Fellow Nagas of Nagaland…it’s about time that we all really wake up… seriously wake up… and firmly understand that the final Indo-Naga Political solution will not be a solution for someone from elsewhere but that it will ultimately impact on each and every one of us.
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Khekiye K. Sema, IAS(Rtd)
Fellow Nagas of Nagaland…it’s about time that we all really wake up… seriously wake up… and firmly understand that the final Indo-Naga Political solution will not be a solution for someone from elsewhere but that it will ultimately impact on each and every one of us as stakeholders without exception…for all generations to come. It is therefore of paramount importance that we take a very honest and dispassionate look at our ground realities without fear or favour and reclaim ownership and responsibility to become masters of our own destiny. It must equally be clear in our minds that while our ‘National workers’ spearheaded the negotiation at the forefront, they were not assigned to negotiate for the welfare of their respective cadres or factions. They were tasked to negotiate for US, the true stakeholders! It is therefore a fundamental right of the stakeholders to demand that they deal with US honestly and transparently at all times. Unfortunately, the NSCN (IM) has been trampling on the rights of the stakeholders with flagrant arrogance thus far. Now, let us breakdown some of the realities that we all should collectively focus upon with utmost concern:
The first reality that needs to be carved into our brains is that the epic centre of the Indo-Naga Political issue began in Nagaland… NOT in Manipur, NOT in Arunachal or NOT in so-called Nagalim. This, however, does not mean that the problems of our brothers living elsewhere in Manipur, Arunachal or Assam should be overlooked or ignored. While resolving the epic centre issues of Nagaland, our Nagas in Manipur, Arunachal and Assam equally benefit by getting their respective Autonomous Regional Territorial Councils / District Council for self-administration as has already been agreed in principle by the GoI in the absence of integration.
The second reality that should register in our mind is that our Naga brothers living beyond the State of Nagaland had been given ample opportunities to join the mainstream Nagaland during and after the formation of the State of Nagaland. Instead, in the case of our so-called ‘Southern Brothers’, they opted to remain in Manipur. This is not a fictitious narrative. This is reality written on the sands of time of history. Therefore, common sense ought to dictate that the Nagas of Nagaland must reclaim complete ownership of our political destiny rather than fearfully accept our fate being dictated by those who had refused to join Nagaland.
The third reality is that the present crop of National workers pales as an embarrassing shadow of the first generation National Workers who sacrificed their lives at the altar of sovereignty with uncontaminated commitment. Today, many of our so-called National Workers have shamelessly reduced themselves to “Mafia Factions” wearing ‘sovereignty uniform’ but ruthlessly focused on MONEY hunting at gun point 24/7, while true spirit of “Sovereignty” lies rotting in their septic tanks. However, having said that, we still need to thankfully acknowledge the other National Workers…be it in NSCN (IM) or in Working Committee of NNPGs…who had given their very best at the Indo-Naga negotiating table, staunchly upholding and standing on the fundamental historical fact that the Nagas were a free race from time immemorial. However, under the constrained circumstances of ‘give and take’ principle of negotiations, neither “Framework Agreement of 3rd August 2015” of the NSCN (IM) nor the “Agreed Position of 17th November 2017” of the WC/NNPGs was able to salvage ‘Sovereignty’ or ‘Integration’ at the conclusion of the negotiation. This is the brutal truth on record without any ambiguity.
The fourth reality is that the Governor of Nagaland Shri. R.N. Ravi, who was then also the Interlocutor for the Naga Peace Talks, made a formal address to the 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) on the floor of the House on 12th February 2021 that the Naga Political Talks has been brought to a conclusion by 31st October 2019. Thereafter, our 60 elected representatives (MLAs), through their motion of thanks, acknowledged and endorsed the Governor’s address which therefore necessarily amounted to confirmation, acceptance and endorsement of the “Framework Agreement of 3rd August 2015” and the “Agreed Position of 17th November 2017”, through which the talks had been brought to a conclusion. Our present ‘Honorable’ Chief Minister was also an active participant of that process at that given point in time. It would therefore, be utterly dishonorable, unethical and unbecoming on his part to backtrack and undermine their own act of commission on the floor of the House, unless they were little kindergarten children playing in the nursery and now start singing a fresh tune for a ‘new’ Interlocutor or a political solution through Pan Naga Hoho (PNH). In as far as the GoI is concerned, the talks have officially been concluded and accordingly even affirmed by the NLA on 12th February 2021. Therefore, the new tune being sung by the Chief Minister is neither relevant nor does it serve the interest of the tax-burdened common man.
