Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, OCT 16 (NPN): Former Nagaland chief minister and governor, veteran statesman Dr. S.C. Jamir, has appealed to the Naga people to overcome divisions and work towards unity, harmony and prosperity, urging the younger generation to take the lead in rebuilding Nagaland.
In an exclusive interview with Nagaland Post Friday, on the eve of his 95th birthday, Dr. Jamir said the state needed to rediscover the collective spirit that once united its people around the common aspirations of peace, social harmony and unity.
Asked for his message to the Nagas, Dr. Jamir said, “My very sincere appeal to the people of Nagaland is, try to feel that there is only one Nagaland. Try to feel that only unity, harmony alone can bring prosperity to Naga people.”
Addressing the younger generation, he expressed confidence in their ability to surpass their elders and called on them to take responsibility for the state’s future. “You are much more superior to your elders. So you unite and rebuild Nagaland with the envy of the rest of the country and the world,” he said.
Reflecting on nearly seven decades of public and political life, Dr. Jamir said his journey had been guided by an enduring commitment to serving the people of Nagaland and the country.
His political engagement began in 1958, when he was elected joint secretary of the Naga People’s Convention (NPC). Recalling his decision to pursue public service, he said that while studying law at Allahabad, the University Methodist Church had asked him to pursue theological studies. However, he chose to continue with law, intending to return and serve his people.
“When I came back in 1958, the second Naga People’s Convention was held at Ungma. And at that time, I was elected as the joint secretary of the Convention,” he recalled. Dr. Jamir said he had continued serving the people since then, acknowledging that political life involved both favourable and difficult periods.
He maintained that commitment and dedication had remained his greatest sources of strength.
“In political life, you have to go through different kinds of weathers. And yet, once I had that commitment to serve, I always took pleasure, whether I am down or up,” he said.
He added that commitment and dedication were essential qualities for anyone entering public life, noting that the satisfaction of serving people had sustained him through the challenges of his long career.
Comparing the political and social atmosphere of the past with the present, Dr. Jamir expressed concern over what he described as the growing fragmentation of Naga society.
He recalled that when the people took over the administration of Nagaland, underground groups were also present, but the people remained united in their aspirations for peace and harmony.
“At that time, our people were united as one man. Because all of them had only one chorus and that is peace in the land. Unity among the people, harmony in the society,” he said.
Dr. Jamir lamented that the common voice for peace and unity had become increasingly difficult to hear, with numerous groups emerging with different voices and, in his assessment, creating more problems for the people rather than providing relief.
“Instead of giving solace to the people, they are creating only problems,” he noted.
He also expressed concern over divisions within Naga society, observing that the sense of a shared Naga identity had weakened over the years.
“It is a pity that the Naga people have learned only to divide among themselves. And that is the saddest spectacle which I have been observing during this period,” he lamented.
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