The Ex-Parliamentarians Association of Nagaland (Ex-PAN) takes this opportunity to heartily congratulate the Hon’ble Speaker and the Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) for the successful celebration of the NLAs 60th Year Anniversary on the 29th of October, 2024. The grand program organized in the NLA was befitting of the occasion especially in remembering and honoring the past leaders by naming various locations in the NLA after them. These will now be immortalized for all the future generations of Nagaland. The Ex-PAN also conveys our deepest appreciation and gratitude to all the Hon’ble Members of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly led by the Leader of the House and the Speaker for their magnanimous gesture by vacating their respective seats in the Well of the House in order that all former Hon’ble Members could have the opportunity and privilege to sit in during the period of the program. This generous gesture shown by all the present Hon’ble Members proves their love, concern and respect for all the former members of the NLA and will forever hold a special place in our hearts. May God bless all the Hon’ble Members of the 14th NLA and may God bless the Nagaland Legislative Assembly!
The attention of the Ex-PAN is drawn to the recent spate of attacks on the personality of Dr. S. C. Jamir, former Chief Minister and Governor by Mr. Sword Vashum and by an invisible person on a social media page “Patriotic Nagas” and the categorization of Ao women in an insulting and derogatory manner. These attacks are vitriolically aimed at defaming and character assassinating a personality like Dr. S. C. Jamir and Ao women. The questions raised by the unknown author hiding behind the group called “Patriotic Nagas” about the genealogy of the nonagenarian and categorizing Ao Women in such a derogatory and defamatory manner is not only most absurd and irrelevant, but only proves the perverted mindset of the person.
Dr. S. C. Jamir is a Bonafide Naga by blood and a very dear son of the soil who traces his lineage back to Chungliyimti, the birth place of the Ao’s. Raising such a maniacal question against one of the tallest leaders Nagaland has produced, renowned both nationally as well. as internationally surely boomerangs at the attacker who seems to be frustrated, degenerated and despiteful! The Naga’s have the distinction of having the highest respect and regard for our women and it is therefore inexcusable that the author of the post has termed Ao women in such a derogatory and defamatory manner in a group that calls itself “Patriotic Nagas”. The Ex-PAN express our highest condemnation at the insulting words an invisible person has used against the Ao women, and the Ex-PAN will not allow any person to degrade and insult our women in such a manner. The Ex-PAN calls upon the authorities concerned to book the culprit under relevant laws and ensure that justice is served so that such incidents does not happen in the future!
Perhaps the attacks on Dr. S. C. Jamir have been because the people behind these have been irked by the veteran politician highlighting certain political realities on the history of Nagaland’s statehood and on the contemporary Naga integration in the media recently. The summary of the antipathy of both the unknown person in the “Patriotic Nagas” and Mr. Sword Vashum centers around the creation of the State of Nagaland and the issue of Naga Integration. The Naga Independence and Naga integration thereof are the interpretations of the Nagas and the Naga National Movement. However, the Nagas are yet to realize that these dreams have not been possible because of our own follies and not because of the rejection of God or the failure or fault of any one individual. Whereas, the Ex-PAN believes that had not God paved the way for the creation of the State of Nagaland, we would be still be but a district of Assam and therefore we give all our thanks and gratitude to God almighty that we have a State of our own with the special status conferred to us under Article 371A of the Constitution of India. The fruit of Nagaland is being enjoyed not only by the indigenous Nagas of Nagaland but more by the critics and we cannot afford to condemn what we have been surviving on till today.
In respect to Naga Sovereignty and Naga integration, it is not what Dr. S. C. Jamir says, but what is documented in both the Framework Agreement of 2015 and the Agreed Position of 2017 where both are bereft of these issues. Therefore, it is not a sin for anyone including Dr. S. C. Jamir to reiterate what is and what is not there in the said documents. Glorifying late Rishang Keishing, the former Chief Minister of Manipur who once said “not an inch of Manipur state will be sliced away and given to others” and who later appended his signature on a memorandum supporting Naga integration in 2005, is nothing but blindly accepting ‘hypocrisy’. His actions were a little too late to rectify the errors of the past mistakes. Perhaps had the former Chief Minister, leaders and the Nagas from Manipur welcomed and supported the issue of Naga integration under clause 13 of the 16 Point Memorandum which was placed before the Nagas of Manipur by Mr. R. C. Chiten Jamir to be taken up as a joint venture before it was submitted to the Government of India in 1960 by the Naga Peoples Convention instead of rejecting it, the narrative would have been different today; but this was not to be thus giving rise to the current imbroglio.
The Naga National Movement began here in Nagaland and it exists because of the logistical and technical backing of the indigenous Nagas of Nagaland. Even the name Nagaland was not coined by the overground leaders, but by the leaders of the Naga National Movement. Having enjoyed the hospitality of Nagaland, acquiring moveable and immovable properties both within and outside Nagaland under the safeguard of the people of Nagaland, yet refusing to accept the historical realities but instead, having the habit of casting aspersions against ‘individuals’ including the Ao womenfolk are nothing but the characters of a bully and a thug! What do these critics expect more from Nagaland when the NLA has adopted not less than 5 resolutions on Naga Integration without a single reciprocal gesture from the Naga people in Manipur and their elected representatives in the Manipur Assembly. When the Nagas of Manipur have no ethos to walk the talk, then why continue to blame and attack the Nagas of Nagaland or the leaders for any unsuccessful story if any?!
Therefore, the Ex-PAN vehemently condemn the expressed insult and defamatory attacks against Dr. S. C. Jamir. Let us remember that apart from being a signatory to the 16 Point Memorandum, Dr. S. C. Jamir is neither the architect nor the brain behind the memorandum, and neither was he the sole signatory. The Memorandum was the collective effort and ideas of the Nagas of Nagaland who came together under the banner of the “Naga Peoples Convention” to ensure that the violence and bloodshed that gripped Nagaland was put to an end! It is unfortunate that our brethren from Manipur decided to reject our overtures to be one then and therefore they should now refrain from accusing the Nagas of Nagaland or any individuals including Dr. S. C. Jamir for the mistakes they and their leaders made when the future of the Nagas was at its precipice. Today, the Nagas of Nagaland are privileged to have the last signatory of the 16 Point Memorandum alive and well with us and the Ex-PAN will continue to support and defend him and anyone from Nagaland when they are being unfairly judged and accused for the existence of the land that we are proud to call ours!
GOD BLESS NAGALAND!
Sd/-
JOSHUA SUMI
President
Sd/-
TARIE ZELIANG
General Secretary