NAGALIM VOICE NOVEMBER 2022
EDITORIAL
NSCN IS WARY OF THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
The rising temperature of the Indo-Naga political talks is all about the deliberate twists and turns of the plot. Language, the use of words can be crucial in this sensitive stage of the Indo-Naga political talks. NSCN Talk Team has, however, conducted the talks with extraordinary vigour, patience and energy of temperament.
NSCN no doubt is wary of the Government of India (GoI) getting over sensitive on core issues that are not negotiable. Ironically, the overindulgence by Government of India in playing delaying game is something that is getting into the nerves of NSCN Talk Team. Nevertheless, we shall hold the ground though we found GoI’s cynicism wearing at times.
Considering the complexity of the Naga political issue it is not surprising that it has dragged on for more than 25 (twenty five) years. However, the complexity of phenomena should not be used to play dirty with the Naga issue with divisive agenda. The principle of “one people one nation” that has guided the Naga political movement for the last seven decades cannot be compromised under any circumstances.
Significantly, the principle of one people one nation as symbolised by the Naga National Flag is being targeted desperately. We feel this is unfairly intrusive. It should not be forgotten that huge sentimental value is attached with the Naga National Flag. The pride and honour that goes with the Naga National Flag is all about the God given history and identity of the Naga people. What God has given cannot be a topic of bargaining in the Indo-Naga negotiating table. This is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth of God given Naga history.
Kuknalim!
NAGAS STILL PAYING THE PRICE FOR “NEHRU FOLLIES” ARMED FORCES (SPECIAL) POWER ACT, 1958
The Naga political problem was the first major crisis that confronted the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. But he was insensitive to God given rights of the Naga people and thus, failed to handle the issue in the manner it deserves. When the Nagas stood up for their rights and insisted on Naga independence he responded with total disdain. He treated the Naga freedom fighters no better than terrorists and ultimately he enforced the draconian Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 to terrorise the Nagas into submission. For more than 60 years the Nagas continues to be terrorised by the Indian security forces that are empowered to use force even to the extent of causing death.
“Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru held divergent views on the Naga political problem. While Gandhi believed the Nagas had the right to be independent Nehru wanted to crush them by force”-Th. Muivah, General Secretary, NSCN.
It is a matter of history how the Government of India under the leadership of the then Prime Minister of India, Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru sent thousands of Indian armed forces equipped with the diabolic law called the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) to subjugate the Nagas with brute force where they committed the horrible crimes of human rights violations,mass tortures, mass rapes, summary executions, massacres, mass detention in concentration camps, destruction of houses, churches, schools, villages and forests. But the Nagas survived from the onslaught of the Indian aggressors to prove to the world that the Naga Nation cannot be destroyed at the whims of Nehru.
No wonder the Nagas despised him on account of his disdainful unscrupulousness towards the Nagas.
In 1956, Nehru complained to India’s Defence Minister Mr. Kailash Nath Katju, “It is fantastic to imagine that the Government of India is going to be terrorized into some action (compromised) by Phizo and company.” He told the Defence Minister to act swiftly because “It does not help in dealing with tough people with weak nerves.”
Noted Indian historian Sarvepalli Gopal commented on Nehru’s disdain for Nagas: “Weakness in dealing with such people appeared to him to be almost a sin.”
Nehru reasoned with the then Assam government to let go of the “gangrenous” Naga Hills: “When a limb has become gangrenous, for God’s sake, cut it off at once before the whole body is infected.” In Nehru’s mind, then, the Nagas were “terrorists” from the start for wanting to be a free people, as well as incurable disease on India’s body politic. Interestingly though, he did not take his own advice of cutting off the gangrenous Naga Hills from India.
In December 1951, a delegation of NNC (Naga National Council) led by Phizo met Nehru who was campaigning in Assam for the first general election of India. Phizo showed him the result of the Naga plebiscite and demanded Naga sovereignty. The reply given by Nehru was, “In the present context, both India and the world, it is impossible to consider even for a moment such an absurd demand for independence of the Nagas”.
