Dimapur, December 5 (MExN): Refuting the several political permutations been speculated following the recent ‘unity’ drive initiated under the aegis of the Western Sumi Hoho (WSH), convener of Council of Kilonsers, NSCN (K) AZ Jami has appealed not to ‘mix’ State politics with “national sovereignty.” Jami in a press note received here stated that the recent unity drive at Nuiland had nothing to do with either bringing KL Chishi to the chief-ministership in the coming Assembly Elections nor was it to grab lands in the Intangki Reserved Forest.
Jami also refuted speculations that the Angamis “are playing to retain Neiphiu Rio as Chief Minister of Nagaland…or the Aos playing to bring either Imkong or SC Jamir to the post of Chief Minister of Nagaland”.
Terming all these permutations as a big “no”, Jami appealed that one should not mix State politics with the goal of “national sovereignty” while adding that the question of chief minister is the responsibility of the State legislators and that after elections, the majority party will themselves elect their leader to be the chief minister. “Let it be KL Chishi or Neiphiu Rio or Shurhozelie or Imkong or SC Jamir or Chingwang Konyak”, Jami stated.
Expressing regret, the NSCN (K) Kilonser stated that some “Nagas are suspecting the Sumis in one way or the other” and termed this as an unhealthy development. Defending the recent unity drive of the WSH, Jami stated that Sumis had been more or less equally divided in the two NSCN factions and that the Nagas from every corner have been accusing and criticizing the Sumis in one way or the other or at one point or the other for not being able to unite the two factions of NSCN because of them. “The Sumis, as I assume have been tired of receiving such accusations and criticisms”, Jami stated adding that this time they have “taken up life and death venture risking their lives and welfare” and regretted that now ‘some Nagas are suspecting the Sumis.’
Giving a historical perspective, Jami pointed out that in the later part of 1968, most of the Sumis isolated themselves from the FGN/NNC and formed the so-called Revolutionary Government of Nagaland (RGN) but that the Sumis alone could not to anything and so they surrendered to the Indian government in 1972.
Stating that the remaining Nagas tried to carry on the movement even without the Sumis, Jami questioned: “But what could the other Nagas do without the Sumis?” “They could do nothing rather the leaders of other Nagas signed the infamous Shillong Accord in 1975. This was no other than surrender accord”, Jami stated.
As such the NSCN (K) Kilonser advised that “our past mistakes and failure should be our guide and master”. “Division means defeat and unity means victory. Now the leaders of different factions of Naga national workers should humble themselves and seek the unity and reconciliation with humility”, Jami suggested. In this regard, Jami pointed out that when the unity and reconciliation move was initiated in 2000 by the Sumis and Konyaks, he had declared in the NSCN (IM) Council meeting that if at all unity could be brought about, he would be the first man to step down to accommodate others in other factions. Jami also disclosed on what General Khole of PAN says that “if at all unity comes, I will go on retirement and give chance to younger people”.
Jami suggested that instead of “murmur and talk of this or that”, Nagas should plunge wholly into the unity process without any reservation adding that in “unity lies peace, pleasure, strength and goodwill”. Jami urged Naga intellectuals to exert their influence to the unity process in order to heal the land from bloodshed and cautioned to beware f the Indian intelligentsia pointing out that they may be playing “different subtle games to sabotage the unity move”. The NSCN (K) Kilonser also stated that Nagas do not want any more widows and orphans through useless armed clashes between brothers and reminded that if one comes across a helpless widow or children orphaned by the killing of their fathers in fratricidal fighting’s, one would certainly be overwhelmed with emotion and sympathy if one had a human heart.