The fifth reality of serious concern is that the percentage of our educated unemployed youths in Nagaland is rapidly growing at an alarming proportion annually. While it is a foregone conclusion that no Government on earth can provide employment to each and every educated youth, the Government of Nagaland has been performing very unsatisfactorily in this sector too as compared to other States in the Country. The only option opened to our educated unemployed youths is to venture into the world of entrepreneurship. While unskilled nature of academic qualification is a serious impediment as it is, their problems are further being compounded and accentuated by the merciless ‘extortion’ not only by our very own “National Workers” but also by many rogues wearing Nagaland Police uniform. As a cumulative result, a very high percentage of matured educated unemployed youths are still completely and helplessly dependant on their parents. Many are deliberately joining the ‘tax collecting Mafia Factional Industry” purely as a business venture due to sheer lack other industries in Nagaland. As responsible elders in the society, we therefore need to seriously recognise the desperate plight of our present youths dangerously pent up without hope. Collectively, they would be more than capable of generating a volatile social tsunami of an epic proportion like that in Nepal and elsewhere, if the present oppressive environment continues to prevail. Therefore, the situation calls for a united stand of the Nagas of Nagaland as a pressure group to induce the GoI to implement the Indo-Naga Agreements already signed, at the earliest. However, it is disheartening to observe that our very own Chief Minister wants to instead lead the Nagas of Nagaland to another torturous “Highway to Nowhere” with his public pronouncement, along with his few ‘foreign’ Naga cronies in the Global Naga Forum, calling for a political solution through the Pan Naga Hoho, harmonising the chorus with the NSCN (IM). Just so that our Nagas of Nagaland clearly understand what this ‘Pan Naga Hoho’ is all about, as seen through the prism of the NSCN (IM), let me once again present the verbatim contents of PNH as has been crafted by the NSCN (IM) under Clause 7 of their ‘COMPETENCY CLAUSES”. (Quote):
PAN NAGA HOHO (PNH)
a) Basing on the Unique History and Situation of the Nagas, a statutory Naga Body that may be called Pan Naga Hoho (PNH), comprising all the Naga Tribes, wherever they are, will be established to safeguard and promote Naga identity, integrity and interests including social, cultural and customary practices, language and dialects of various Naga tribes.
b) Until integration PGN, NRTCs & DCs shall have due consultation with the PNH on matters concerning the above subjects. (PGN means: People’s Government of Nagaland; NRTC means: Naga Regional Territorial Council; DC means: District Council).
c) The PNH shall have 130 members
d) The PNH will also play an advisory role in the field of promoting education and development.
e) The PNH shall be constituted based on the Naga customary system beginning from the village level that reflects their democracy in its pristine form. It shall also comprise eminent Naga personalities nominated by the PNH.
f) Representation to the PNH shall be elected/ selected by the respective tribes or regions democratically and population wise.
g) There shall be adequate representation of women and minorities in the PNH.
h) The tenure of PNH shall be six years.
i) The PNH shall have an Executive Council (EC) comprising fourteen (14) members headed by the Chairman. The members of the Executive Council shall be accorded honorable positions. The Chairman, the Vice-Chairman of EC and its Executive members shall be in the rank of Cabinet.
j) The PNH shall have a separate fund for its establishment, administration and maintenance which shall be borne by the GoI.
k) On the advice and recommendation of PNH, the President of India may nominate an eminent Naga person to the Rajya Sabha.
l) The powers and functions of PNH shall be duly worked out. (Unquote).