A year later the Nagas responded to Nehru by boycotting the first General Election of India and the ballot boxes were sent back empty. In March 1952, a Naga delegation under Phizo met Nehru. When the issue of Naga independence was raised again Nehru lost his cool and said, “Even if heaven falls or the whole country goes to pieces and the rivers runs red in the country, I don’t care. Whether I am here or anybody comes in, I don’t care. Nagas will never be allowed to become independent.” He even said that he could station one Indian soldier for every tree in Nagalim and it would be a matter of a few days for the Indian Armed Forces to crush the Naga.
Later in the Parliament too Nehru reiterated “…it is not good talking to me about independence for that area. I consider it fantastic for that little corner between China, Burma and India to be called an independent state. I was not prepared to discuss independence… I should be glad to meet them (Naga delegation) provided they did not demand independence.” This was the reason why Nehru went panic whenever Phizo sought an appointment with him.
After more than 60 years, ground reality proved Nehru wrong as he could not crush the Nagas no matter how he indulged himself in the glorification of the brute strength of Indian Security Forces. Ironically, after Nehru was long gone the top generals of Indian Armed Forces admitted the folly of seeking military solution to the Naga issue and advised the Government of India to accept the hard fact that the Naga issue is political and therefore, political negotiation must be explored. The undeniable results of the wanton use of AFSPA in the Naga areas is the intense feeling of alienation of the Naga people that put a thrust in solidifying Naga nationalism.
Nehru proved himself to be a man of contradiction and not as a man of principle when it comes to dealing with the Naga political issue. Sending a clear message to China on the rights of the Tibetan people he stated: “It is not right for any country to talk about its sovereignty or suzerainty over an area outside its own immediate range. That is to say, since Tibet is not the same as China, it should ultimately be the wishes of the people of Tibet that should prevail and not any legal or constitutional arguments.” Thus, the decision of the Indian state to suppress the wishes and will of the Naga people in the interest of its constitution revealed overwhelming internal contradictions that only threaten the very democratic framework that it claim to represent.
It is on record in the history of Indo-Naga political conflict that in spite of repeated attempts at every opportunity by the Nagas to seek peaceful solution with India through political understanding and respect, the Government of India failed to reciprocate such sincere and honest attempts. Rather than seeking to address the Naga people through political and diplomatic means, it chose the path of militarization and use of force to try and crush the Naga people’s spirit and desire to decide their own political destiny.
As the first Prime Minister of India, Nehru helped India overcome many insurmountable difficulties. But in the case of Naga issue he lost his mind because he undermined the Nagas. But Nagas knows how to hit back to teach him a piece of lesson during his visit to Kohima that haunted him till the last breath of his political life. History said that Nehru faced humiliation and disgrace in the soil of the Nagas that he had never experienced before and would not have faced such things again anywhere in India. The truth of his Kohima visit along with Burmese Prime Minister Mr. U Nu in March 1953 was that he wants the Nagas to listen to him. But for the Nagas, they had gathered at the Kohima football ground that day in March 1953 not only to hear Nehru but also to be heard about what Nagas want. Therefore, when it was announced that they would not be heard, they felt humiliated and insulted and at once retaliated by walking out of the playground without hearing what the Indian Prime Minister was about to say. Some of the infuriated Nagas even showed their bare bottoms as they walked off like raging dust storms. Nehru refused to forget this humiliation heaped on him by the Nagas right before the eyes of Burmese Prime Minister U Nu. Few years later in 1958 Nehru introduced the AFSPA to crush the Naga people and thus, started the footprints of violence to crack down the Naga peoples’ rights.
The Government of India never learn from the failure of Nehru’s handling of the Naga issue and continue to follow his bloody model of depending on the brute force of the AFSPA. It is however a living record that the nerves of steel that the Naga freedom fighters possessed drives the Naga political movement. For the Nagas in general and the freedom fighters in particular, the Naga political movement till today is guided by the popular American English proverb, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going”. In simple language it means “when the situation becomes difficult, strong people are able to step up and handle it”. In God we trust we shall overcome someday.
Kuknalim!
NAGA NATIONAL PRAYER DAY
Naga National Prayer Day was proclaimed on the basis of the following resolutions:
Naga National Prayer Summit held on the 25th October, 2018 at Agri-Expo, Dimapur;
The Council of Nagalim Churches (CNC) supporting the resolution of Naga National Prayer Summit in its conference held on the 30th April, 2022.
The Naga National Assembly, 31st May, 2022, General Headquarters, Naga Army, where a decision was unanimously adopted to designate the Third Sunday of October every year as Naga National Prayer Day.
