Z. Lohe
Firstly, the nomenclature of the apex forum of the Nagas. While brewing the appropriate nomenclature for the forum, I feel a humble terminology should be preferable. The fact is that Nagas have tendencies to prefer superlative degree vocabularies for our conclaves or unions which are more appropriate for international usages. When such vocabulary is incongruously used, it disgraces the user as it diminishes the elements of realism, credibility and humility whereby its general acceptability of the established body is hampered.
Now, the word Naga is universally inclusive as it covers Nagas everywhere without geographical divides, meaning Naga Diaspora. The existing nomenclature Naga Hoho, in my understanding, is grammatically correct to denote the forum of the Naga diaspora and is therefore sufficient. In case, Nagas of Arunachal Pradesh have their forum with Hoho nomenclature, it can be Arunachal Pradesh Naga Hoho and in the case of Assam, Assam Naga Hoho.
Whereas, the Pan-Naga Hoho is privately proposed and circulated around. For academic interest, when I sifted the word ‘pan’ from my Dictionary, it has more than three meanings. One is, the pan is the broad shallow metal container for cooking purpose. The second is the Pan (with capital P) is the god of pastures, flocks and shepherds usually represented as having legs, horns and ears of a goat in Greek mythology. The third is the leaf of the climbing pepper used with betel palm nut as a masticator. Here, the pan-, the pan with dash meaning is all, every, the whole, applying to all or involving all. From here we learnt that when pan is to prefix the Naga Hoho, it has to have dash after pan and before Naga as Pan-Naga Hoho is the correct usage. Nevertheless, to me Pan- is considered to be extraneous here.
The Naga Diaspora can have a common forum. The forum, when formed has to have official representatives of Naga tribes from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland. Though at times functional inconveniences may be there, the forum is appropriate to have representatives of Nagas from Myanmar. The proportionate representation of all tribal representatives to the executive body is what should be the composition. This forum should be the platform under which each Naga segment is enrolled as inalienable and equal fraternal brotherhood of Naga community.
The forum has to be the capital of Naga unity and the major source of understanding and mutual respect. The forum cannot be the pillar of disunity. The forum has to have its own framed autonomy. The forum should have the complete Naga orientation by which every Naga can have the sense of both owning and belonging to it. The forum must generate an atmosphere under which each Naga bears allegiance to it. Be it a political party, be it any NPG, be it any denominational group or any NGO and yet none should feel secondary to the other under the umbrella of the forum. The forum is to be the industry where truth, probity, equality, justice, neutrality and transparency flourish. The forum has to be indomitable and free from sycophantic tendencies and from all undue encumbrances.
The primary requisites for the formation of the forum are the columns of State-wise public organisations. Except Manipur, the rest of the, particularly, three states of Nagaland, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh do not have such organisations. Therefore, give opportunities to each State to prepare the column without which the Naga forum formation is a misnomer. I do not have much knowledge about Assam, but till 2013, Nagas in Arunachal Pradesh did not have common platform. To have State wise representation in the forum is imperative not necessarily with the intent of disturbing those States with the Naga aspiration for integration. When tribal representation is drawn to the forum, proportionate representation is imperative too for the fact that a Naga tribes having more than 2 lakh population cannot have equal number of representatives in the executive with another tribe having less than 3000 population.
And here comes the contentious issue as to whether the existing Naga Hoho can survive without the presence of 9 indigenous Naga tribes of Nagaland. The lame duck Naga Hoho has been further injured by disassociation of the three major tribes, namely, Ao, Sumi and Lotha from the Hoho. Following which two schools of thought have cropped up. One is that the existing Naga Hoho will be strengthened when these three tribes recall their disassociation and rejoin the Hoho. Well, even when the 3 tribes return to Hoho, the other 6 tribes under ENPO may not follow suit. If so, the lame duck arrangement continues. Therefore, this school does not consider the ENPO factor to be very essential as though the status quo of Hoho without them can continue. This school blames the members of CNTC that Hoho’s position is jeopardised by such drastic action of withdrawal with lame excuse. The elements supporting this school reportedly used two kinds of inducement for wooing sections in order to instil the spirit of dissent among the components. If the Hoho is to be strengthened with such modus operandi, it can never become Naga people’s platform except the segmental facility.
Whereas, the other school of thought including myself believe that the site for construction of the forum should be levelled. The continuation of the lame duck Hoho with 5 tribes from Nagaland and 16 tribes from Manipur alone but without 9 tribes from Nagaland and without active participation of Nagas from Assam and Arunachal Pradesh is considered to be the contours at the proposed site for the establishment of the apex Naga forum. At this rate, the continuation of the lame duck Hoho is the road block to the formation of such a commonly acceptable platform. The other impediment to formation of such a proper forum is the absence of a common platform of the Naga tribes in Nagaland. In other words, the suspicion and thwarting the Nagas of Nagaland to have their own platform is the most major blockade to have a desired platform of the Nagas.
We do not seem to have several options for reconstruction of a common Naga platform. The first and foremost is to bring the 14 Naga tribes in Nagaland under a platform. What the 3 tribes have opted is the only alternative to pave the way for re-establishing the Naga common platform to the satisfaction of all.
