Dr Shürhozelie, Zeliang expound party stand, Naga political issue

Dr Shürhozelie Leizietsü addressing the NPF general convention on November 22. (Morung Photo)

Our Correspondent

Kohima | November 22

Naga People’s Front (NPF) president Dr Shürhozelie Leizietsü today said that NPF was born in the midst of blood and tears.

Beginning from the early fifties, the situation in all Naga ancestral areas turned from bad to worse. All our houses were burnt down including the granaries, thousands of people were thrown behind the bar, many were tortured and incapacitated.

Above all, Naga people lost countless precious lives; a time where Naga people virtually live under army rule to the extent that even a sepoy would order the whole village to come to a particular place and sit on the ground and in the sun for hours together, Dr Shürhozelie recalled while speaking at the general convention of NPF here at Naga Solidarity Park, Kohima.

He said that under the circumstances, few Naga leaders even including some senior Government servants came together to find ways to defuse this horrible situation and as a result, the Naga People's Convention was formed and its first convention was held in 1957.

When this body was formed to defuse the situation, the Government of India, perhaps, in order to perpetuate the power of army in this area of the country in the event of changes taking place, promulgated Armed Forces Special Power Act, 1958 which was signed by the President of India on April 5, 1958.

Accordingly, the 'Cock Party (now NPF) was formed on October 21, 1963 under the name and style 'Democratic Party of Nagaland (DPN), he said, while briefing on the history of how the NPF political party came into being.
Dr Shürhozelie said that the Party felt the necessity to pursue this policy through non-violence and, therefore, adopted the Latin catch word 'fide non armis' meaning 'by faith, not arms' as its motto.

“We declared that 'Naga problem is a political problem and it could be solved only through political approach. For saying so this Party was branded as Legal Wing of the illegal organization in those days. But in spite of facing all these odds, we have not changed our stand to continue to speak the truth.”

Dr Shürhozelie expressed happiness that the Indian Government has taken up steps to solve the problem through political means. “We do not mean to claim any credit but we are happy to see the approach made believing that it will bear fruit.”

He said that NPF welcomed and appreciated the wisdom of Government of India and NSCN (I-M) and 7 NNPGs for agreeing to sign the framework agreement.

He further reiterated the party’s stand on integration of the Nagas which they have enshrined in the party’s constitution in Article Il, clause 2(c). 

Stating that Nagas belong to one family, Dr Shürhozelie said “When members of the same family express their desire to live together, there is nothing wrong in it and for that matter we have not done anything wrong against anybody including our neighbors… For us, we have extended our political Party wing to cover all areas where ever our people are.”

He said that NPF party belongs to the Nagas in particular and the people of the North East in general.

He said that politicians and leaders who are not committed to the principles of this party and those who do not understand the history of this Party will find difficult to stay in this Party adding “As long as we have committed people in this political party as of now, our people need not worry of losing their identity, their personality or their aspiration.”

NPF Legislature wing leader TR Zeliang said that the party is at a crucial juncture when the Indo-Naga Peace Talk is at the verge of a final breakthrough.

At a critical time such as this - a time when our Naga Society is encountering various social and political issues both in India and Myanmar, it is important for all of us to stand together as a united entity, he said.

When it comes to Naga issue, he said the NPF have committed to look beyond party color or beyond tribal lines and likewise, the stand of the NPF Party in regard to Naga political issue is loud and clear.

“We have played an instrumental role and vigorously pursued with the Government of India for early settlement of the Naga political problem and is not just a mere facilitator,” he said.

He said that the initiatives taken by the NPF during DAN-III will go down in the annals of Naga history as a remarkable feat.

“Our adversaries may come up with all sorts of allegations against us but the approach of the NPF Party on the Naga Political issue is commendable by all measures. This is because of the simple fact that the NPF Party always stood for inclusiveness and worked selflessly in bringing various factions to the negotiating table,” he said.

He said that the challenge before the party is to bring back NPF Party to power in Nagaland “and for this to happen, we have to set aside all our differences and restore confidence and trust in each other.”

“At the same time, mutual understanding within the Party must exist and only then, can we take our Party to victory. In short, let us all remember that we are in the opposition in Nagaland and we need to work together in unison for a breakthrough,” he said.