DIMAPUR, JULY 12 (MExN): The Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR) has extended its full solidarity to the students’ mass movement for justice and dignity in the Hill areas under the Manipur states administration. The recent non-violent democratic assertion of the students’ community under All Naga Students Association is an exemplary civic act demonstrating the rights to choice and the question of rights to self-identification, stated a press communiqué issued by Lanu Sashi Longkumer Convenor, NPMHR Nagaland sector, Phamhring Sengul Anal Convenor, NPMHR South and Nepuni Piku Secretary General, NPMHR Secretariat.
While pointing out that the demands for affiliation of 118 schools with an approximate of 57,000 students was an expression of the will of the people, the NPMHR regretted that people continued to be oppressed through the systematic process of brainwashing of upholding the dominant culture and way of life while deriding the age old unique cultural and historical rights of the Nagas.
“The Nagas under the Hill administration of Manipur, which is a territorial arrangement for administrative convenience, has been imposed with alien system supplanting their rich cultural heritage and history in a systematic process of subduing the minds of the struggling hill peoples”, NPMHR stated.
Stating that language has been one chief medium through which the dominant system tries to exclude the other communities in the name of homogenization and dominance, the NPMHR pointed out that the dominant community through systematic coercion and obvert connivance of the state administration has been trying to impose the Meitei Mayek language script since decade which rightfully continues to be resisted by the hill peoples in general and the Nagas in particular. “Throughout history it is the dominant that often create and write history to perpetuate the dominance of the frontier communities under their so-called sphere of influence” it stated.
Mentioning that in the struggle of the Naga nation, the so-called ‘dominant’ powers used all means to subdue the people’s genuine aspiration and has played havoc in connivance with the colonial and neocolonial powers to prolong the suppression of the peoples through force, imposed classification and most importantly supplanting the local history and culture with that of the dominant through manipulation.
The NPMHR also alleged that some vested interest out of insecurity, propagated that Nagas are being expansionist or are tribal or Haus while conveniently looking through the prism of the imposed dominant state psyche, when Nagas are rightfully demanding their homeland, that has been divided and administered through creation of artificial boundaries and as such demanded that the present situation be restored through the unification of their contiguous territories.
“Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights once again reiterates that it will be the people and not imposed structures that will decide the future of the people. NPMHR appreciate and extends our critical solidarity to the peaceful assertion of the students’ community through the banner of ANSAM which is a just struggle for dignity”.
The NPMHR also condemned the threat issued by the state administration to sabotage demonstration of the democratic wishes of the people through open public bonfire (at Hunphun, Tahamzan, Chamdil, Inriangluang and others) of Board of Secondary Education Manipur text books imposed on the Naga students to dilute their understanding of their unique culture and history.
“The State Government of Manipur, which is accused of not being representative of the Naga people’s voice demonstrate clearly their democratic credentials and initiate constructive measure to resolve the non violent democratic movement of the Naga students”. NPMHR has also encouraged media people especially those in the Imphal valley to play positive roles in providing right information to the national and international community instead of playing the convenient role of being mouth piece of the dominant system.
NPMHR appreciated the role of the Nagaland State Government for positively affirming the right of choice for the students’ community in the Naga hills of Manipur to gain affiliation with the Nagaland Board of Secondary Education (NBSE).
NPMHR likewise demanded the Government of India through its Ministry of Human Resource Development that the genuine aspiration of the students’ community should not be ignored but to initiate constructive steps to grant the genuine democratic demands of the Naga students in the hills of Manipur which will ensure the strengthening of the Naga-India peace process.
“NPMHR is for unification of Naga homeland wherever Nagas are contiguously placed and demands removal of all artificial boundaries that is in the way of Nagas fully exercising their rights to self-determination”.
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