Ao community celebrates Tsüngremmong festival
Our Correspondent
Mokokchung | August 2
Chief Minister of Nagaland TR Zeliang today stated that Naga customary system was “unique” and that unless they preserved the “uniqueness” Nagas would be reduced to obscurity.
“We, the Nagas, are small in numbers. Unless we preserve our unique identity, culture and tradition, we are insignificant,” Zeliang said while speaking as chief guest during the Tsüngremmong festival celebration at Imkongmeren Sports Complex, Mokokchung.
He called upon the Naga people to “respect our tribal institutions or traditional authorities” while pointing out that it was the best way to preserve “our own customary system because of which our history is also considered as unique.”
Dwelling on the issue of deplorable road conditions in the state, the Chief Minister acknowledged that road transport was the only means of transport in the land locked state but regretted that local newspapers and social media were “full of posts against the bad roads in the state and pointing fingers at the state government.”
He retorted that people should not only blame the government but they should also own responsibility.
“While not denying that our roads are bad, I also feel that we should also spare a few of our fingers to point at ourselves!” he quipped. “Today, with the change in funding pattern, we have very little funds for development. If we were to depend on our own budget for repairs and maintenance of all our roads, it would be next to impossible,” he explained.
Zeliang also laid bare some facts-and-figures to corroborate his statement and said that his government was actively pursuing with the Union government to avail sanctions for not only building roads but also maintaining them. He claimed that Mokokchung district has comparatively the best roads in Nagaland today, “largely due to better cooperation and better civic sense of the people in general.”
TR’s 4 pointers for good roads
The Chief Minister also laid down four pointers to the Naga people if they wanted to have good roads.
He said Naga citizens must not interfere in the surveys for road alignment and to allow the technical people to decide the best alignment, not ask for land compensation, whenever such provisions for compensations are not permissible, avoid demanding contract works merely because “we are landowners or local contractors.”
Further, all concerned organisations and civil society should insist that whosoever are appointed as contractors should execute the works as per specification, and complete the works within the specified period.
He assured that if all the tribal hohos and other important organisations in the state can come up with such a “positive stand,” then his government would go all out with the people to ensure quality works, and that the state would see a new face in the road sector within a few years.
Zeliang also claimed that his government was a “people’s government” with the overwhelming support of all 60 legislators in the state assembly and that an “opposition-less Government” was formed with the sole objective of facilitating a peaceful and permanent solution of the Naga political issue.
Appeals for Nagas to Unite
To this, he called upon the Naga people to “unite at this crucial juncture of our history” and “go all out for solution of the Naga political problem, once and for all.” Let us be true to ourselves first, and then let us ask the Government of India to do their part, he added.
He lauded the Ao community for their pioneering leadership be it in politics, religion or education and appealed to the Ao Senden and other bodies to take initiatives in finding an early solution to the Naga political problem.
The festival today was organized by Ao Senden and sponsored by the North East Council. Cultural songs, dances and games marked the celebration.
