Naga Hoho Federal Assembly held on September 28, 2016 has appealed to the three Naga tribes– Ao Senden, Sumi Hoho and Lotha Hoho — to reconsider their decision to withdraw from Naga Hoho and actively participate in all the activities of the Hoho in the larger interest of the Naga society.
According to a statement issued by NH federal assembly speaker, Kenysung Tep, and assembly secretary, K.Elu Ndang, the Federal Assembly, consequent upon the disassociation of three Naga tribes from Naga Hoho on the issue of granting Indigenous Naga Tribe status to Rongmei community by the government of Nagaland, resolved to clarify its position.
It clarified that the Naga Hoho, on being approached by the government of Nagaland seeking the opinion of the hoho on recognition of Indigenous Status of Rongmei Tribe, conveyed the “unanimous and unambiguous views” of its presidential council held on September 5, 2008 in favour of granting of Indigenous Inhabitant status to Rongmei Community as per government notification dated April 28, 1977.
In the same letter, the NH said it also opined that the state government may exercise utmost care and deal with the matter with all seriousness so as to avoid any communal misgivings. Subsequently, the hoho said that after the state government decided to grant Indigenous Tribe status to the Rongmei Community in 2012, complaints were raised from Zeliang Peoples’ Organization (ZPO), which eventually took the matter to the court and the matter remained sub judice.
Meanwhile, NH has welcomed the September 26, 2016 decision of the state government to constitute a Cabinet Sub-Committee to study all aspects of the issue.
The Hoho expressed its belief that the state government has “arrived at this decision fully recognising the recent discontentment expressed by certain Naga tribes” on the decision of the state government to grant Indigenous Naga Tribe status to Rongmei community.
NH appealed to the cabinet sub-committee to take all stakeholders on board and make all out effort to arrive at a consensus amongst the Naga society and also review the status of the other Indigenous inhabitants of the state. According to the statement, the Federal Assembly, keeping in view the seriousness of the issue and the dissociation of some federating units from Naga Hoho, resolved to set up an eleven-member Empowered Committee on Goodwill Mission to pursue the matter with the three tribes.
On the Municipal Act 2001, the house viewed that the Act was defective and therefore resolved that the Act must be amended at the earliest. Further, the house endorsed the matter to the Executive Council for further decision.
The Federal Assembly also pledged “to commit and rededicate ourselves to strengthen the sanctity of Naga Hoho against all forms of internal and external elements.”