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wednesdAY • OctOber 05• 2016
DIMAPUR • Vol. XI • Issue 274 • 12 PAGes • 5
T H e
ESTD. 2005
P o W e R
You see what power is - holding someone else’s fear in your hand and showing it to them! Britons win Nobel for work on ‘exotic’ matter PAGe 09
Special children need to be empowered: Yitachu
o F
T R u T H
— Amy Tan
Maria Sharapova’s doping ban reduced to 15 months by CAS
PAGe 02
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ProMotinG inter-triBAl HArMonY Morung Express News Kohima | October 4
The surge of tribalism in Nagaland has become a matter of serious concern. There are many negative effects of tribalism to the society, and even to the Church. Besides, tribalism promotes bad governance and lack of accountability and has become a major obstacle to socio-economic development. In this backdrop, the 6th Morung Lecture focusing on the ‘Role of Religion in promoting Inter-Tribe Harmony among Nagas’ was held at Jubilee Memorial Centre (JMC-KABA), Lerie Colony, Kohima on Tuesday. Speakers at the Lecture were Elias T Lotha, President, Catholic Association of Nagaland (CAN), Dr. Eyingbeni HümtsoeNienu, Senior Lecture, Clark Theological College and Rev. Dr. Zelhuo Keyho, General Secretary, Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC). Respect pluralism not singularism for social harmony In his discourse, Elias T. Lotha, President, CAN, questioned the position of the Naga Christian churches in Nagaland, where there are numerous faith-based organizations that do not truly converge in the translation of Christian beliefs. “We have Church organizations of this tribe, that tribe but never a fellowship to believe and worship together without our tribe color. Consciously or otherwise, we are bracketing each other into tribe pockets and not as Christians,” said Lotha who outlined that respect for “pluralism rather than singularism” by inculcating “universality” can act as a threshold
reflections
By Sandemo Ngullie
for social harmony. Lotha was of the view that the most evocative philosophy is victory and domination in the context of Naga tribal ethnicity, which therefore culminates in the form of tribalism and grouping systems alien to Christian values. Opining that the social front presents a gloomier picture with the Naga society fractured into tribal divides such as TPO, ENPO, CNTC, NTC, Naga Hoho, UNC etc, Lotha asserted, “All these, and more, inform us that we truly and urgently need to convert from a conformist milieu to transformative and rewarding mission for positively impacting the society through practice of Christian values.” To help transform Naga tribes in ushering harmony, Lotha shared the approach of the Catholic Church, which is -Dignity of the human person, promotion of the family, and working for the common good. The common good, Lotha emphasized, is not simply what people happen to want, but what would be authentically good for people, the social conditions that enable human flourishing. Further, Lotha pointed out that the journey of the Church does not end in establishing inter tribe harmony alone. “Harmony amongst tribes is the beginning of a new journey for much need to be pursued and accomplished as members of the Naga tribes and as members of the Christian community,” ended Elias T Lotha.
Petrol price hiked by 14 paise, diesel by 10 paise
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NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 4 (AGENCIES): Petrol price was on Tuesday hiked by 14 paise per litre while diesel rate was also increased by 10 paise per litre (inclusive of state levies). Revised rates will take effect from midnight. “Consequent to the increase in Dealer Commission on Petrol and Diesel w.e.f.4th/ 5thOctober2016, it has been decided to effect the following price changes w.e.f. midnight of 4th October / 5th October 2016...There will be corresponding price revisions on Petrol and Diesel in other states on account of change in Dealer Commission,” said Indian Oil Corporation, the country’s largest fuel retailer.
