Independence Day speech of his excellency, Lt.Gen.(Rtd.) Khango Konyak, President,GPRN.
As we peruse the pages of Naga history, at no stage had there been dearth of sacrifices, will and commitment on the part of our predecessors to fight to defend and to reclaim the inherent God gifted freedom and honour of our people. The Nagas have generously been blessed with pioneering patriots whose legendary feats and audacious exploits accompanied equally with indomitable spirit and visionary political wisdom established a firm political foundation upon which we proudly endure.
And even as we Nagas from across the length and breadth gather together to reaffirm and celebrate the historic ‘Declaration of Independence’ 72 years ago on this very day the 14th of August, let us all bow down in submission before Almighty God, the sustainer and guardian of our people and nation. Replete with tales of exceptional heroism no sacrifices had ever been short of national martyrdom. From an individual Naga to family, tribe and nation as a whole, every contributions, services and sacrifices to the Naga freedom struggle have been invaluable, selfless and priceless beyond measures. Naga men or women, young or old, big and small none have ever been found wanting to the call of freedom and every Naga have equally devoted and dedicated their lives and resources unsparingly to keep the torch of freedom burning to this very day.
In as much as we pledge ourselves to carry on the glorious legacy passed onto us, we honour all the brave sons and daughters of the soil who paid their precious lives to redeem our people and sanctify the land.
Likewise, let each of us remain prepared and willing all the times to respond to the call of the duty which is the least we could do.
With the days of reckoning drawing nearer, let us all set aside our differences and together take a leap of faith so that no matter where we land, united as one people and nation our future would be secure and no longer would our children be haunted by nightmares of the agonised past. And as we journey towards a shared dreams and destiny let us not slacken but stand vigil against divisive political tides that may drown us again in the seas of confusions and un-certainties.
Once again with enthusiastic participation from every concerned section, the Nagas are indeed experiencing another massive momentum for an honourable and enduring political solution, with almost all the contentious issues dialogued, the decisive call of the Indian leadership to ink a permanent agreement in itself indicates an opportune moment to strike a deal favourable to both the entity in parley. Therefore, after all these decades of hardships and struggles it would be very worthwhile on the part of the Nagas to sincerely make an attempt concertedly taking into account the time, energy and efforts invested and most importantly the genuine political will being demonstrated by the GOI.
It would be a very costly affair to give way to unfounded apprehensions or allow utopian dreams to meddle at this height of reasonably accepted positions. Also, to permit selfish desires of some vested section to effect stalemate and prolong the conflict would doubtlessly cause irreparable crash landing and drag us all back to square one and worse.
No individual leader or individual political group’s interest must prevail upon the common good of the Nagas, rather, political sensibility and utmost humility must be demonstrated by every Naga leader thus clearing all the obstacles on the road to solution. Hypocrites and politically opportunistic leaders wanting to seize post-solution dispensations must also avoid creating roadblocks for the sake of the future generations lest we face utter condemnation in the open arena.
May political wisdom be endowed on both the Nagas and Indian political leaders that an early breakthrough and dawn of peace and prosperity arrive on our land.
