‘Naga solution will open floodgates’

‘Mutually acceptable agreement based on respect for peace and honour is indispensable’ EMN DIMAPUR, JANUARY 31 NSCN-IM chairman Isak Chisi Swu said a mutually acceptable political agreement based on respect for peace and honour is indispensable to usher in a lasting solution in the region and elsewhere. According to Isak Swu, it will open the floodgates of blessings for both the parties. “We the NSCN acknowledge the sovereignty of Yahweh for Naga nation and the responsibility entrusted upon us that Nagalim will be for Christ and for her people,” he said. Isak Chisi Swu said this in his greetings to the Naga people on day the 36th Raising Day of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM). The NSCN-IM chairman also gave revolutionary salute to all the freedom fighters and said, “On this momentous day let us pay our solemn tribute to all the martyrs”. The message of the NSCN-IM chairman then expressed gratitude to the people and said, “At this critical juncture we thank everyone who have stood by the Naga people and their cause. We are negotiating not only for the advantage of the Nagas alone but for all who are struggling elsewhere. Hold on and be resolute in your struggle against exploitation and domination.” Isak Swu then said that Nagas had respected Gandhiji’s non-violence means but because of the military solution that was resorted to by India and Burma we were forced to fight back in self-defense. The post-Gandhi era leadership who did not try to understand the substance of the Naga issue and they had closed down all avenues for peaceful settlement of the issue. Nagas cannot be forced to repeat to defend again through guns. “We will not allow any force to dictate terms on us. We will not be forced to lay down our arms and freedom. But we are ready for a negotiated political settlement acceptable to both. The price will be too much if the Indo-Naga issue is forced inside the battle ground again,” he stated. According to him, the ceasefire that was initiated in 1997 between the Government of India and the NSCN has changed the military approach to the Naga issue that was as mentioned executed during the post-Gandhian era. It is an affirmation that Nagas are not separatist, secessionist or terrorist. The NSCN-IM chairman said that seventeen years of cease-fire and political negotiation have transpired between the Government of India and the NSCN, yet, at times we are challenged to protect and uphold what the maker has given us: our rights, our land and freedom. We assure the Naga people that the NSCN will negotiate respecting the historical and political rights of the Nagas. He then rued that the 1975 Shillong Accord became a watershed and it was the darkest period in the history of the Nagas as it divided them on two clear and different ideological line: those who were determined and convicted to uphold the 1951 plebiscite commitment and those that betrayed it. “The NSCN emerged as a revolutionary force on January 31, 1980 and proclaimed the “Free Nagaland Manifesto” to defend and salvage the aspiration of the Naga People. We are committed and convicted of the fact that the right of self-determination of the Nagas is a righteous cause and inalienable. It is a God given right and non-negotiable,” he recalled. “In our struggle thousands have sacrificed their lives to salvage our aspiration to live as an independent nation and to betray these sacrifices will be a crime against our people and our history. In this compelling and crucial juncture in Naga history the NSCN is committed not to perish along with the traitors but save the nation,” Swu further said. The NSCN-IM chair,an also said that the support and sacrifice of the people are inalienable to rescue the nation therefore no group or tribe should try to dominate the cause for their narrow ends. We are also clear that the weak should not be lorded over by the strong. We therefore have waged a long and protracted war to achieve an honourable solution and shall continue to do so. We remind the Naga people and all others that the issue of the Nagas vs. India and Burma (Myanmmar) is not a contest of strength but upholding the historical rights of the Naga people against belligerent powers. “Countrymen, the enemies do not slumber. Naga National Council has failed but they and various other factions are aligning and collaborating with the enemies to crush the revolutionary patriots. The silence of Phizo on the 1975 Shillong Accord created a huge confusion and consequently, in the end, conflict and bloodshed amongst the Nagas,” he said. This history must not be repeated. We will not allow the mistakes of history to be repeated again, Swu added. “Countrymen, let us remember how the enemy launched a strategic offensive when the Nagas were at their weakest in the battlefield and on the negotiating table. But we are definite and resolute that we will not experiment the sovereign rights and existence of our nation by concluding an agreement of treason,” Isak Swu stated.