Eyingbeni Hümtsoe-Nienu
spective, Eyingbeni HümtsoeNienu, Senior Lecturer, Clark Theological College, balanced the multidimensional meaning of peace in the Bible where the Old Testament emphasizes on ‘Shalom’ as Peace, which is about wholeness and fullness while the New Testament translates peace in terms of righteousness and justice. These, according to Nienu, are two sides of the same coin. While there are notable contributions of Christian based peace work in Nagaland such as NBCC-Peace Affairs, FNR, Peace Channel, CCPRA, Nienu felt that the approach to peace needs to transcend from large scale/mass oriented practice to personal conversation, from top-level discussion to grassroots participation; from intellectual discourses to down-toearth/practical measures, from the political to the holistic and from the male-centered to the gender inclusive in composiTranscend peace from large- tion and perspective. “Christian Peace efforts scale practice to personal should not be portrayed conversation Speaking on the origin of merely as a glamorous affair peace through a Biblical per- characterized by closed-door
Rev. Dr. Zelhou Keyho
emphasized that the church must be involved in the reconstruction of society on Christian principles of love and forgiveness. Maintaining that the biblical Christian faith is not deeply rooted in majority of those who profess themselves Christian, he said the church is not free from the spirit of tribalism. In this regard, he also laid out the road map, which the church must undertake, where he emphasized that the church must take her faith, and her teaching ministry seriously and not just be preaching “feel good gospel.” The church cannot lose the power of speaking for justice and righteousness living at all cost, he asserted. The NBCC General Secretary further said the church must come strong on corruption and come clean of her corrupt practices that are not biblical, and also make positive influence to the society and not Church must promote be influenced by the society by conducive co-existence becoming part of the problem. Rev. Dr. Zelhou Keyho, GenIn the meantime, he higheral Secretary of Nagaland Bap- lighted that the church must tist Church Council (NBCC) teach the gospel, moral laws,
intellectual meetings, constituted by high profile persons, and conducted in expensive locations to discuss political problems and solutions,” viewed Nienu. In this, she recommended for the formulation of a solid theological bases for engagement in inter/intra tribe peace works-“People in the community and grassroots level should be taken into confidence. They live with the consequence of either peace or violence. Their stories and viewpoints are essential to building and keeping peace.” Nienu also suggested for the institution of peace committees/departments under every Church association to promote, sustain and safeguard peaceful existence among Naga tribes, to establish peace committees in local churches to educate members on maintaining tribal unity and address issues related to peace and justice.
The need for one Christian body Participants comprising of intellectuals, church leaders, social and human rights activists, attending the lecture deliberated on different issues surrounding the topic. Questions relating to disharmony in the churches, the stance of church on women, or if there is a difference between tribal affinity and tribalism, among others, were raised. On disharmony in the churches, the participants and the panelists felt the need for the revival of the Naga Christian Forum, which was once functional as one Christian body and comprised of members cutting across denominations. On the stance of the church on women, Rev. Dr. Zelhou Keyho said when Christianity came, it took a deep root in our culture and unconsciously even that trend has been passed on, which, he added is very unfortunate. However, he strongly highlighted that the church must always continue to encourage leadership whether male or female based on their calling. Dr. Eyingbeni Hümtsoe-Ni-
enu, described tribal affinity as a natural thing but tribalism a nurtured thing, influenced by many factors. Supplementing this, Elias T. Lotha, said unlike tribal affinity, which comes naturally to us, tribalism is a voluntary act and is very negative in nature. Can our church become the face saving mechanism? In his concluding remarks, Editor of The Morung Express, Dr. Aküm Longchari highlighted assumptions drawn from the Lecture with queries- Are we mistaking harmony and unity for uniformity? Have Christian values failed or is it the frailty of humans that has failed us? Are we dwelling too much in the abstract and missing the point…? Longchari pointed out that the Naga understanding of Christianity is “very narrow but very concrete.” Stating that the aspects of “shame” and “humiliation” have become rooted in the Naga understanding of addressing problems, he asked “is it possible for our church to become the face saving mechanism?” He informed that the present forms of dialogues are actually a “dialogue between monologues” where the parties involved are posturing their positions rather than finding common ground. He therefore emphasized on the need to reclaim genuine democratic dialogue where people engage and challenge each other in an informed manner. He said, “We may not have all the answers but it’s important for us to own the problems so that in the process of dialoguing, we will find solutions.”
