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DIMAPUR • Vol. X • Issue 307 • 12 PAGes • 4
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wednesdAY • november 11 • 2015
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Everything comes to us that belongs to us if we create the capacity to receive it Catalan to start process of breaking from Spain PAGe 9
reflections
By Sandemo Ngullie
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National Education Day 2015 observed
others
Nagaland BJP concerned by MGNREGA fund constraint DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 10 (MExN): The Nagaland state unit of the BJP today expressed concern at the inability of the state government to meet its 10 percent share for funding the MGNREGA scheme in the state. A press note from the Nagaland BJP spokesman and General Secretary, K James Vizo informed that this has led to the government’s inability to pay wages under MGNREGA. Taking note of the issue, it appealed to the CM to intervene and take corrective measures with the concerned authority. “In 2014, wages were released only for 10 to 14 days and for the year 2015 also, wages for only for 3-4 days out of 100 days are released till date,” it informed. The party put forth recommendations for the state government to address this fund constraint. The BJP recalled that on May 14, two officials from the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD)–Dr Silpa Pandey, Research Officer UNDP, in charge Nagaland MGNREGA and Prasana V Salian, Assistant Commissioner, MGNREGA, visited the State officially and inspected various MGNREGA schemes across the state. Only after the intervention of Dr. Silpa, funds meant for VDBs amounting to Rupees 123 crores across the state were released, it added. The BJP noted that 40% of the total fund was deducted from the VDBs for the administrative charges and management costs. It viewed that this amount could have been adjusted for the state share, which could be recovered later. It further suggested that the Grant in Aid allocated to the VDBs, which are from the state, could be utilized as state share of 10%, and can be adjusted later on.
— Rabindranath Tagore
Vardy, Wenger win monthly Premier League awards
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Naga Self Administered Zone: NLD win total 9 out of 10 seats Morung Express news Dimapur | November 10
Public Information
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suu Kyi vows to call shots; to defy military
YANGON/MANDALAY, NOVEMBER 10 (REUtERs): Myanmar democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi made it clear on Tuesday that she was ready to defy the powerful military’s attempts to clip her wings, as fresh results from Sunday’s historic election showed her party heading for a resounding win. As vote tallies trickled in, Suu Kyi’s long-oppressed National League for Democracy (NLD) looked set to take control of most regional assemblies as well as forming the central government. Is it true that every year Under the constitution drawn more babies are born in Nagaland nine months after up by Myanmar’s former junta, Suu Kyi is barred by the constituthis festival? tion from taking the presidency because her children are foreign nationals, a clause few doubt was Press statements, memo- inserted specifically to rule her out. randums, articles, reports But in two interviews on and news related docu- Tuesday, the Nobel peace lauments should be sent to reate said that, whoever was apmorung@gmail.com pointed president by the newly elected houses of parliament, she Editor, would call the shots. She told the The Morung Express BBC that she would be “making all the decisions as the leader of The Morung Express the winning party” and Channel Asia that the next president Poll QuEsTion News would have “no authority”. Vote on www.morungexpress.com The ruling Union Solidarity and sMs your answer to 9862574165 Development Party (USDP), which Will you be willing to was created by the junta and is led provide your private by retired soldiers, has conceded land towards road defeat in a poll that was a milestone construction and on Myanmar’s rocky path from dicdevelopment in your area? tatorship to democracy. Yes
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A CLEAR WIN The NLD said its tally of results posted at polling stations showed it was on track to take more than two-thirds of seats that were contested in parliament, enough to form Myanmar’s first democratically elected government since the early 1960s.
Supporters of Myanmar’s pro-democracy figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi gather outside National League for Democracy headquarters (NLD) in Yangon, Myanmar, November 9. (REUTERS)
The party would win more than 250 of the 330 seats not occupied by the military in the lower house of parliament, NLD spokesman Win Htein predicted on Tuesday. Under the juntacrafted constitution, a quarter of the seats are unelected and reserved for the armed forces. The election commission said the NLD had won 78 of the 88 seats declared so far for the 440-strong lower house. The first results in the upper house on Tuesday showed the NLD winning 29 of 33 seats declared, with two seats for the USDP. The NLD was on course for a victory of similar magnitude in the battle for the regional assemblies. However, while the USDP has been cut down and much of the establishment shaken by the extent of Suu Kyi’s victory, the army remains a
formidable power. In addition to his bloc of parliament seats, the commander-inchief nominates the heads of three powerful and big-budget ministries - interior, defence and border security - and the constitution gives himtherighttotakeoverthegovernment under certain circumstances. The military has said it will accept the outcome of the election, and Suu Kyi said times have changed since the 1990 election she won in a landslide that the military ignored. She spent years under house arrest following that poll. “NOW COMES THE HARD PART” Still, analysts say a period of uncertainty may be looming for former Burma because it is not clear if Suu Kyi and the generals will be able to share power easily. Sunday’svotewastheSoutheast
Asian nation’s first general election since the military ceded power to a quasi-civilian government in 2011, usheringinreformsandopeningup to foreign investors. Money from abroad flowed in quickly as sanctions were eased. Foreign direct investment stood at $8 billion in fiscal 2014/15, more than five times the flows recorded just two years earlier. Religious tension, fanned by Buddhist nationalists whose actions have intimidated Myanmar’s Muslim minority, marred the election campaign. Among those excluded from voting were around a million Rohingya Muslims who are effectively stateless in their own land. Suu Kyi, who has been criticised for saying little in defence of the Rohingya, said on Tuesday she would “protect everybody” in the country.
