Morung Express News
Dimapur | October 17
The Eastern Nagaland Student Federation, for the very first time spoke out on the affiliation of Schools in Naga districts of Manipur into Nagaland Board of School Education, terming the act as “very fortunate for the Eastern Nagas”. Speaking to The Morung Express in an exclusive interview, president of the ENSF, Chillio said that the exercise in which the Nagaland Government had ‘broken the rule’ and ‘open the door’ was fortunate for the ENSF, because, “I can now bring my own people from Myanmar and Arunachal” into NBSE for affiliation. The ENSF president who had come to Dimapur to attend the 2nd general conference of the Eastern Naga Students’ Association (ENSA), which consists of Naga tribes fromacross the border in Myanmar, emphasized that the ENSF was ready to extend all possible help to its counterparts in Myanmar, in matters of educational needs. Chillio was of the opinion that the ENSF, as the ‘closest associate’ of the Nagas in Myanmar, consisting of Khiumniungans, Konyaks, Yimchungers and other Eastern Naga tribes, would be better able to help them.
The ENSF president also made mention of the 25 % job reservation which was recently granted to the six tribes of Eastern Nagaland saying that it was not a new bonus allotted to the six tribes. He said that the percentage had been the original allocation for the six tribes of “eastern” Nagaland; however the percentage had been increased to 33 with the addition of three more tribes added in the BT strata. Therefore, he said that the additional 8 percentage would be given to the three other tribes in the list while the “eastern” Nagas would ‘return back’ to the original 25% reservation. The president also disclosed that a core committee has been formed to see that the reservation is actually implemented in deed so that the people would not be fooled ‘as it had been done earlier.’
Chillio also took the opportunity to convey the stand of the ENSF on the “Azhas” on Principal Secretary, Alemtemshi and Goa Governor, Dr. S.C. Jamir. The president said that the ENSF strongly condemned the declaration of the two as ‘anti-Naga’ and anti-National’, at a time when the entire Naga community was earnestly seeking out a solution to the Naga problem. “There are a lot of issues that need to be deliberated at this point like the sovereignty of the Nagas etc but not this anti-Naga and anti-national issues”, he said while clearly emphasizing that every Naga, within Nagaland or outside, was a “national.”
Chillio further stated that for the ENSF, unity comes first before sovereignty and over and above it, came the policy of ‘forgive and forget’. Therefore, the students’ body appealed strongly to the NSCN (IM) to immediately revoke the said “Azha” in the interest of people’s harmony. It also appealed to all the NGOs and public organizations to oppose the decree against Alemtemshi Jamir and S.C. Jamir, before the matter results in further conflict among the Nagas.
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