The chorus against the controversial July 7 office memo that requires all State government employees to furnish details about their family members and relatives in underground groups through their respective administrative heads of departments (AHODs) and heads of departments (HODs) is only growing louder with Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC) now joining the bandwagon.
In a release, council’s president Toniho Yepthomi and general secretary Nribemo Ngullie appealed to the government to reconsider the memo as Government of Indian and NPGs were engaged in political negotiations.
As Government of India had been stating that the negotiations were at an advanced stage and even announced the “successful” conclusion of the peace talks on October 31, 2019, they said the general understanding of the people had been that the final agreement could happen any time now.
Recalling the bloodshed of the past when Indian armed forces killed innocent people and raped women while conducting raids in villages, the council observed that the people now yearned for enduring peace through a lasting solution that would be acceptable to all concerned.
However, NTC feared that the State government, by directing AHoDs and HoDs to obtain information from employees in their respective departments, would only disturb the minds of the peace-loving people and the hard-earned peaceful atmosphere in the State would be at stake. It added that furnishing such information in a self-declaration form was not necessarily the responsibility of the employees.
As the impression of the people was that another round of State atrocities was on the card, the council urged the government to withdraw the memo in the interest of peace and tranquillity in the land. It advised the government to instead pursue and translate the successfully-concluded political negotiations into a reality, with an agreement that would be honourable and acceptable to all concerned.
Meanwhile, NTC appealed to all citizens of the State to follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) and all COVID protocols as it was the responsibility of every individual to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, even as it emphasised that healthcare of the citizens was the State’s responsibility.
Hence, the council urged the State government to ramp up efforts in ensuring and strengthening the already existing safety measures of all frontline workers, health service providers, administrative staff and security forces involved in COVID-19 pandemic duties.
Safety of all frontline workers was critical and paramount, and should not be compromised nor neglected under any circumstances in the fight against the pandemic, the release stated.
Referring to the detection of COVID-19 cases from among the general public in the State, the council urged the government to immediately revise/rethink its approach and policies, SOPs and efforts towards mitigating and containing the spread of the virus in Nagaland.
Observing that detection of COVID-19 cases from among the general public indicated the shift in the nature of the spread of the virus in Nagaland from government-regulated environment/quarantine facilities to general people, the council noted that SOPs and COVID protocols drafted in earlier stages were not effective now.
The NTC therefore urged the State government to commit more resources and efforts in conducting tests of the general public to critically assess the nature of the spread of COVID-19 and act accordingly, which had become the need of the hour.