The National League for Democracy (NLD) in Myanmar seems to be taking the lead in the Naga areas of Myanmar as well. In the recently concluded elections and early results in Myanmar, the NLD has emerged a winner in the country’s “most democratic” election in 25 years. The formal results are likely to be announced by the end of this week. Analysts looking at the Naga areas suggest that from the 10 seats contested in the Naga Self Administered Zone (NSAZ), the NLD is indicated to have won in 9. The tenth seat was taken by Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). The Naga areas consist of three townships—Layshi, Lahe and Namyun. There are two seats each from each township for the Sagaing Regional Parliament. One seat from each township is for the Lower House, Union Parliament. One seat is sent from all of the Naga areas combined to the Upper House, Union Parliament, bringing the total number of seats to 10. While the NLD and USDP had candidates vying for the seats, independent candidates had also set themselves up to the challenge. Except in the Regional Parliament 2 seat from Lahe
The names of the winners are:
• Layshi Constituency: Kyaw Htay (Lower House, Union Parliament), Gahsirang (Regional Parliament 1), Rittin (Regional Parliament 2) • Lahe Constituency: Thet Naung (Lower House, Union Parliament), U Luyong (Regional Parliament 1), Samu (Regional Parliament 2USDP) • Namyun Constituency: Wanla (Lower House, Union Parliament), Sein Maung (Regional Parliament 1), Kesai (Regional Parliament 2) • Min Naing won the Upper House, Union Parliament seat.
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constituency, which was won by the USDP, the NLD won the rest from the Naga region. However, it was informed later that there may have been some ‘election fraud’ in the Regional Parliament 2 seat from Lahe constituency to which a complaint will soon be filed with the Union Election Commission. Earlier this year, the Naga Students’ Organisation (Myanmar) had said to The Morung Express that U Hla Tun would become the chairman of NSAZ if USDP won the general elections while U Luyong would become the chairman if the NLD won.
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Allegations against CM devoid ACCORD to prioritize Nagaland’s overall development of merit: NPF central office KOHIMA, NOVEMBER 10 (MExN): Following the NPCC’s demand for the Governor to set up an ‘enquiry committee’ to verify information furnished by the Nagaland CM in an election affidavit, the NPF central office today said that allegations against the CM in this regard are “devoid of any merit.” A press note from the PRO of the NPF central office, Yanger Jamir informed that a writ petition (civil) filed by petitioners Maziezokho Nisa and Rokovisie Rino in the Kohima Bench of the Guwahati High Court had sought issuance of direction to the Kohima Police for registering an FIR filed by the petitioners with the OC North PS on September 8, 2015. The petitioners had alleged that false information was furnished by the CM to the Election Commission and that he was liable to be punished with imprisonment under section 125-A of The Representation of Peoples Act, 1951 and under various sections of the IPC including 468. According to the NPF central office, the court heard the case on October 1 and observed that the petitioners have not “disclosed commission of any cognizable offence and ruled that even if wrong information was furnished to the Election Commission, it still does not come under the ambit of a cognizable offence...” Further it stated that “in view of the provision of Section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure as well as the law laid down by the Constituent Bench of the Hon’ble Supreme Court in the case of Lalita Kumari [Vrs Government of UP, reported in (2014) 2 SCC 1], no direction can be given to Police for regis-
tering a case on the basis of such information. The writ petition, therefore, is devoid of any merit.” The NPF central office said that this issue is being used as a “political whip” against the Nagaland CM. “Everybody knows that qualification is not a requirement or criteria for someone to enter into politics and serve the people. But all of a sudden, it appears some people are so fixated with someone’s qualification to occupy the chair of the Chief Minister,” the NPF stated. It alleged that “some opponents of the Chief Minister in his constituency repeatedly approached a gentleman to write to the Superintendent of Police, Kohima which was later retracted and the gentleman had the grace to apologise in public domain.” “Later, when the case was withdrawn, others entered into the fray again using the same documents and filed an FIR with the OC Kohima North Police Station who, accordingly, began preliminary investigation into the matter,” it said. “As soon as the matter was rejected by the Hon’ble High Court, the NPCC has now approached the Governor,” the NPF central office said. Terming this as “most irregular,” it stated that this shows the “determination of some people to embarrass the Chief Minister in any manner possible.” It stated that the NPCC should have pursued the matter “in the right perspective instead of fooling the people on the streets with their antics.” “No Chief Minister in the history of Nagaland has been harassed like the present Chief Minister by various elements in the society for their vested interests in the last two years or so since he assumed office,” the NPF stated.
DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 10 (MExN): The Afro-Asian-American Chamber of Commerce, Occupational Research and Development (ACCORD) has decided to give priority for “overall development of Nagaland” by advising its member countries to visit Nagaland, observe its natural and cultural heritage besides investing in the State and also stress on the need of judicious utilisation of medicinal plants and ancient folk medicine. Announcing this vision and action plan, ACCORD convener and director, Utkarsh Sharma, in a press statement received here said this development will be formally announced during the “Commerce, Occupational Research and Development (CORD) Summit” convened at
New Delhi in December, 2015. ACCORD was established with the main objective of locating avenues for alternative employment creation besides designing a neological as well as neocratic approach to skill development and entrepreneurship among the younger generation all over the world in general and in the countries situated in African, Asian and American continents in particular. Its objective is to bring peace on earth in the third millennium by having country wise and countrywide appropriate solutions for burning problems like discord, insurgency, poverty, greed, unemployment, pollution, faulty educational and training methodologies, population explosion and religious
intolerance etc, the press statement claimed. In this regard, it has decided to design a master plan paradigm (2015-2025) for a new world order. Among ACCORD activities include promotion of entrepreneurial leadership among school and college going boys and girls by “catching them young” and designing didactical messages for the educators to see that they produce more number of job givers rather than job seekers. This will be possible as it has the qualified inventory of experts for establishing universities, colleges, institutions, schools and other training outfits in different countries with latest equipment and infrastructure for conducting formal, informal, non-for-
mal, open, distance, online, internet and web-based employment centric programmes in all countries of the world, ACCORD claimed in its press statement. In this connection, it has invited the policy makers, ministers and bureaucrats from Nagaland to keep interacting with the officials of ACCORD for mutual as well as technical cooperation through a neological as well as neocratic approach for a sustainable development of Northeastern states in general and Nagaland in particular. It also added that ACCORD has decided to sponsor the publication, “Nagaland: Past, Present and Future” running into 1200+ pages to be released and dedicated to the world citizenry early next year.
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Naga Hoho urges end to cycle of violence
KOHIMA, NOVEMBER 10 (MExN): The Naga Hoho today called upon both the Government of India (GoI) and the NSCN (K) to “earnestly work together in the spirit of mutual respect and appreciation for each other and reinstate the ceasefire agreement at the earliest.” A press note from the Naga Hoho urged the GoI to “shed its prejudice and demonstrate magnanimity and patience at this juncture of the peace process.” It further appealed to the NSCN (K) to “abjure the path of violence and continue to search for peace through negotiation.” The Naga Hoho expressed concern at the “unabated violent confrontations between the Government of India and NSCN (K) after many years of observing ceasefire agreement and peace talks.” The present situation, it lamented, negates the desire of the Naga People for a negotiated settlement of the Indo- Naga Issue. “The futility of war is manifested in the fact that Nagas continue to live under perpetual subjugation and oppression and India’s progression towards a deserv-
ing and respectable place amongst nations is hindered,” the Naga Hoho said. It further accused India of propagating a policy of “intolerance with no respect for human dignity and blatant disregard for innocent lives even supposedly of its own citizens… in dealing with any form of dissent.”
Nagas be expected to trust the government of India that it is really and seriously committed to pursue the path of peace?” the Naga Hoho questioned. The Naga Hoho hoped that the NSCN (K) would understand the need to renew the process of dialogue. “A resistance movement rooted in the principle of democracy and humanity must listen to the voice of conscience of the people it represents, and is expected to always prioritize to create space and atmosphere for peace building, even in the face of unwarranted provocations and threats,” it added. The Naga Hoho cautioned that the current trend indicates the renewal of a “protracted cycle of violence endangering many more innocent Naga people.” It asked every peace loving Naga to intervene and ensure that “senseless violence” is stopped. The Naga Hoho pledged its full support and participation in “our collective search for ways and means to usher in a secured future in our land wherein the dignity, honour and human rights are safeguarded.”
Asks Indian Govt and NSCN (K) to reinstate ceasefire at the earliest “The recent random killings of innocent Nagas including women and school children and NSCN (K) cadres following imposition/extension of Disturb Area Act in the Nagas Land defies any logic and thus nullify the aura of August 3,2015 Framework Agreement,” it rued. “Is this the dawn of another era wherein premeditated punitive violent adventure to uproot and obliterate the Naga People is repeated as in the past? Can the
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