CPO tells govt to hold wider consultation for NMA

Lauding the State government’s stand for repeal of the Nagaland Municipal Act (NMA), 2001, Chakhesang People’s Organisation (CPO) urged upon the government to hold wider consultation and heed and consider people’s voice while framing the new Act.
CPO president Vezuhu Keyho and general secretary Chepetso Koza Chakhesang also assured that the Chakhesang tribe would always stand with fellow Nagas against all forms of exploitation and unfair appropriation of land and resources that belong to them. The signatories also appreciated the decision of the newly-formed coalition government to repeal the controversial NM Act in the just-concluded first Assembly session of 14th Assembly.
CPO said the landmark decision would act as a precursor to restoring people’s trust in the government, despite divergent views on several other issues of public importance confronting the society today. They also mentioned that the burning desire of people of Nagaland is to live in peace without having to be forced to accept something that was utterly foreign and unacceptable to the people, such as certain parts of NMA which pose a clear and present threat to the perpetuation of Naga people as a whole.
While the people genuinely respected the authority of a government, CPO said they also strongly believed that any popular government should in turn respect their sentiments and desires whom it represented.
They said the government was expected to reciprocate by protecting and safeguarding people from fringe elements that would harm the congenial socio-cultural atmosphere and legacy that was bequeathed to the people by the forefathers. In light of the government’s decision to repeal the Act, CPO also acknowledged the sincerity and commitment shown to the people by the government led by chief minister Neiphiu Rio, and also power and parliamentary affairs minister KG Kenye who initiated the move to repeal the act. “We are equally thankful to all MLAs who walked the talk inside the Assembly and actively took part in taking the right step in shaping the history of our people, and for which posterity will not forget,” they stated. According to CPO, it was a win-win situation for the government, apex tribal bodies and pressure groups who had been vocal and consistently campaigned against the lacunas and flaws in NMA.