EMN
Dimapur, August 9
Dr. Shurhozelie Liezietsu, President NPF Central said that the party with the Cock symbol was the oldest regional party in the entire Northeast India. He said this while thanking the organizers of the seminar at Hotel Saramati this morning.
The party, which was formed on 23 Oct. 1963 by a group of Naga leaders and was subsequently recognised by the Election Commission of India, has completed 50 years of its existence. The party has survived the test of time and the Cock symbol signifies the downing of a new era of peace and tranquility. Even the party motto, “fide-non-armies”, a Latin term when translated in English mean “by faith and not arm” was adopted as the people of Nagaland were going through a turbulent time during that period.
Addressing the party workers, Dr. Shurhozelie said except for 1998, the NPF has participated in all elections since the first polls in the state in 1964. He said all political parties decided to refrain from 1998 General Election in Nagaland to create a constitutional crisis so that it would draw the attention of the central government and subsequently the Naga political problem would be addressed. However, the Congress party betrayed the Naga people by contesting and formed an un-mandated government.
The president said that the NPF party has no high command and the collective wisdom of the people is the high command. He added that traditional values like honesty, politeness and respect for elders are part of the Naga culture. The Nagas are democratic in nature and the same was best described by a British Anthropologist John Buttler when he said about the Nagas that each man follows the dictate of his own will. Considering the small size of the Naga society, Dr. Shurhozelie said that it was only a regional party like NPF, which can protect and preserve the Naga culture in a vast and diversified country like India.
He also appealed to all people to uphold the principle of non-violence and resolve all issues amicably including the vexed Naga problem where the party has been playing the role of a facilitator. On the crisis after Neiphiu Rio’s election as Lok Sabha MP, all ministers in his cabinet also resigned, as is the norm. Therefore, when T.R. Zeliang took over, he selected his own team and no one was dropped or sacked as presumed by many. The president urged the party workers to gear up for the 2018 election by cultivating the voters from now onwards.
speaking on the occasion, K.G. Kenye, Secretary General, NPF said the party has its priority in serving the people and not to grab power unlike other political parties. As a result the party has survived the test of time and at present is the second oldest Regional Party in the country after the DMK in Tamil Nadu. However, he lamented the fact that the Naga society has fragmented in all spheres, whether it is political, social, religious or economic, which needs to be addressed urgently to bring back the unity amongst the people
Tovihoto Ayemi, Parliamentary Secretary, IT and Communication, Science and Technology, Higher and Technical Education, Taxation, Govt. of Nagaland, who hosted the programme also welcomed the guests and said that it was a great privilege for him to do so. He said NPF has been able to make a dent in Dimapur district but there are scopes to do much better in the times to come. The first time MLA also said that there are many things to learn from the party elders and improve on.
While 1-Dimapur-I A/C Women Wing did the felicitation to the guests, Yanbonthung said the invocation. The vote of thanks was delivered by L.R. Anthony, President, 1-Dimapur-I A/C.
