Here is speech of NNC President Adinno Phizo on the occasion of Naga Plebiscite Day on May 16.
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My beloveth Nagas,
Today marks a historic day for Nagas, the day our grandfathers and fathers firmly asserted the independent status of Nagaland through a voluntary plebiscite. It was not a sudden thought-out emotional decision. It was a calculated move, as the situation demanded.
In order to fully understand the significance of this red letter day, it is important to inform and educate the young Nagas about the preceding history and circumstances that led our pioneer leaders to conduct a plebiscite. It is plain from the history passed down the generations by oral tradition and largely documented by experts that the Naga ancestors were free people. The Nagas are not Indians and the Naga territories were not Indian territories. The Naga ancestors practiced and enjoyed self-rule in a republic village state. Democracy was their way of life. The village states were free from any external aggression until the British intrusion. From 1832 to 1878, the British tried to subdue the Nagas by military power with modem weapons. Each village fiercely fought against the invasion and defended its own freedom. Finally, when all attempts to subdue the Naga ancestors failed, a truce was proposed. The British officers tried to convince the Naga leader for a written treaty. History was very clear that no Naga village state had no written treaty whatsoever with any foreign power. It was plain from that historical fact that the Nagas were not subjugated people. The British administration in the so-called Naga Bills district from 1880 to 1947 was for maintenance of peace only.
When the British exit from the Indian subcontinent was eminent, some conscious Naga leaders asserted our independent status to the British Crown. The demand as stated in the memorandum to the Simon Commission in 1929 was simple and plain- recognise our independent status or leave us alone to determine our own future. We should not be thrust to the mercy of the emerging independent India and Burma. When it became evident that the British government had no intention to recognise Nagaland as a sovereign country, the Naga National Council (NNC) declared Naga independence on August 14, 1947, one full day ahead of India's independence. By then, the Nagas had already conceptualised the idea of integrating the ancient republic village states and constitute into a separate modern nation state, sovereign by right of history and choice. The British ignored the Nagas and left without giving a conclusive decision on the fate of the Nagas. The leaders of independent India had the wrong impression that the Naga Hills district was part and parcel of the power transfer. They planned to brush off the landmark Naga independence declaration by unleashing propaganda that only a handful of Naga leaders had supported the idea of independent Nagaland. In order to show that there was an effective unity of the Nagas in the independence declaration, a plebiscite became inevitable. God the Almighty in His own good time called a leader in the person of A. Z. Phizo to lead the Nagas in such critical time. He not only conceptualised the idea to conduct a plebiscite but also unified the Nagas and awoken their consciousness for voluntary participation. As the President of NNC, he called for a national voluntary plebiscite and announced the date observing all formalities as universally accepted.
Thus, on May 16, 1951, the national plebiscite was conducted under the leadership of A. Z. Phizo, the NNC President. He inaugurated the plebiscite day at Kohima, in the presence of an Indian observer. He opened the process with a speech that could be rightly termed, the Naga independence history in miniature. The Nagas of eligible age keenly took part in the process and put their votes by finger print, many in their own blood. The result was an outstanding 99.9% mandate for sovereignty.
With the independence declaration history established at the right time and that position maintained with consistent firmness, plebiscite mandate was not even a requirement to ratify the August 14, 1947 declaration. Nevertheless, the Indian propaganda prompted the decision and the process. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It became another irrefutable proof of Nagaland's sovereignty right. The Indian leaders were proved wrong. Yet, they refused to accept the reality. They tried to suppress the historical facts by using methods of oppression and war. But the history of one sovereignty cannot be erased by another sovereignty. To the Nagas, the mechanisation plans of India particularly, statehood to erase our history are immaterial. All such plans are nothing but to cover up her act of aggression and forced occupation of Nagaland. However, her external show to prove artificial legitimacy will be counter-productive as history is clearly on our side.
Oblivious of our established position, some people have tried to compromise our own position. They have misled our people. Our fight is against foreign aggression and occupation in defense of sovereignty right. But some have reduced it to the level of violent revolution; some to the level of a movement and still others to the level of self-determination. Ours is an established nation by right of independence declaration and irrefutable plebiscite mandate. As a sovereign state, we have in place, our own government, the federal Government of Nagaland. Ours was not a revolution at any point of time. Be it known to all Nagas that, stages such as movement for self-determination had long passed. The independence declaration had superseded all such processes. To the Nagas, words such as movement and self-determination are mere semantics coined by our adversaries and their collaborators to confuse the people, internally as well as externally.
On this auspicious day, I call upon all Nagas to uphold the historical truth, remain resolute and dedicated in our democratic fight against occupation. History is on our side. We have nothing to fear or be discouraged. In unity with one voice, we should stand by the position established by our grand fathers and fathers. The August 14, 1947 declaration and May 16, 1951 plebiscite mandate are the pillars of our sovereignty right. Let us all stand united and move forward on the path charted by our past leaders. Sovereignty is a God-given inherent right for Nagas. Let us cherish it. To free our country from foreign occupation is our national duty. Let us seek God again to lead us as in the days of our grand fathers and fathers.
God bless Nagaland.
Urn Uvie
Our Land is ours.
Adinno Phizo
President, NNC