Bro labourers allege harassment Without salary for 5 months,
DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 4 (MExN): The labourers of the 15 BRTF Headquarter 89 RCC (GREF), Sechu-Zubza have issued a joint representation to the Director General, Border Roads Organisation (BRO) on several grievances faced by them. The statement alleged that the labour in-charge who was deputed at 15 BRTF Headquarter 89 RCC (GREF) Sechü Zubza has been “harassing the labourers for the last four months without any rhyme or reason.” Alleging that the labour No, no please don’t. This trash dump is our only source of income.
Elias T Lotha
moral responsibility and biblical ethics without compromise. He felt that purity and morality must not just become good principles and be kept in the closet but must be taught with all seriousness from the pulpit. “The church must not play the game of withdrawal but it must avoid unholy alliances with unhealthy forces to run their agenda, whether it be the state or tribal organizations but stands above those elements and promote conducive co-existence,” he added.
in charge “uses unbearable words in scolding the labourers,” the statement claimed that the labourers have been forced to work overtime every day. “We were forced to work on Sundays and not allowed to attend Church services. We were not granted leave even to draw our salaries from the bank, not allowed to attend funeral service of our near and dear ones,” it claimed. The statement further informed that a labourer was bitten by a snake but was “forced to work for the whole day.”
“We were forced to work even on National holidays. The latest incident happened on 2nd October, 2016 (Gandhi Jayanti), a Sunday where labourers were forced to work the whole day. Some labourers did not go for work and stayed behind,” it said. The statement alleged that the next day, when these labourers turned up for work, the labour in charge “asked them not to attend work, threatening them that he would discharge them from duty. Therefore all the labourers refused to work
ENCSU to resume agitation today
DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 4 (MExN): The Eastern Nagaland College Students Union (ENCSU) has called for resumption of its agitation with effect from October 5, with regard to the NSEE results 2016. A press note from the ENCSU informed that the agitation will continue till their demand for allocation of 4 MBBS seats reserved for BTs to the BT candidates is fulfilled. The ENCSU had suspended its second phase of agitation at the request of the state government with the assurance that 4 MBBS seats would not be filled up till the Cabinet decided on it. “It was only after the protestors started shouting demanding the outcome of the meeting, the Department requested the ENCSU Officials to meet the Director. The Protestors opposed the request. However, at the request and in respect of our apex organization, the ENCSU Officials met the Director. In the course of the meeting and in the presence of District Administration and Police, the Department again allowed the Parents and some non ENCSU Student Leaders to the meet-
ing who threatened the ENCSU Team this time also,” the ENCSU recalled. Prior to Second Phase of Agitation, the ENCSU informed that an invitation was received from the Secretary, Higher and Technical Education for a meeting. In this meeting, the Secretary asked the ENCSU Official Team if we were sleeping till then. “However, as far as the ENCSU is concerned, we took up the issue right after the entrance test result was declared. The Secretary also asked the Union to point out the irregularities of the Department, to which the Union asked the Secretary to first reply to all the allegations that were published in the media from day one since the ENCSU took up the issue. The Department could not come up with to the point reply till today,” it alleged. The ENCSU stated that the department officials campaigned to the Cabinet Ministers “visiting door to door to justify themselves before the Cabinet meeting.” “If the entrance test result and the selection process are fair, they needed no campaigning. The
Department therefore, has to come out openly and admit their mistakes instead of trying to cover up by unjustified reasons,” it said. It further expressed anger at the department for “failing to communicate officially with the ENCSU the outcome of the Cabinet meeting held on 26th September 2016 where the decision was taken to allocate 4 BDS seats in place of MBBS seats.” “The ENCSU has every right now to term the present Government as a failed Government for failing to rectify the misdeeds of the Department and also for failing to even communicate the decision,” it said. It also cautioned that “if any unwanted situations arise in the course of the ensuing phases of agitation, the government will be held solely responsible for it has failed so far to redress the genuine demand of the Union.” The agitation is set to begin on October 5, however emergency services, security forces, magistrates on duty and the students appearing end semester exam are exempted from the purview of the protest.
