- ‘Nagas of Nagaland won’t be silent at economic deprivation’
- No group can claim “absolute sovereign rights to impose and collect taxation”
- ‘Current state government lacks transparency’
DIMAPUR, JUNE 16: THE Nagaland Tribes’ Council (NTC) has reminded the underground group NSCN (Isak-Muivah) that the Naga people have given no mandate to any single group as much as each of the armed factions may claim. In context, none of the factions can claim “absolute sovereign rights to impose and collect taxation,” the NTC has made clear.
The plebiscite for 1951 was the mandate supporting the Naga people’s nationalist movement for ‘sovereignty’ but the people gave no mandate to single political groups, including the NSCN (IM), the tribal organization reminded in a statement issued to the media on Thursday.
The NTC was contextualizing its statements in the backdrop of the recent threats against the anti-graft group Against Corruption and Unabated Taxation (ACAUT) by the Isak-Muivah faction, which has been claiming ‘right’ to “tax” the people.
The tribal organization made it clear that the Naga people of Nagaland state will no longer remain silent when they are no longer able to survive economically because of the illegal ‘taxation’ from all and sundry. The organization called the extortion ‘unbearable’ and ‘uninhabitable.’
The NTC took strong note at the statement of the “MIP-NSCN/GPRN” condemning and threatening the ACAUT as published in the local newspapers on June 13.
“The NTC is here to remind NSCN (IM) and all concerned that the Naga public had a single plebiscite of 1951 to support Naga National Movement for Sovereignty. This historical referendum was for a united movement under the aegis of NNC. Beside the Plebiscite of 1951, Nagas had not given any mandate to any political group including NSCN (IM) at any point of time,” the NTC stated.
The organization lamented that all the underground groups, including the NSCN (IM) itself, had ‘sidetracked’ from the ‘genuine path’ and engaged only in petty factional politics including the pursuit for money at the cost of the public.
The statement read:
“Unfortunately we have fragmented ourselves into tiny islands branding each island to be a nation is itself making a mockery of our aspiration and to the delight of our adversaries. Each Naga National Political Group (NNPG) including NSCN (IM) has sidetracked the genuine path of Naga political aspiration at the cost of Naga unity and embroiled in pathetic factional and petty politics which includes coercive taxation on the common man.
Usurping the Naga national movement, each group has forced its un-mandated tax on the Nagas of Nagaland is antithesis to Naga political aspiration.
Had there been a united movement led by a single organization and patronized by the Nagas as prior to the advent of fragmentation, we would not have grown weary and tired even in paying tax.”
The NTC also wondered how long the common people, the Nagas of Nagaland, would remain silent when they are barely even surviving the “illegal taxation calamity.”
The tribal apex stated: “Nevertheless, how long the Nagas of Nagaland are expected to remain silent when we are unable to survive economically because of the massive illegal taxation calamity. Being unbearable and uninhabitable under such taxation menace, a mass movement started in 2013 in the name of ACAUT against disunity amongst the Naga national workers and their taxation and the ACAUT continues on the basis of resolutions adopted by the general public.”
While implementing the resolutions, the NTC explained, the ACAUT was intimidated by the NSCN (IM) in the language “…why not befitting actions against them (ACAUT) should not be initiated.”
“Not to be intimidated and threatened by others, Nagas have been pursuing political aspiration and therefore such bully is a burrowed culture and it misfits the nomenclature of national group. The Naga national movement is for self determination and not for self threat.
We do not blame NSCN (IM) alone for the perpetual division, and yet all the NNPGs are responsible for the public to come together and resolved not to pay tax to any group till they are united. It is therefore not agreeable that factions have ‘absolute sovereign rights to impose and collect taxation’.”
The contentious issue about paying tax or not to pay tax will remain as long as the division exists. “…t will disappear when they are united,” the organization reminded.
The armed groups are also reminded that they will never know how hard the people are being hit by the “taxation.” The reflection of their suffering and resentment is being manifested in the activities of the ACAUT, the NTC stated.
“The voice of ACAUT against massive unabated tax on the Govt. projects, salaries of employees, the business community and the general public should never be termed as ‘crocodile’s tear’. The NSCN(IM) and all other NNPGs know how to squeeze the gullible people and you never feel how hard the people are hit.
Indeed the public inbuilt irk against the NNPGS on the taxation is punctured by the activities of ACAUT as clarified by ACAUT. It is better to avoid giving conceited languages so as to avoid aggravation.
NTC therefore asks NSCN (IM) not to contaminate the Naga democratic ideals with such alien cultures of threat and ban rather than its promotions.”
The NTC also had a word for the Nagaland state government: start being responsible and accountable to the welfare of the public. The organization called the chief minister and chief secretary ‘agents of “NNPGs.”’
The NTC has urged the state government to “become responsible and accountable to the general public and discipline its employees to function within the prescribed parameters.”
The chief minister of Nagaland, the head of the state, and the chief secretary, the head of bureaucracy, ‘seem to be oblivious of their subordinate bureaucrats collecting percentage deduction from salary component as agents of NNPGs,”
The ‘percentage deduction’ from employees earnings is a crime and punishable under the law, the organization reminded.
“The present day government lacks not only transparency but also lacks in functioning under established systems and norms,’ the NTC added.
