Mokokchung, August 2 : Chief Minister TR Zeliang on Monday called upon the people of Nagaland to nurture the customs and traditions and to respect the tribal institutions like village councils, GBs and tribal Hohos to preserve customary system which is considered to be unique.
Addressing the Tsungremmong celebration organized by Ao Senden and sponsored by North Eastern Council (NEC) at Imkongmeren Sports Complex, Mokokchung, Zeliang said, in Nagaland no one can deny the historic leadership role provided by the Ao community, especially in the fields of Christianity, education and politics.
All these activities had started from the Ao soil, and then spread to other Naga areas. Even today, the Ao society is considered to be the most advanced in many fields, and continue to provide leadership to the rest of the Naga tribes, he said.
Extending Tsungremong greeting, the chief minister said the festival signifies sanctification of self to obtain a favour from God and that people need to sanctify to get the blessings of God, in order to be guided towards the right path.
Zeliang also urged the people to celebrate the festival on the principle of ‘forgive and forget’, which would be meaningful and beneficial for our society.
“We also need to introspect as to what is going wrong in our society, and how to go about to rectify them,” Zeliang stated.
Stating that our tribal dances, attires and costume are part and parcel of our identity, he said manifesting our tradition and culture during the festivals and exhibiting the distinct and uniqueness of our customary system is also a good way of preserving our identity.
“If we do not preserve our customs and traditions our importance in global map will be negligible and invisible, so let us continue to nurture our customary systems, festivals, traditional songs and attires,” he said.
He also said our customary system – the village council, apex tribal Hoho, Naga Hoho - is recognized and established with the consensus of people and nobody can deny it. But he lamented that today many organizations have mushroomed in our society and people are careless to identify which one is the customary system mandated by the people and which one tries to delude the system.
The chief minister also asserted that if Naga people do not identify such organizations then it will not only confuse us but also confuse the government of India and the world.
In this regard, he urged the people to identify such organizations and dismantle them and follow the right system.
“If we try to delude our own system no one will respect us, even our self because we do not understand who we are? Before our confusion led other headache let us correct within our self,” the chief Minister urged the Hohos and the people.
Zeliang also said that NITI Aayog which has confused the whole country when it was implemented has now taken its setting and the Naga people must also understand the system.
He disclosed that under NITI Aayog system there is no shortage of fund for non-plan but for development there is no fund.
In this connection, he said that the government is now preparing a vision document for the state under the supervision of Alemtemshi, Retd Chief Secretary of Nagaland to chalk out plans for a sustainable future of the state.
Saying that factional killings have stopped in Nagaland, Zeliang called upon the people to be united when govt. of India is willing to listen to us to bring about a solution in our society.
Also speaking on the occasion, the guest of honour Alemtemshi Jamir, IAS Retd. Chief Secretary of Nagaland maintained that all Naga tribal festivals are integrated between culture and God, adding, extortion was never a part of Naga culture but hardworking and honesty. He also called upon the church to integrate culture and belief.
Earlier, Tsungremmong message were delivered by Minister Nuklutoshi, Parliamentary Secretary, C. Apok Jamir and Director NEZCC, Lipokmar Tzuder.
President Ao Senden, Imolemba Jamir delivered the welcome address, significance of Tsungremmong festival was pronounced by PEC member Ao Senden A.Bendang Pongen and Pastor MTBA, Rev. Ponen Longchar offered the invocation while vote of thanks was proposed by vice president Ao Senden O. Shilu Jamir.
Culture items were presented by cultural troupe of Assam, Eastern Nagaland Peoples Union Mokokchung, Sumi union, Lotha union, Tenyiimia union, Gorkha union Mokokchung and Aosungkum cultural club mokokchung while Tug-of- war was done by the Ungma village council.
The chief minister was accompanied by a host of ministers and parliamentary secretaries, party leaders and high officials.
Hitting at the critics for blaming the government for bad roads, Zeliang said they also need to take the share of blame. He said, with the change in funding pattern by the Centre, Nagaland has very little funds for development, and to repair roads from state budget is next to impossible.
“If we were to depend on our own State budget for repairs and maintenance of all our roads, it would be next to impossible! Under the State PWD, we have 14,377 Km of roads, excluding 237 kms under the National Highways. Therefore, in several important meetings with the Central government, I have been highlighting that making roads without providing maintenance funds cannot produce sustainable roads in this region, with the unstable soil conditions and the heavy monsoon. I think the government of India has realised this problem.”
He also cited that beginning with the Dimapur- Kohima four-lane highway construction, Centre has started sanctioning construction of roads on the condition that maintenance for five years will be the responsibility of the contractors concerned.
“Mokokchung district is most benefitted in the road sector, because it is located in the centre of Nagaland. I think comparatively, Mokokchung district has the best roads, largely due to better cooperation and better civic sense of the people in general. We have one E.E (NH) division in Mokokchung with 3(three) Sub-divisions at Mokokchung, Chuchuyimlang and Tuli. Recently, the Cabinet approved for creation of two more Sub Divisions under Mokokchung with offices at Mokokchung and Zunheboto.”
Zeliang also said that the construction of road from Mokokchung to Dimapur via the Doyang Hydro Project which was initiated by the Ao Senden and the Ongpangkong Mungdang is an important lifeline for not only the people of Mokokchung but also for neighbouring districts like Zunheboto, Tuensang, Longleng, Wokha and even Mon.
“This is also the shortest possible route to Dimapur without having to go into Assam. My government is, therefore, actively pursuing the matter with the MoRTH so that it can be taken up during the current year itself.”
The chief minister suggested that if people want to have good roads then they should not interfere in the surveys for road alignment; not ask for land compensation; avoid demanding contract works; whosoever are appointed as contractors should execute the works as per specification, and complete the works within the specified period.
“If all the tribal hohos and other important organisations in the State can come up with such a positive stand, my Government will go all out with you to ensure quality works, and the State will see a new face in the road sector within a few years.”
Zeliang appealed all to unite for solution of the Naga political problem and to be true to ourselves first, and ask Government of India to do their part.
