The ‘Naga Magna Carta Day’ was observed at Longkhum village in Mokokchung district on Wednesday during which Naga Club members paid homage to former Naga National Council (NNC) vice-president Imkongmeren Ao and laid wreathes at his epitaph.
In his address, Naga Club president Kuolachalie Seyie noted that the people remembered the legendary NNC leader for the exemplary role he played in establishing a roadmap which Nagas had to walk in the “vastly changed times” they had found themselves today.
He said Imkongmeren fulfilled his responsibilities with knowledge about the facts of the unchallengeable history of independent Nagas. He mentioned that Naga Club members had come to Longkhum to pay homage to the towering leader who was loved and respected by all Nagas for his clarity of vision on the Naga political issue and his unflinching love for the Naga country.
“We celebrate his life and remember with deep affection all that he had done for the posterity. And with equal gratitude we also acknowledge the steadfast role of villages in Ao region by which they have kept the Naga movement alive through the chaotic decades. We thank them for passing on the baton to those who have stepped forward to be responsible for the Naga struggle,” he stated.
(Full speech on p-6)
On the occasion, Naga Club member Robert Solo shared the dream of Naga Club building at Kohima for the entire Naga community, while associate pastor of Sumi Baptist Church, Kohima, Lujeka Assumi exhorted the gathering to pass on the Naga struggle to the coming generations so that the new generation valued the identity of being a Naga. Held at Longkhum Village Council hall, the event was attended by village council chairman and all council members followed by laying of wreaths.