Nagaland Chief Minister Dr Shurhozelie Liezietsu today gave a clarion call to the Naga people to seek for an early amicable and honourable settlement to the protracted Naga political problem saying “Nagas have been suffering for too long” due to non-resolution of the political problem.
“Nagas have been suffering for too long and we want to see an early solution which is amicable and honourable,” he said while addressing a large gathering of Ao Naga and Angami Naga tribes at Mokokchung on the occasion of the premier Ao festival Moatsu this morning.
Moatsu festival this year had a unique feature in that the Ao community had invited the Angami community to partake in the festival. Accordingly, more than a thousand Angami tribals, dressed in their unique cultural attires, joined in the celebrations at Mokokchung, the district headquarters of the Ao Nagas.
“Let’s do our best to be in a position of a civilised state because fighting for supremacy in a family can never help a family to move ahead and it can never compete with other peoples of the country,” he said hinting at the fragmentation of the Naga political groups into various factions.
“Each one of us need to contribute our best to see that it (the Naga political issue) is solved once and for all, each one of us has a role. If there is no peace, there cannot be progress and development,” he said echoing his party’s slogan of Development for Peace, Peace for Development.
Dwelling on the genesis of the Naga movement for self-determination, the Chief Minister recalled how the 2000-odd Nagas were taken to the warfronts of Europe during the World War I who returned home aware that Nagas were different from other peoples of the world.
Recently in Kohima, a Monolith for Naga Labour Corps who went to France was erected which the Chief Minister himself unveiled.
“Those Nagas who went to France during the First World War realised that they belong to one ethnic group, prior to which they were not much in contact. And secondly, they experienced the patriotism of Western people since they were ready to sacrifice their lives for their country.
“After these Nagas came back they officially formed the Naga Club in 1919 through which awareness was created for the Nagas to move towards togetherness and also the political consciousness to stay as one people. Through their trip to France, they’ve put their ideas of the sense of family into action, he said.
He also said that Nagas feel we have advanced but wherever we may be we need closely examine whether we can stand on our own feet and whether we can survive as a group of people.
“We need to be Christians not only in Church. There is no looking back now: we need to build our Naga brotherhood on a stronger foundation. Let this be a milestone between our different communities and between God and us, he said.
(Issued by Media Cell, Chief Minister’s Office, Nagaland)
