The Ao Lanur Telongjem (ALT) has strongly condemned recent remarks by senior NSCN(IM) functionaries VS Atem and RH Raising against former Nagaland Chief Minister and former Governor Dr SC Jamir, demanding that the two leaders retract their statements and urging NPF Secretary General and MLA Achumbemo Kikon to exercise restraint in his public rhetoric.
In a strongly worded statement, the ALT said it was “profoundly outraged” by what it described as persistent and politically motivated personal attacks against Jamir for expressing his views on the Naga political issue.
In a statement issued by ALT Convenors Imnaonen Pongen and Tia Longchar, the organisation took particular exception to remarks attributed to Atem, Deputy Ato Kilonser of NSCN(IM), that Jamir was neither authorised nor mandated to represent the Naga people in the ongoing political negotiations. It also condemned Raising, a member of the NSCN(IM) Collective Leadership, for reportedly stating that Jamir was “not an advocate of the Naga people.”
The ALT said such remarks amounted to an attempt to dismiss a veteran political leader from the Naga political discourse and asserted that the Naga political issue could not be claimed as the exclusive preserve of any one individual, organisation or faction.
“Every Naga has an inherent stake and equal right to speak on our collective political future,” the organisation maintained, adding that this right was even more pronounced in the case of a senior statesman such as Jamir, who had served Nagaland as Chief Minister and later as Governor of several States.
The organisation questioned what it described as an implied claim of exclusive authority over the Naga political issue, asking why the views of a veteran leader should be dismissed merely because they differed from those of a particular political group.
The ALT also invoked important milestones in Naga political history, referring to the Naga memorandum to the Simon Commission in 1929, the Naga Plebiscite of 1951 and the Naga People’s Convention at Ungma in 1958. It argued that the Naga political journey had involved successive generations and diverse stakeholders and therefore could not be reduced to the position of any single organisation or faction.
While acknowledging that political disagreements were legitimate, the organisation said personal attacks, vilification and attempts to erase the relevance of senior leaders were unacceptable.
The ALT further referred to the sacrifices made by the Naga public during decades of political uncertainty and said the continued targeting of veteran leaders at a critical juncture could have adverse implications for the collective political future of the Nagas.
It also referred to the reported assassination attempts on Jamir, saying his survival of four such attempts was a part of his personal history and questioning whether his legacy could ever be erased from the political history of Nagaland.
The ALT consequently demanded that Atem and Raising retract what it described as their “malicious statements” against Jamir at the earliest.
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ALT takes exception to Kikon remark
The organisation also took strong exception to remarks reportedly made by NPF Secretary General and MLA Achumbemo Kikon, who referred to Jamir as “an old man in a hurry.”
The ALT said that while Jamir was now a senior statesman and political patriarch, he had also once been a young political leader. It said decades of public service had given him considerable experience in governance, statecraft and the Naga political issue.
The organisation acknowledged Kikon as a younger politician with a political future but said youthful political enthusiasm should be tempered by respect for the experience and contributions of leaders who had preceded the present generation.
The ALT said Kikon’s remarks had deeply hurt the sentiments of the Ao youth and urged him to exercise restraint in his choice of words while commenting on senior political figures.
It warned that the Naga political issue was too sensitive to be reduced to personal exchanges between political leaders and organisations, arguing that rhetoric that further divides the Naga society could complicate efforts towards a political settlement.
The organisation said the present generation could not afford what it termed political shortsightedness that might deepen existing divisions among the Nagas.
Calls for inclusive approach to Naga issue
The ALT reiterated that the Naga political issue belonged collectively to the Naga people and required an inclusive approach involving all relevant stakeholders.
It said the prolonged uncertainty had already imposed considerable social and political costs on the Naga public and that the focus should instead remain on finding an honourable and lasting settlement.
The organisation concluded by reiterating its call for an early, honourable and inclusive settlement of the Naga political issue based on the Framework Agreement and the Agreed Position.
