The Former Nagaland Finance Minister Mr. K. Therie has described the demand of the ENPO for a ‘FRONTIER NAGALAND STATE’ as “heart breaking”. How true it is; the separations of Husband and Wife, of Brothers and Sisters, of Parents and Children or even of Friends are always a Heart rending experience. The Writer however does not know whether the demand is a “no trust vote against the DAN Government”. That view may be political and this Writer has no intention of entering into political contentions on the Issue; he only feels the Issue is indeed of very serious implications for all of us Nagas.
The demand of a separate Frontier Nagaland State of Tuensang-Mon Area would mentally and unconsciously affect all Nagas. It was the Pioners of the NNC at great cost unified Nagas into one Naga Mind and later, the Naga People’s Convention integrated Tuensang-Mon Area with Naga Hills into NHTA -Naga Hills-Tuensag Area and then into one NAGALAND State.
Today, some Nagas are still separated in Arunachal, in Assam and in Manipur States; Nagas have vehemently opposed this and have even gone to the extent of fighting and of course blaming everything under the Sky, from the greatest Colonial Power the world has ever seen -the so-called British Imperialists- to the designs of Agents of the Indian RAW et cetera. Nagas naturally want to stay together –who in the world would not- under one and the same political Unit, but now one of the most endearing Groups of Nagas themselves, the ENPO, is moving exactly contrary to the mainstream Naga Ethos. May God in his own good time gather all Nagas into one Nagaland.
Let us transparently express ourselves in reality and in all honesty:
i. Is the ENPO really serious of their Demand? Are they behaving like the Naga Hoho or the other Naga Civil Organizations the ENPO has distanced themselves from?
ii. If not why should the ENPO request the Chief Minister of Nagaland to recommend the dismantling of the Chief Minister’s own State?
No self respecting Chief Minister would ever agree to the dismembering of his own State. It is said the Chief Minister has replied he will neither “Oppose nor Recommend” the Case. The Chief Minister has replied for all of us. What an apt nice and delicate sense of Naga Democracy reply!
The Majority of the 60 Members of the Assembly of Nagaland do not want to separate from the other 20 Member Tuensang-Mon Naga brothers and in a Democracy, the voice of the Majority should hold. But Naga Democracy being it is as it is, the Chief Minister has replied for all of us.
If the Tuensang-Mon brothers want to go away from Nagaland, let them be. May God bless them; hand them over a generously packed lunch bundle for the journey.
Naga Brothers do not know whether the ENPO represents the Tuensang-Mon People in reality or is just like other NGOs of Nagaland, rhetorical mouth of some extinguished politicians, or some disgruntled position-seekers. The 20 MLAs from the Area -whether one likes it or not- have the mandate of their people, they legally and constitutionally represent their People.
But:
i. Why have they chosen to remain silent on an issue of such vital importance to their People?
ii. Why are the Naga Hoho mute on this?
iii. Why has the NSF quiet on this?
iv. Where are all the wise Naga Elders?
v. Why have the Naga National Leaders silent spectators on this?
The Writer’s fallible feeling is that the demand for a separate State is more to do with Economic dissatisfaction than astute Political Vision, though every great and troublesome Political Vision stem from a minute core of political sense of favorable self-advancement.
Let us be very honest; true, in terms of Government Employments -not just through the NPSC but through the pliable Appointing Authority of the Head of the Department, in terms of Government Contract Allotments, and in terms of current manufactured Economic Systems in the State, all Governments of Nagaland –not just the UDF or the Congress or the DAN alone, but all Governments of Nagaland, had an edge in favor of the more advanced Tribes; everybody feels the highly Agriculturally Expert and Economically Advanced Chakhesang Community, some of them in Leadership Position of World and Asian Organizations even, is claiming the Backwardness Right! For God’s sake, let the more fortunate Christian Communities search their own hearts.
Tuensang-Mon Area was under SPECIAL STATUS for 10 years at the time of creation of the State of Nagaland in 1963; and to uplift the less fortunate, let us give Tuensang-Mon Area SPECIAL STATUS again up to 2025 AD or so.
