On the 16th May 1951, Nagas exercised their ‘sovereign power’ with an aspiration to determine and secure their own political destiny, reminded the NSCN (I-M).
TFM Desk
NSCN (I-M) has called on all the Nagas once again to reaffirm the pledge to uphold and respect the sanctity of the Naga Plebiscite held in 1951.
In a statement released on December 13 titled “Naga Self-Determination as Fundamental Rights”, kilo kilonser M Daniel Lotha said, “We Nagas are proud of countless ordinary men, women and children who suffered and sacrificed for our aspiration for freedom and self-determination. Their blood, sweats and tears has sown the seeds of irreversible sense of nationalism and commitment to stand for Naga’s right to self-determination”.
M Daniel Lotha said that Nagas have consistently asserted their separate identity with collective will to be identified as a ‘People’. He reminded that the government of India through its Amsterdam Declaration dated July 11, 2002 had “officially recognized by declaring the history, and ‘situation’ of the Nagas as ‘Unique history’ in the sense that Naga nation has never signed any documents of accession with India during the process of the formation of the Indian Union”. This signified that ‘Naga issue’ is “not a case of secessionist insurgency and these historical facts was given personal stamp of approval by the then Deputy Prime Minister of India, LK Advani”, he added.
“Thus, there is hardly any dispute with regard to the established status of the Nagas as a ‘People’ and the same has also been recognized by other sovereign nations including International bodies such as Unrepresented Nations and People’s Organization (UNPO)” said Daniel Lotha.
The kilo kilonser asserted that “the Nagas being a People under colonial and alien subjugation are undoubtedly entitled to the right to Self-determination”
The history of armed suppression and “immensity of war crimes and human rights violation committed by the Indian Armed Forces under the draconian Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 would unquestionably entitled the Nagas to assert their rights to fight back to safeguard their identity as people, he opined.
Daniel Lotha also said that Naga history with land and its resources with distinct culture is a source of legitimate pride for Nagas since time immemorial. “Throughout history we have stoutly protected our lands and customs tooth and nails against all external forces and remain fiercely independent as a nation”, he pointed out.
“On the 16th May 1951, Nagas young and old men and women exercised their sovereign power with an aspiration to determine and secure their own political destiny. The Naga Plebiscite, in which 99.9% of the people voted for an Independent Naga nation is an affirmation of the Naga declaration of Independence on the 14th August 1947 from all alien domination, subjugation and exploitation. This collective truth demonstrates the moral and political consensus of the Naga struggle for self-determination and reiterates the uniqueness of Naga history and situation. The spirit and aspirations of the Naga Plebiscite continues to guide the Naga political movement”, said the kilo kilonser.
“Proclaiming our Independence itself is an act of self-determination. It is the choice of the people and it is a virtue of all people reflecting that the Nagas have their own culture, land, common heritage and history, which describe the Nagas as a People. It is not up to an alien country to decide whether the Nagas are a people’s or not, which is a part of the right to self-determination” said the NSCN (I-M) kilo kilonser.
He also claimed that since the beginning of the Naga movement, the estimated number of “Naga lives lost is above 300,000” and said this is the time that the Nagas in particular and the Northeast in general should go deep into soul-searching to unearth “what ails our society and people, and take corrective steps”.
Referring to the Oting incident, Daniel Lotha said “we must show our resolute stand to be united right across in collective solidarity with all the victims of Oting massacre”.
The kilo kilonser also said that NSCN (I-M) has discovered that the Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement on Oting massacre in the Indian Parliament is “a despicable lie”. “In a situation like this, Mr. Amit Shah was expected to display a political maturity and true statesmanship to reflect his status as the Home Minister of a great democratic country like India. Unfortunately, he has shown himself his true color of immaturity, incapability and frivolous mentality towards the Naga people” he said.
Daniel Lotha also pointed that the Nagas cannot deny the fact that there many Nagas “who support and collaborate with the Indian agents against our own Naga brethrens. It would not be wrong to say that Naga collaborators’ hands are involved in executing the Oting mayhem. Today’s Naga youngsters had long forgotten or ignored 3-4 decades of inhuman treatments” he added.
He asserted that may the “diabolical incidents of Oting be” an eye opener “before the possible ceasefire breakdown and awake the spirit of oneness and Naga nationalism”.
The kilo kilonser also said that media outlets’ “constant public accusatory and divisive statements have empowered vested interest to counter and change the narrative with flawed and factual errors to the people. This is creating an alienating mindset which is extremely insular for the Naga people”
Asserting that Nagas’ “unique history and the right to self-determination” will remain intact, Daniel Lotha however reminded that the ongoing Naga political solution is equally important and beneficial to both India and Nagas as two entities. “If Indian sub-continent has to become an economic power, the Nagas holds the gateway towards this targeted economic growth. Therefore, the GoI should take high-priority in solving the Indo-Naga political issue at the earliest for a peaceful co-existence once and for all,” he said.
“The NSCN called all the Nagas once again to reaffirm the pledge to uphold and respect the sanctity of the Naga Plebiscite; a covenant given by the people for the realization of Naga dignity and freedom. For the love of the Nagas’ future and to reassert our identity as people we Nagas must strengthens the spirit of Naga nationalism and self-determination and prove ourselves as a hard nut to crack when it comes to defending our God’s given rights” added Daniel Lotha.