Ao bodies reject P&AR office memorandum

Apex organizations of the Ao community including Ao Senden, Watsu Mungdang (Ao women body), Ao Kaketshir Mungdang (Ao students’ union) and Mokokchung Town Lanur Telongjem have rejected office memorandum (OM) of personal & administrative reforms (P&AR) dated November 16, 2015, saying that the OM was against the interests of the indigenous inhabitants of Mokokchung district.
In a joint statement to the DC Mokokchung, signed by Ao Senden vice president O. Shilu, Watsü Mungdang president Moachila, AKM vice president Akummeren Longchar and MTLT vice president Martoshi Jamir said a meeting held in the office of AKM at Mokokchung town on January 20, 2016, the house deliberated on the points mentioned in the OM and unanimously resolved not to accept 25% reservation for Grade IV vacancies. They reaffirmed that all the Grade-IV posts falling under the establishment of DC should be filled up from among the indigenous Ao citizens of the district only.
Further, the meet resolved that for the direct recruitment of Grade-III posts of Dobashis under the establishment of district administration, the posts should be filled up by indigenous Ao inhabitants of the district only.
They said the demand was in consonance with the representations submitted by Ao Senden to DC through letter dated August 16, 2013 and also through letter dated June 30, 2014, which urged the DC not to appoint Dobashis from other tribes to the Mokokchung customary court.
The meeting also strongly resolved to reject the “reservation policy for backward tribes in respect to Grade-III posts” in the district. Instead, the signatories proposed conduct of an open competition without any reservation from among the eligible indigenous inhabitants of the state for the Grade-III posts. The apex Ao bodies, however, cautioned that recruitment process should be conducted in a transparent manner and selection process should be based purely on merit basis.
They affirmed that the resolutions have been made in order to safeguard the rights and interests of the indigenous inhabitants of the district.
Meanwhile, they strongly demanded that the P&AR office memorandum should not be implemented unless the above mentioned rectifications were made by the state government. 
The joint statement further cautioned the authority that failure to comply with the demands and implementing November 16, 2015 P&AR OM without rectifications would invite serious action from their part, adding that the state government would be solely held responsible for any consequences that could arise.