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Dimapur, Sep. 9 (EMN): NSCN (IM) has appealed to all Nagas to remain united and display maturity and responsibility for each other’s well-being despite the ‘seed of division, hatred and greed sown by the Indian agencies'.
While upholding sovereignty as the chief goal of the Nagas, the NSCN (IM) kilonser, David Mero stated that ‘defending the nation becomes the most challenging task when the people and the land are under assault'.
According to him, Nagas were never Indian nor Burmese. He stated that the imbroglio between India-Myanmar and Nagalim is not a contest of strength, but about upholding the latter’s political rights that are rooted in history.
“To defend one’s nation, one must understand the core principle on which one’s position is anchored. For us, the principal reason is the political rights bestowed on us by God the creator. Our worth and our covenant before God cannot be undermined. We need not inflate our strength nor trivialise our capabilities. We need not let our adversary cut us down to size with its malicious propaganda,” Mero stated.
He stated that in the struggle for Naga’s freedom, the adversaries have thoroughly exploited “our weaknesses” to prolong their unworthy and illegal occupation of the land. He added that the government of India (GoI) has impaired the moral authority of many educated Naga leaders, making them ineffective and unproductive for the Nagas. He went on to state that in doing so, the adversary has used Nagas’ failing as their greatest scheme to divide and rule.
While India today acknowledged and recognised the Nagas’ right to self-determination, he, however, stated there are also sections within that want to backtrack its commitment using the Naga people as an excuse.
“Someday, the world shall surely question the sincerity of the GoI for failing to execute various agreements signed between India and the Nagas. That day, India would respond to the world saying that it is the Nagas who have rejected for honourable political settlement and have accepted for something else,” he stated.
He cautioned that failure to differentiate between a sovereign future with little extra efforts now and the lost future with a frugal present would be a blunder for the short-sighted Naga leaders. The leaders, according to him, are those who chose the latter in the name of political expediency.
He was of the firm belief that no matter how small Nagas are to India in terms of land and population, Nagas have the right to be free, adding the assertion that Nagas are neither Burmese nor Indian have legitimacy. Mero also stated that since the time of the colonial British empire till date, Nagas have never marched beyond the border to wage war but only defended its border from external aggression.
Even as the peace talks linger for over two decades, he stated that if the adversary betray, the Nagas would be on guard to defend it s honour.
He has also urged the need to be prudent in the comments on media. While freedom of expression is a key feature of a free society, he however stated that using the freedom to spread hatred between various political and tribal groups within and without arbitrary administrative boundaries is not acceptable.
“Poisoning the young minds with unfounded fear and fiction is not only morally wrong, but politically destructive,” Mero stated.
He stated that NSCN has never divided the Naga society on the basis of ‘primary and secondary stakeholder’ of Naga cause. He added that NSCN has been working all these years towards fostering unity among the family adding it is in this spirit that NSCN continues to abide by the Covenant of Reconciliation signed twelve years ago under the aegis of Forum for Naga Reconciliation.
“We all have to admit that some of the mistakes and wrongs perpetrated to one another cannot be undone. It will be futile to continuously argue on the mistakes committed, intentionally or unintentionally, in the journey of freedom. History has sufficiently warned us about repetition of such errors,” he said.
He has prayed for wisdom among all the Nagas to collectively work to heal the badly wounded nation. He has urged to shed personal differences and come together.
“Many of us have become too sensitive to how others hurt us while being not sensitive enough to how we hurt others. As sons and daughters of the soil, and as responsible heirs to our legacy, let us keep building Naga nation as our national vision,” Mero urged.
He further stated that the common aspiration and vision for a Naga nation must outshine the petty differences and adversary’s policy to divide us.
Union territory of the NSCN (IM) has appealed to the Dimapur district administration and village councils in the border areas to restrain the import of pigs into the state in the interest of public health and safety.
NSCN (IM), in a press statement said that despite the state government imposing a ban on import of pigs from neighbouring states due to the outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF), the import of pigs particularly from Assam continues unabatedly. It added that there are reports of importing dead pigs into Dimapur.
NSCN (IM) has also expressed concern over random butchering of meat on the roadsides in an unhygienic manner, creating health concerns for the public.