Kohima, December 5 (MExN): The Naga Mothers’ Association (NMA) placed on record its ‘deep displeasure’ with Governor RN Ravi’s ‘patronising speech,’ which it said, revealed “great disrespect to our history and the thousands who have marched and died under our Naga flag.”
“The Naga flag is not a flag of the Naga Political Groups. It is a flag revered in remembrance of our struggle, a living symbol of our political belief and our Naga identity. Nagas are not a confused race of people, we are well aware of our history, so are the women, who have faced the brunt of Indian militarization and its unimaginable atrocities, under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act for decades,” the NMA stated in a statement received here on Saturday.
Stating that the Governor is “confused on his delicate role of peacemaker and Interlocutor of the longest Naga freedom struggle in the North east region,” it also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure that there are “measured words of peace and respect for the Naga people, including Naga women, from the office of the Raj Bhavan here.”
The NMA stated that mothers and women, who are half the Naga population, have struggled alongside men and brothers, in war and peace, and the Nagas now stand on the threshold of a new understanding of peace with the Government of India.
It reminded that the NMA has worked for years to bring peace and create better understanding through dialogues, with armed groups as well as successive Governors, Union Home Ministers, Primes Ministers of India.
“Never in our history have we seen such intolerance and arrogance from Indian leaders, as reflected in this instant case.
The language of peace begins with mutual respect and this must be maintained by the Governor, who is not only the head of state, but involved in bringing peace to our Naga areas. His assertion that the traditional village institutions and tribal bodies are the primary stakeholders in the Naga political issue, unfortunately, shows his complete ignorance, in not realizing, that Naga women are equal stakeholders in the Naga Political process,” it stated.
Stating that Naga women over the years have walked the talk, trudging into deep jungles and areas untrodden, by many traditional village institutions and few tribe leaders, in search of our armed brothers for peace, the NMA said that it was highly questionable that the representative of the Government of India has not taken cognizance of Naga women’s expressed wishes for peace and an early settlement, inclusive of all NPGs.
“History of other peace processes around the world clearly proves that when women’s voices are not counted and goes unheard by negotiators, peace is not sustained and peace processes break down,” it stated.
The NMA also questioned why there was “such disrespect to the primary stakeholders (Naga women) in the Governor’s message,” asserting that an official address from the head of the State, who carries the responsibility of being the Interlocutor, “should not have been accompanied by dire warnings of wrath or threats, to the Nagas, especially Naga women, who have suffered so much under the impunity of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act since 1958, much before statehood, that still continues to violate our right to peace and security.”
