaland?, he asked while pointing out that ‘the people of Nagaland, it appear, have no other avocations except indulging in merriment, entertainment and festivities’. 

‘During our time, there was never a discussion of CNTC (Central Nagaland Tribes Council), ENPO (Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation) etc. but the younger generation has to fight many evils of tribalism and have to rise above tribalism. The leaders now are obsessed with the past history and not the future,’ he stated.               

The former CM advised the student community to grow and let others grow, rise and let others rise and compete and let others compete on fair field, while reminding that their generation and the leaders were always in a mood to seek opportunity but there is a great cultural and social shift today.