DIMAPUR, MARCH 19 (MExN): Five students and youth organizations of the Nagas in Myanmar have strongly demanded that the annual celebration of the Naga New Year Festival by 2015 shall not be managed or celebrated according to the directives of the State, but in full freedom, to be managed and celebrated according to the “will and consent” of the Naga indigenous peoples.
This was mentioned in a joint statement on ‘degradation of Naga indigenous culture and national identity faced by the Naga indigenous people in Myanmar’ issued by Naga Student Youth Federation, Yangon, Naga Student Youth Federation, Myitkyina, Makury Naga Youth Federation, Tangshang Naga Students’ Association, and Naga Students’ Fellowship (Myanmar)-Dimapur.
Making an observation that Naga indigenous cultural identities are no more exhibited during the annual celebration of the Naga New Year Festival, and that the cultural heritage of the Naga indigenous peoples is getting “extinct,” the joint statement, while appreciating and welcoming financial support from the State, participation of State dignitaries and all forms of help from the State, demanded that “financial assistance and support sanctioned and donated for the promotion of indigenous literature and culture shall be handed over to the concerned Township/Sub-Township Cultural Committees with proper and transparent financial procedures by the organizing committee of the festival.”
It was reiterated that since the Naga New Year Festival is meant to represent the whole Naga public, monopoly on the Festival by certain political parties, dresses and use of signs and logos that serve as propaganda for any political party, campaign activities and any other activities of the concerned political parties during the celebration are “extremely opposed.”
The five youth organizations also referred to the Naga Tradition and Culture Central Committee (NTCCC) that was formed by the Naga indigenous peoples as the tribal apex body to “promote and preserve the culture and national identity” of the Naga indigenous peoples in Myanmar in 1990. “Though the NTCCC is meant to represent all the Naga public comprised of all tribes, different faiths and different political ideologies, some of the central committee members are involved or as leaders in some political parties, which can no way be accepted,” asserted the organizations.
They also said that the NTCCC, as the apex body of the Nagas in Myanmar, must have a “concrete constitution and its activities must be executed according to the principle and ethics of its constitution, not individual based.” The joint declaration further demanded that the “partisan leaders” of NTCCC and Township/Sub-Township Cultural Committee leaders and Tribal Cultural Committee leaders “shall be elected and replaced by the members from non-partisan candidates by September 2014 as the deadline date.”
Failing to meet the above demands, the Naga students and youths said they shall cease cooperating for the activities of the NTCCC and the activities of the organizing committee of the festival. “If only the above demands are served, Naga student organizations and youth organizations shall at best cooperate for any goodwill activity,” they jointly declared.
