Thepfulhouvi Solo
Peace is possible when leaders have strong incentives for peace, democracy, openness, freedom of speech and freedom of opinion. These are some of the fundamental ingredients of peace, and by peace we mean peace in the soul of the citizens, not of the corporal only!
Nagaland today does not seem to strongly have the incentive for peace, neither in the leaders nor in the blissful public. The state has irresponsible Silence and the society has loud silence against evils in the land: it is a glaring sign of the ominous lack of peace in the soul of man and woman in the land.
Silence in Nagaland is the silence for the fear of the gun toting freedom fighters. This fear is assisted by a generous sample of naivety, ignorance of personal civil rights awareness in the public together with an unconscious selfish attitude of: ‘am I my brother’s keeper?’ particularly in the higher echelons of the Naga public today. This is a distinctive mark of an uncaring society.Let us be scathingly honest: my perception is that a good part of the share of the origin of these shortcomings in Naga society today can be traced to have originated mostly from the role model the NSCN (IM) and the Indian security forces that behaves, acts and the unbelievable statements they very often make claiming themselves preserver of the Naga political history and friends of the hill people respectively.
India is the greatest military power in all the lands east of the Middle East and west of Korea, then why does this Goliath needs more Armed Forces Special Powers to deal Lilliputian Naga people fighting for their political Rights?
Perhaps I do not have much ethical space to say much on the Indian security forces, but the NSCN (IM) being our own flesh and blood; let me have some room to express my opinion on them.
Going through most of the writings, statements and pronouncements of the NSCN (IM) that appear in the local newspapers for the instruction of the public for many years; its language appear to come from a ‘holier than thou attitude in national politics’, a serious lack of tolerance, Intemperance and absence of consistency. A Governor of Nagaland once personally and privately expressed the IM is not amenable to reason!
A perusal of the original written statements, manifestoes and pronouncements of the IM shows its infallible unchangeable revolutionary dependence on Maotsetung’s dictum of the barrel of the gun for the salvation of the Naga political aspiration; and now, in some 18 years of Ceasefire with Indian security forces, the IM supremo has publicly stated there is no talk of Integration or sovereignty and praises the preservation of its negotiations with India as the mother of all guidelines to all of its actions including unconscionable extortion of taxes from all sundry sources.
The IM now seems to select thinly veiled nice civil words for all purposes praise of the peace process. The IM and the GoI now both seem to treat the other as the only begotten Son of Providence and this is for the consumption of the public and ‘all right thinking man’. But the central core of the language and tone of most of the statements of the IM still is, more often than not, poorly camouflaged threat of force, violence, Imposition and assumed attitude of Authority over all the populace of Nagaland, Nagas or non Nagas. Its threat is often directed to specific non-violent NGOs and Groups particularly the ACAUT and the NTC who have the unconscionable habit of not toeing the IM blindly.
I never ever had the fortune pleasure of hearing humility, accommodativeness, generosity and magnanimity neither in Words nor in action ever coming out from the Authorities of the IM. Like Father: Like Son; from the top down to the mere seasonal monopoly tax collectors, they breathe dragon flames and thunders at their opponents. Peace driven by recognition of threats and impositions to every one’s survival is most likely Salvation for a short sighted Society not able to think and see beyond the immediate.