and returned to our camp.” It further informed that when the labourers and the Village Council members and GB’s of Sechü Zubza tried to meet the Director General during his visit to Nagaland, they were refused access. “We have approached high officials in Nagaland for redress of our grievances but have fallen to deaf ears,” it stated while appealing that the present labour in charge be replaced “at the earliest before the situation goes out of control.”
NUTA mass casual leave today
DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 4 (MExN): The Central Executive Council (CEC) of the Nagaland University Teachers’ Association (NUTA) for the three NU campuses have unanimously resolved to endorse the decision of the FEDCUTA and AIFUCTO to organise a joint action program on October 5 to observe International Teachers Day, by taking mass casual leave. A press statement from the CEC-NUTA said that the protest is against the service conditions in terms of denial of regular promotions, pension; lack of university autonomy, democratic structures of governance and democratic space for dissent, discussion and debate; quality of education by degradation and vandalisation of course structures and syllabi, examination systems and promotion of quantity rather than quality in research; and regarding public funding of education by increasing budget cuts and privatization and commercialization of education. The NUTA members from all the three campuses are set to take mass casual leave on October 5 and display banners in support of the FEDCUTA, the statement informed.
SSA teachers serve ultimatum
DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 4 (MExN): An aggrieved Nagaland Sarva Shiksha Abiyan Teachers’ Association (NSSATA) has served a 7-day ultimatum to the Nagaland Government to fulfill their four-point demand, which includes payment of pending salaries of 5 months from May to September 2016. The ultimatum will come into effect from October 5 onwards and will exclude holidays. The NSSATA has also demanded inclusion of salaries of SSA teachers (2012-2013) in the non-plan revenue expenditure keeping in mind that the teachers were appointed as regular state government employees through proper channel. It asked that the State Government strictly adhere to the National Mission (SSA), Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD), GoI rules/guidelines, funding procedure to avoid installment lapses and delays in the payment of salaries. It also urged that arrangement is made to pay SSA teachers regularly from the state fund as has been done by the state at times and then retrieve the said amount on release of fund by the centre. While stating this, NSSATA President Aliba Sangtam and General Secretary Thungchamo Lotha, in the ultimatum addressed to the Commissioner & Secretary, Department of School Education, criticized the negligence and failure of the State Government in releasing the 10% state matching share and delay in clearing of the file from the planning department. It also questioned the nonadherence of the funding pattern/guidelines and rules by the State Government and the inability of the implementing agency to arrange utilization cer-
tificate, audit report and other necessary documents on time to MHRD. The Association lamented that despite repeated meetings with concerned officials, submitting appeal letters, representations since the inception of the association, the same trend has been continuing without any improvement and action. The Association also stated that the SSA teachers have been undergoing untold miseries to the “point of starvation” and was therefore in no position to attend duties anymore. “Our survival therefore is severely threatened and jeopardized and it has demoralized us in performing our duties sincerely,” it said. The Association has cautioned that it would be forced to take up phase wise agitation if their demands were not fulfilled within the given 7-day period.
NRMSATA Longleng demand release of salary
The Nagaland RMSA Teacher’s Association (NRMSATA) Longleng unit today stated that while 3 months (April, May & June) pending salary for RMSA teachers has been credited to all the DEO’ s account on September 20, the RMSA teachers in Longleng are yet to receive their pay. In a letter to the DEO Longleng, the association stated that “we have been waiting for long with great patience but with the march of time our patience is getting out of control and more dismayed when we learnt of our colleagues in other districts have received their salaries.” It served an ultimatum to the DEO Longleng to release the salaries to the teachers by October 10. It cautioned that failure to do so would compel the teachers to boycott their classes.