The proclamation duly approved and signed by the Collective Leadership.
Accordingly, inaugural Naga National Prayer Day was organized by the CNC on the 16th October, 2022 at Agri-Expo, Dimapur, Nagaland, under the theme: “Pray without ceasing”.
Inaugural Speech of Naga National Prayer Day by Q. Tuccu, Chairman, NSCN:
My dear countrymen!
In the name of Nagalim for Christ I greet you all on this auspicious day dedicated as Naga National Prayer Day. Let this be our solemn pledge of allegiance to God’s irrevocable covenant with the Naga people. This is also to remind ourselves that we cannot pursue our political struggle to defend our God-given rights without Christ leading us. This is the reality we have to face now and always. Importantly, this is the meaning of our political movement under the banner of Nagalim for Christ. There is no other way forward to sustain our movement when we are placed under this critical juncture in order to bring yielding temperament on the part of the Government of India to respect and honour our historical and political rights.
My dear countrymen, let us invite God’s gracious presence on this occasion that He will show us the way and guide our journey towards ultimate victory. Nothing is impossible with God if we approach Him with open hearts, admitting our shortcomings and confessing our sins. What we need today is respect for our historical and political rights and unity of Naga people who is one in His creation and purpose. Let our prayers be to plead God to intercede that Naga people have the courage and wisdom to know that we are one in transpiring the dream of Naga Nation by upholding the truth of Naga history.
Kuknalim!
WE ARE NAZARITES
“Our martyrs were Nazarites because they died for the cause of Nagalim for Christ; they spoke for the cause; they fought for the cause and indeed, they, they gave their lives for the cause to set their footprints on the sand of history”. Nagas of all generations will ever remember them.
Every member of NSCN is also a Nazarite. We NSCN fight the enemies’ forces in the military front for the good cause; we speak to the world communities and nations for the cause in the diplomatic front; we suffer at the hands of the enemies for the cause; we talked with the Government of India for the cause in the political front; we mobilized funds in the economic front for the cause; we pray for the cause and we are resolved to die for the cause. If anyone among NSCN does not possess the spirit of a Nazarite, he or she must inculcate that spirit.
We cannot and must not imagine of building a village, a society, an organization, church and a state without Nazarites. We cannot imagine of freedom without Nazarites; we cannot imagine of peace and progress in our land without Nazarites. Peoples and nations are doomed to perish when there are no Nazarites in their lands. Naga people are blessed because NSCN is manned by a good number of Nazarites.”- extract from the speech of Mr. Rh. Raising, Member, Collective Leadership-cum-Kilo Kilonser, on Agony Day, the 27th September, 2022 , CHq, Hebron.
LET US SALUTE OUR MARTYRS
“How can we forget the sacrifices of our Chairman Isak Chishi Swu whose sacrifices were unaccountable and how can we forget the sacrifices of late uncle Khodao Yanthan who stood firm during the Geneva meeting at the crucial time and also how can we forget General Khole’s sacrifices and many other countless sacrifices of the Naga Army”.
Likewise, how can we forget many leaders of civil set up like late Angelus Shimrah with whom I closely worked with during the crucial Khaplang crisis! It was because of their able leadership and supreme sacrifices that we are here today.
I would like all of us to pay our highest respect and salute not only for those who died in the jungles of Bangladesh, Burma, Mizoram, Arunachal, Manipur, Tripura and Meghalaya but also for those many orphans, widows and widowers and physically challenged living in our midst today with pains and difficulties for the cause of the Naga nation. Let us never forget them in our prayers because God will surely answer our prayers like He heard and answered the prayer of Abel.
Now the important question is how do we honour and salute them for their sacrifices for our sovereign right, for the integration of all Nagas and for freedom of our land? The answer is to continue with the unfinished task for which they have died for. Our assignment today is to complete the work they left for us and by doing so we are fulfilling their visions and dreams for our better tomorrow.
I want all of you to remain faithful to the cause of our nation without judging and comparing others but committing and dedicating ourselves to work for Nagalim for Christ faithfully.”-extract from the speech of Gen. Ningkhan Shimray, MC, VC, Longvibu, Naga Army on Agony Day observed on the 27th September, 2022 at GHq, Naga Army.