Dimapur, Sep. 7 (EMN): The Chakhesang Public Organization (CPO) has reacted to the counterstatement issued by the Naga Hoho over the '23 Aug. 2018 declaration jointly signed by the Naga Hoho (NH)and UNC at Senapati village' and issued a statement detailing its "un-wavered stand of CPO before the Nagas".
A press statement issued by the CPO President Kekhwengulo Lea and General Secretary Mutsivoyi Kotso said that the NH came under severe test when some tribes walked out on protest but few remnants tribal Hoho of Nagaland firmly stood with the apex body in greater interest of the Nagas.
Despite serious hurdles confronted throughout, never before was the image and integrity of NH brought to lowest ebb as is today, the release said while adding that to salvage the sinking of the Naga Hoho; the APO, CPO, Pochury Hoho and Rengma Hoho jointly on July 29, 2017 put a stricture on the functioning Chuba Ozukum as president of NH or participation or talking as official president of the NH at all cost.
When the said stricture by the four federating units of Nagaland remains in force, Chuba Ozukum singly dared signed a controversial document/declaration, of which the point 6 and 7 are clearly a warning and intimidation to any Naga or group or assembly, irrespective of their given capacity or obligation. It termed the threat to consider one as anti national and be banned from one's own territory based on such blanket declaration alleged as that of the Naga people is highly aggressive and potentially reactionary.
The CPO said that the NH and the Nagas are well aware of the CPO's steadfast support and position on the original Naga political principle.
It declared that any deviation from this originality will be pseudo-political principle and any Naga or group or assembly that deviates from this originality would be un-mandated or unauthorised.
saying that it respects the ongoing peace process of all negotiating groups, it however, objected the expression and intention of calling other Naga members, group or assembly as un-mandated, or unauthorized, or open threat to brand them anti national and ban their entry in Naga territory.
"No one has legitimacy to issue diktat of present nature to dissenting others," it said.
It also ridiculed the NH open letter, where the president himself appended his name as a signatory, and termed it as self contradictory and apparently a post mortem rationalization of 23rd August declaration.
Saying that nowhere in the declaration mention Nagas of Manipur, the CPO pointed out that had not the two NH designated officials rightly questioned the modus operandi of the president singly signing a questionable declaration, 'Hoho defendants might not come out with such clarification though under the garb of rebuttal'.
It stated that four defendants justified their president by saying that the declaration was signed in their presence; however, the CPO questioned whether the decision of a few hoho officials against their counterparts without seeking endorsement from the competent executive council and the federal assembly on issue of high sensitivity of present nature is unilateral or not.
It asserted that if the intent of the declaration was in the best interest of and solely for the Nagas of Manipur, and not for any other Nagas areas within and outside Nagaland, "then it should have been worded carefully leaving no room for misinterpretation. However, it said that the actual language in the joint declaration and 'post reaction unilateral clarification issued by the "president in question and others speak differently".
Therefore, the CPO stated its firm position with regard to the declaration and NH that 'any self-determined Naga political principal and position deviated from originality shall have no binding whatsoever on CPO and its members'. It also asserted that the day the president's tribe walked out from the Naga Hoho, he is stripped of all moral right and constitutional privileges to occupy the chair. It declared that any decision or action adopted thereafter by Naga Hoho under his unconstitutional leadership is out rightly null and void and added that the CPO shall bear no responsibility any consequential fallout for his continuity in office.