Now, carefully re-read sub-clauses: (b); (d); (i); (k); (l); above. This is a monstrous attempt being made by the NSCN (IM) to create a Frankenstein in the form of PNH…a Supra-Statutory authority over the legitimately elected Government in Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal and Assam even during the post solution era, replicating their present uncontrolled gun-induced authority. It is a universal knowledge that the NSCN (IM) is under a completely ironclad control of the Tangkhul brothers from the South. What ought to customarily be unacceptable to the Nagas of Nagaland is the dual identity privilege being commandeered by the Tangkhuls with impunity: as elder brother of the Meiteis when in Manipur and a full-fledged Naga when in Nagaland. Instead of holding them collectively accountable as a Tribe to clarify where their true identity and allegiance really lie, we the so-called BRAVE Nagas of Nagaland have fearfully allowed our rather questionable Naga from elsewhere to comfortably plant their feet both in Manipur and Nagaland and dictate terms and completely takeover control of our destiny…that too in a totally arrogant nontransparent manner, refusing to share the honest contents of their competency clauses with the stakeholders even up to date…adding insult to injury. Not even one Apex Naga Tribal Hoho has dared to question this aberration so far. Yet we proudly continue to call ourselves ‘Brave Naga Warriors’ huh??!!! In a similar way, it is equally frustrating to note that even our so-called ‘brave warriors’ of the Nagas of Nagaland within the NSCN (IM) cadre are either brainless or spineless or both, opportunistically hanging around for ‘crumb’ fallings from the tables of our “Southern brother business Tycoons” perhaps at the cost of the future wellbeing of the Nagas of Nagaland. They are probably not even privy to the contents of the “competency clauses” structured by the Southerners or are aware of it but have no courage to question it…otherwise they ought to be standing up collectively and questioning such obnoxious contents as has been reflected in the Pan Naga Hoho above.
The powers and functions of PNH do not end there. Under Clause 2 of NSCN (IM)’s competency clauses on the subject of LEGISLATURE AND EXECUTIVE, NSCN (IM) envisions a supreme law making body in Nagaland with a bicameral entity called Tatar Hoho with Upper House and Lower House. Further, Sub- Clause: e) states (Quote): “In the present, the number of seats to the Upper House shall be forty (40) out of which 6 shall be nominated by the PNH”. (Unquote) (Similar nominating power exists for NRTCs and DCs). It is awfully difficult to digest the existence of a Supra-Statuary Body such as the PNH in a Democratic setup having a sweeping super-imposing authority over the affairs of another legitimately established Government system. In this regard The WC/NNPGs have sensibly made it clear that they are not in favor of PNH. On 17th December, 2019 even the Heads of the then 14 Tribal Apex Hohos had jointly submitted their clearheaded, unbiased petition to the Honourable Prime Minister (through Shri. R.N. Ravi the then Interlocutor) objecting to the creation of PNH. It appears that our present Tribal Apex Hoho leaders have forgotten the principled stand taken by their predecessors and are now silently standing behind the Chief Minister rooting for political solution through PNH. Further, it appears that the NSCN (IM) is still not satisfied with the already declared unpalatable authorities of PNH and goes on to say at sub-clause (l) of PNH above: (Quote): The powers and functions of PNH shall be duly worked out. (Unquote). This is a significantly treacherous motive of the NSCN (IM) being kept under wraps with the intention of comprehensively working out additional powers of PNH to subjugate the legitimately elected Government in the post solution era. This is nothing more than an outright Tangkhul insult arrogantly spitting on the intellect of the Nagas of Nagaland!
So, fellow Nagas of Nagaland, are we, as stakeholders, prepared to let the NSCN (IM) decide our future without telling us? Are we stupidly and timidly going to take this kind of insult lying down?!!! Is it not time for us to stand up collectively and demand that the NSCN (IM) place the full unabridged contents of their “Competency Clauses” in public domain like WC/NNPGs has done…now that the negotiation is concluded? If they fail to respond positively, we must tell them in no uncertain terms that they should take their “Competency Clauses” and PNH to Manipur and implement it there…but not in Nagaland. Fellow Nagas of Nagaland, within Nagaland, we are the only legitimate stakeholders! Therefore, no one but no one should dare to decide our future without telling us! This privilege is our fundamental RIGHT which cannot and must not be allowed to be violated by anyone from beyond our borders. We are the Master of our Destiny!