'PDA directing Govt employees to declare their relatives working in Naga National movement'

Kohima, 2nd August 2020

The decision of the PDA Government directing the State Government employees to declare their relatives working in the Naga National movement set-up is either a sheer ignorance of the history of the Naga political movement or deliberate attempt to victimize some innocent individuals. Perhaps the PDA Govt. has viewed the Naga political issue from very narrow perspectives which is very unfortunate.

The Naga People’s Front has been consistently maintaining that the Naga political issue can be resolved only through peaceful means and not by way of brute force. The Party is of the view that an honourable solution to the Naga political issue would be not only for the interest of the Nagas alone but it would definitely be in the interest of the entire North East Region as well even as the Govt. of India envisages on ‘Look East/Act East Policy’.

As a matter of fact, any steps that are detrimental to the present political dialogue should be discouraged in Toto as it would be too costly if the present opportunity is missed again without hammering out an honourable solution like the political negotiations in the past.

The attempt of the PDA Govt. in profiling the list of Govt. servants who has relatives in the Naga National Movement set-up is a step which will bring more distrust between the general public and the Govt. machinery. One of the primary reasons amongst many is that the Naga political issue is close to everybody’s heart as far as Nagas are concerned.

Hence, the entire Nagas irrespective of being a Govt. servant or not are either closely connected emotionally or intellectually with the Naga political issue. It is an open secret and a fact which cannot be denied that every Naga is connected to the issue either in one way or the other.

Under such circumstances, profiling of Govt. servants who have relatives in the Naga National Movement set-up will not only be a futile exercise but would also drive the Nagas further from bringing closer to the parliamentary system of governance.

Moreover, it will trigger more social unrest in our society and ultimately jeopardize the hard-earned peace process which we all, as peace loving citizens, ought to guard passionately from endangering the ongoing peace process.

This very decision of the PDA Govt. also reminds us of the initial period of the Naga movement for independence in the 1940s (forties) and 1950s (fifties) where the Naga nationalists made the government servants as a soft target. Should the present Govt. go ahead with this very decision of profiling the Govt. servants, it would be nothing but an endeavour of positioning the Naga political issue in “anti-clock wise”.

And in that situation the past experiences have taught us enough that more chaos and confusion coupled with mistrust amongst our people will only magnify which will lead to undesirable consequences.

In the light of all these, the NPF urge the PDA Govt. to review its decision of profiling the Govt. servants as this exercise will only engender more suspicions within our society rather than meeting the desired result as proposed by the Government of the day.

Further, the NPF while congratulating the Hon’ble Governor of Nagaland, Mr. R.N. Ravi on his completion of one year in the office as Governor of Nagaland impresses upon him to put the Naga political issue in its right perspective for the interest of all stakeholders.

The NPF also reminds the Hon’ble Governor of Nagaland that, Naga people in general have high hope on him as someone who is capable of delivering an honourable solution to the Naga political issue as he is a signatory to the Framework Agreement signed on behalf of the Govt. of India right in the presence of the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi on 3rd August 2015 at New Delhi.

Meanwhile, the party feels it necessary to respond in short, the rejoinder issued by the NDPP on the statement given by the NPF President and the leader of the NPF legislature wing/LoP the way the PDA is running the affairs of government. Perhaps the NDPP could not swallow the bitter truth that has been revealed by the NPF President and the Leader of the Opposition on how a popular govt. should function in a parliamentary democracy.

The PDA cannot shy away from its responsibilities by shifting the blame to the Raj Bhavan so long as they run the Government. Everything has a system to follow and the PDA Govt. is no exception, they have to follow procedures if they think they are running the Govt. but as rightly pointed out by the NPF President sometimes the PDA forget that they are running a government which is very unfortunate for our citizens.

The NDPP seems to have lost track even while issuing rejoinder as all irrelevant points are narrated in the form of essay just to divert the attention of the general public in order to cover up their mis-governance. The PDA Govt. is a government which cannot take responsibilities of its own decision. Even profiling of Govt. servants, the PDA Govt. is desperately making an attempt to shift its responsibility although the Cabinet decided on 3rd July 2020 on this very issue.

Any Govt. which cannot stand on its decision and which cannot protect its employees/citizens have no right whatsoever to run the Government hence NPF reiterates its demand that the PDA Govt. should step down on moral ground.

Issued by:
Press Bureau,
Naga People’s Front,
Central Headquarters,
Kohima: Nagaland.