DIMAPUR, NOV 4 (MExN): Responding to a barrage of allegations made by the NSCN (IM), Goa Governor issued a lengthy clarification to this effect. On allegations that he had written against the visit of the leaders of NSCN (IM) to Nagaland in 1999 when he was the Chief Minister, Jamir clarified that it was in fact his government which advised Delhi to bring the NSCN (IM) leaders to Nagaland to enable them to see the ground situation for themselves. “Therefore, to say that I was against the NSCN (IM) leaders’ coming to Nagaland in 1999 is false, baseless and politically motivated”, he stated.
On the accusations that he was the ‘stumbling block’ to solution of the Naga political problem and the statement of the NSCN (IM) that without him around, solution would hardly take a few months, Jamir stated that for the last three years or so, he had been out of the Nagaland political arena. “If at all I was hindering the political process in any manner when I was in Nagaland, great progress should have been brought about in the last three years after my departure from active politics”, he stated adding that the young leaders seem to be groping in political darkness because they are ignorant of the political events of the last fifty years or so. “Now they have landed in a position where they can neither move forward nor backward, they seem to have found in me a target yet once again”.
Jamir also maintained that nowhere in the booklet “Bedrock of Naga Society” has it been mentioned that Statehood is the final solution to the Naga political problem and pointed out that Statehood was one of the best things to have happened to the Nagas so far” but that it was not the final solution. “It would be far more better if one were to read the booklet and quote from it rather than to put words into the booklet”.
On allegations that he was behind the recent quit notice issued against the Tangkhul community by the NSCN (K), Jamir stated that he failed to understand how any sane person could correlate the Peace Offensive declared in 1995-96 and the quit notice. “Nor do I understand what my visit to Longwa (Mon) or to Chazouba (Phek) have anything to do with the quit notice”, he stated.
Regarding the claim that Rs 103 crore was “secretly channeled to Nagaland to crush the Naga people’s national aspirations on pretext of security measures”, Jamir stated this must be a figment of someone’s imagination because the functioning of any government is transparent in as much as the funds are all budgeted and audited. Jamir also maintained that the claim that he had formulated/consulted with “AZ Jamir and Kughalu Mulatunu” in Goa to issue the quit notice would have been hilarious if not for the gravity of the matter. “The same goes for the claim that I had given 35 motorbikes to the NSCN (K) last month during my birthday celebrations”. Jamir stated that any person capable of making such wild claims should seek medical assistance and desist from making a fool of himself or demean the organization he represents. “I am an honourable citizen of the country. I am a Naga, but I do not belong to any factions. I believe in the Naga political problem but not in factional problems”.
Pointing out that the only good thing these baseless and imaginary allegations have brought is that they have shown the discerning readers that the authors cannot be taken seriously even though they claim to be struggling for the cause of a people. “As an elderly Naga, my only appeal to the Naga people is to learn from history, rectify the mistakes if any and carve out a destination which the future generations can be proud of”, Jamir stated and added that the youngsters who did not experience the atrocities of the past, should respect the sacrifices and contributions of those who steered the destiny of the Naga people thus far. Pointing out that Naga history did not begin with the present, Jamir stated that it evolved and the process of evolution of Naga history should not be distorted to suit one’s interest.
