DIMAPUR, JUNE 29 (MExN): The GPRN/NSCN today mourned the demise of NSCN (IM) Chairman, Isak Chishi Swu, and said that “we are a part of him and he was a part of us.”
A message from the Chairman of the GPRN/NSCN, Gen (rtd) MB Neokpao Konyak, said: “despite our differences, we shared the same path. He was a soft spoken giant among suppressed nations, a spirited leader of man.”
Konyak stated that the NSCN (IM) Chairman believed that Naga reconciliation and unity was the ultimate key towards a final settlement. “His vision for Nagaland was a reconciled, united, prosperous Christian nation with distinct political identity, free of suppression and domination. This is the core value of all Naga political groups,” he added.
The GPRN/NSCN Chairman stated that in Swu’s passing, the Naga people have lost a brilliant spiritual light which illuminated the Naga nation ravaged by political misfortunes. “His unceasing prayer for his nation and people endeared him to people of all faiths irrespective of political inclinations,” he added.
Konyak noted that till his last breath, Swu remained a strong uniting force for the Nagas. “He was and he shall remain an inspirational figure to all struggling peoples and nations.”
He further asked all Naga leaders: “Whether we are prepared to build on a legacy of peace and reconciliation strongly advocated by our leader Isak Chishi Swu or whether we will again be tempted to pursue a tempestuous route of self destruction in the name of freedom.”
“As we prepare to take his legacy forward, I hope and pray that his absence from our midst shall result in a rebirth of Naga consciousness, a sprouting of fresh thinking, a shower of unmeasured unity within our family,” he hoped.
