We Should Speak In One Voice for One Issue Only

On 14th August 2021, the Nagas from all walks of life such as the Naga National Council (NNC), Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN), Nagaland Students Federation (NSF), the so-called NSCN groups, Global Naga Forum, other NGOs, Villagers joyously celebrate the 75thNagaland Independence Day as the Nagas are a nation and a people among the nations of the world despite the foreign occupational forces still occupy the land. Since the declaration of Independence,  at no point in time did the NNC betray the Naga nation or sell out the Naga national right,in the past 75 years.  

By celebrating the 75th Independence Day, all Nagas re-affirmed the unyielding and unwavering stand of the NNC and are proud of it. And the factis that we are proudly celebrating as a nation. Why then today, some of the Nagas (NSCN-IM) still talk of the Shillong Accord as an act of capitulation of the NNC? Isn’t that a lie? Th. Muivah says; Nagaland was never a part of India and neither will be; why then do they stand firmly for the framework agreement signed on 3rdAugust 2015 and demanding shared sovereignty, constitution, and flag from India?. Is it not deceiving others, and self-contradicting?  

Today we are facing a big problem, which is not that to build a nation and bring national solidarity, but some of the educated Nagas are destroying the Naga nation which was built by our forefathers when they accepted a puppet state of India in 1960 by signing the 16-point agreement, and by forming the so-called National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN) in 1980, which shattered the solidarity of Nagaland. During the past 41 years, the Nagas were not able to build national solidarity once again as our forefathers had done in their times under the banner of NNC.  

When the NSCN was formed, the Western countries of the world were strongly against socialism, and thus we failed to attain the support of Western countries. Again, when leaders of NSCN-Isak and Muivah submitted a 21-point competencies proposal to the Government of India (GoI) in 2001, the world was confused on the Naga national stand as to if the Indo-Naga conflict was an internal affair of India? Moreover, they signed a framework agreement with the GoI and started demanding shared sovereignty, constitution, and flag from India, which further confused the gullible young Naga people and the world as well.

As the Naga unanimously celebrate the 75thNagaland Independence Day, “platinum Jubilee”  in one accord as a nation, the NSCN-IM has no room to demand shared sovereignty or any political status from India. Because we are a not a colonial subject of India. We have nothing to demand from India, but to withdraw her armed forces from Nagaland amicably as the British had done in 1947 in the interest of Indians’ freedom. The withdrawal of the occupational forces is a solution to the Indo-Naga conflict. However, to sell out Nagaland to please Indian leaders will never be a solution, as A. Z. Phizo said in his speech on Plebiscite day May 16, 1951.

To achieve our national goal, we have to speak in one voice and for one issue only as “a nation”, and the conflict, as a case of "aggression". But not that of secession or demanding any political status from India. That is not the issue.

W. Shapwon,
Joint Secretary, NNC.
shapwon91@gmail.com