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FriDAY • December 23 • 2016
DIMAPUR • Vol. XI • Issue 352 • 12 PAGes • 5
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ESTD. 2005
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Christmas is about giving, and it all stems from the greatest gift the world has ever received - the gift of Jesus Christ C5 fills Mokokchung with the Christmas spirit
2016 - A year of transition from talk to action on climate change
reflections
By Sandemo Ngullie
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rajnath writes to cMs ‘Festivals are important for solidarity building’ of nagaland & Manipur Visiting professors draw similarity between the Sami and Naga people Vibi Yhokha
Belly ache? Told you not to eat too much roasted pork ribs with potato and yam mash and steak tacos in red wine and apple sauce. Saala!
PublIC NoTICE On account of the Christmas Holiday, The Morung Express will remain closed from December 23 to 26. The offices will reopen on December 27 and the next issue of The Morung Express will be available from December 28. Thank you for your support and kind understanding. Wishing you a
Merry Christmas The Morung Express
DIMAPUR, DECEMBER 22 (MExN): Union Home Minister, Rajanth Singh has written to Chief Ministers of Nagaland and Manipur states expressing concern at the “extremely distressing situation” caused by the continuous blockade of National Highway 2, which has caused acute shortage of essential and other goods in Manipur, and the “breakdown of law and order.” In his letter to the Manipur CM, the Home Minister lamented that the Manipur state government has “failed to keep the NH 2 open” despite the GoI’s “repeated requests and making available central forces to assist local forces. Reminding the CM that law and order falls under the state government, Singh said that the GoI can only assist the state government, in case such assistance is required and asked for. It added that the Ministry of Home Affairs has responded to the request for deployment of extra forces in Manipur by making 30 Coys available to the state government. He informed that when the state government moved two convoys along the NH 2 on December 2 and December 8, central forces assisted the movement of this convoy which enabled some essential supplies to reach Manipur. However, the Home Minister lamented that since then, there has been no initiative from the state government to either ensure that NH 2 is kept open or that at least movement of convoy is made. This, he stated despite the availability of central forces, and officers of the MHA being in constant touch with the state officials, including visit by the Special Secretary (Internal Security)
on December 14 and 15. Singh also reminded that on December 19, a message was sent to the DG (Police) assuring the Manipur Government that the GoI is fully committed to support the state government in opening the national highway. This has been followed up by telephone calls, both by the SS (IS) and the concerned JS. However, the Home Minister stated that there has been no response or action by the state government. The Home Minister urged the Manipur CM to ensure the supply of commodities to Manipur through NH 2, “rationally using the assistance of central forces as necessary.” “Maintaining law and order and essential supplies are constitutional obligations of the state government,” he reminded. In a separate letter to the Nagaland State Chief Minister, the Union Home Minister apprised that due to the “blockage of NH2 by certain elements, movement of essential and other supplies to Manipur have been seriously and adversely affected, causing great distress to the people of Manipur.” The Government of India is trying to persuade the State Government to keep NH2 open, for which purpose Ministry of Home Affairs has provided additional forces to them, he added. Singh also expressed concern that the Naga Students’ Federation has called for blockade of vehicles even in the portion of NH2 which passes through Nagaland. The Home Minister asked the Nagaland CM to ensure that there is no disturbance of movement of vehicles going through Nagaland State, to enable supplies to pass safely through the State.
Kohima | December 22
There are quite a few similarities between the Sami and Naga people, particularly in nation building, sharing national/international border states, and practice of particular religious traditions. In a brief interview with The Morung Express, Professor Siv Ellen Kraft of UiT, The Arctic University of Norway, and Greg Johnson, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, University of Colorado Boulder, USA, (who were present at the Hutton Lectures 2016 Symposium, Kohima Institute) drew comparisons on the Sami people and Naga people, and further discourse on the lessons Nagas can take from the Sami people. Well known for reindeer herding, the Sami are the indigenous people of northernmost Europe and inhabit four Scandinavian countries. Greg Johnson pointed out that the focus on dance and songs, though different in style and emphasis on dress, different rituals are similar indicators. Narrating a brief account of the Sami people, Prof. Kraft stated that the Sami coexisted with other Norwegian people for centuries up until the 1960s where there was hard suppression of the Samis under the Norwegian Government which tried to take away the Sami culture, religion, traditions, and make them ordinary Norwegians. “Since then there has been revitalization movements of nationhood building, teaching their language again, learning the traditions and traditional religious forms has become strong and also with other indigenous people around the world,” said Prof. Kraft. She also informed that there is a group called Sami Naga-
‘Naga women are ready for election not nomination’
DIMAPUR, DECEMBER 22 (MExN): A consultative meeting between the Naga Hoho and the ENPO with the Naga Mothers Association and the Joint Action Committee on Women’s Reservation (JACWR) was held in Kohima to discuss the issue of municipal elections and women reservation. A press note from the JACWR informed that thirty eight women leaders representing different tribe women organisations attended the meeting.
