Eastern Nagaland Women Organisation seeks a role in the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority decision-making process.
DIMAPUR — Eastern Nagaland Women Organisation (ENWO) president Yingphe Konyak has sought the organisation's inclusion in the decision-making process of the proposed Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA), stating that women who shared the struggles and sacrifices of the movement must also have a role in shaping its future.
Addressing the inaugural session of ENWO's 6th General Conference at Konyak Heritage, Mon, on Friday, Konyak expressed gratitude to Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio for ensuring the incorporation of 33% women’s reservation in the Frontier Nagaland Memorandum of Agreement. However, she described ENWO's exclusion from the proposed FNTA decision-making process as a “painful contradiction”.
She said the organisation had stood shoulder to shoulder with the Eastern Nagaland People's Organisation (ENPO), sharing the struggles and sacrifices of the movement, and appealed to the Chief Minister to facilitate dialogue with the concerned stakeholders to secure ENWO's rightful participation.
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"Women cannot be expected to share equally in a movement's sacrifices and subsequently be excluded from shaping its future," she said.
In a firm assertion of the organisation's position, Konyak stated, "We do not seek to stand above anyone, but we will not accept being placed beneath anyone. We seek partnership, not patronage."
Recalling ENWO's establishment on April 17, 2008, she said its founding vision was to unite the eight tribal women's organisations beyond tribal boundaries for collective deliberation and advancement.
She said the gathering of the eight tribal women’s organisations reflected the collective aspirations, dignity and future of Eastern Nagaland women, and asserted that the region’s future must be built through women’s meaningful participation.