The NMA and JACWR while thanking the apex Naga Hoho and ENPO leaders for the invitation to a meeting, categorically made their position very clear that Naga women were ready for election and not nomination and that there was no question of withdrawing the case till the election dates are announced by the State Government. In the second meeting held on December 19, between the NMA, JACWR and the various tribe Hoho
leaders hosted by the Angami Public Organization, the Tribe Hoho Presidents again appealed women to consider nomination and not election and for withdrawal of the case. This meeting was attended by around forty women leaders of the different tribe women organisations from the NMA, ENWO and the JACWR. The women leaders shared the history of the struggle for the women's right to reservation as per the Nagaland Municipal First Amendment Act and
the importance of the Government decision to hold the elections with reservation for women. It was conveyed with regret to the tribe Hohos in the meeting that the decision of Naga women will stand and that they will go for election not nomination. With the election dates announced, JACWR said that the purpose of going to the court for appealing to hold municipal election and women reservation will be fulfilled, by its implementation.
Youth beaten up for purportedly supporting NBCC clean election Morung Express News Phek | December 22
A youth from Phek Village was physically assaulted by some members of its village youth organization for voicing support to the Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) Clean Election Campaign. In a belated report received here, the youth identified as Khochiyi, hailing from Phek Village was allegedly assaulted by the Phek Village Youth Organization (PVYO) on the allegation of propagating the Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) Clean Election Campaign guidelines at Phek Village. The victim disclosed that he was summoned by the PVYO on December 19, 2016 at their office around 4:30 to 5:00 pm and was trashed black and blue after blindfolding him. He was also verbally abused. After the physical and mental torture, the victim was told not to spread word about the incident. Khochiyi said the PVYO were incensed that he was asking people’s
— Monica Johnson
Ashwin named ICC Cricketer of the Year
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opinion from the village and obtaining their voluntary signatures of those who were in favour of the Clean Election movement by upholding the NBCC guidelines. Maintaining that it was unfair to impose a political resolution to support one particular candidate for three consecutive terms (since 2003 till date), Khochiyi alleged that those who voiced out against such undemocratic decisions were threatened, manhandled and harassed. “I was impressed by the NBCC guidelines on clean election campaign and wanted to get the opinion of the villagers whether they support the democratic means of electoral voting or this ugly culture of imposing a particular candidate on every individual,” Khochiyi said. It may be recalled that the Phek Village Council had only recently announced their resolution to support a particular candidate in a section of the local dailies. Further sources from the victim’s
family informed that prior to the incident, the victim was also warned to submit the list of the signatures to the youth organization. PVYO president when contacted admitted that a youth was “punished” for going against the resolution of the village council.
However, the youth organization president claimed that the said victim was not punished for supporting the NBCC election campaign but because of other motives. The motive behind the physical harassment meted out to the victim was not elaborated.
Greg Johnson (L) and Siv Ellen Kraft (R)
land that goes back to the 1980s which was initiated after a Sami artist visited Nagaland. Greg Johnson stated that the Sami really emphasize on University level education for their own people by establishing tribal colleges and developing college university system which has been a strong movement among the Samis. While Nagaland has the Article 371 (A), Johnson noted that the Samis have their own parliament system called the Sami Parliament where they have a strong voice for sovereignty but within the Norwegian state. The Sami Parliament is the representative body of the Sami people where they assert issues relating to their traditions, culture, education, lands, environment and traditional professions as well as economic activities. “They have not claimed for full sovereignty but they have been really strong at organizational building,” said Prof. Kraft. A vital lesson is the Sami’s strong stance on environmental issues. With similar challenges facing most indigenous people across the globe on land acquisition and alienation by dominant groups and companies, and environmental destruction on the pretext of development, the Samis too are battling environmental concerns.
The Sami people have similar festivals like the Hornbill Festival, highlighted Prof. Kraft, but in a larger and significant way where young performers not only have an arena to meet other indigenous people from other countries, but to perform their cultural dances and songs and having these performances recognized by others. Prof. Kraft believes that these are quite important for solidarity building and positive thinking of one’s culture. Decades ago, there was a lot of shame among the Sami people about their culture, most of these being tactics of the government to suppress the people. Prof. Kraft pointed out that for a long time Sami people viewed their culture as of lesser value than the Norwegian culture, that they were uncivilized. “The elders grew up feeling shameful about their identity. They tried to hide it. Many stopped using the traditional Sami language and hid it from their children. They thought that their indigenous identity was kind of a stigma that cannot easily fit with modernity,” claimed Prof. Kraft. However in recent years, activities such as festivals have enabled the younger generation to feel proud about their culture, their traditions, and heritage. “The question is,” according to Greg Johnson, “How within the State of India can the Nagas exert their strongest voice, take the culture in the most robust way, and keep their environment strong?” Like the Nagas spread across two countries and several states, the Sami people too inhabit four countries, namely, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Russia with majority of the population residing in Norway. However in recent years, the Sami people have at least been able to recreate their nationhood peacefully within the structures of the four countries.