Khekiye K. Sema
Let us try and speak in simple terms with everyone on the same page. Bottom line: Would it be wrong to conclude that all Nagas want a lasting peaceful solution that embodies honourable inviolable rights of the Nagas with dignity encompassing economic foundry that guarantees a steady growth no matter who we have to co-exist with without a civil war in its aftermath?We the Nagas have reached the defining moment in history that calls for proactive participation of each and every rational mind, young and old...to think with utmost seriousness. The Naga Hoho, Mothers’ Association, Naga Council Dimapur and most surprisingly the NSF have instead displayed a very disappointing facade of not wanting people to think by way of their objection to the ‘common platform’ facilitated by ACAUT on 12th September 2015. The blind irrational faith in endorsing an agreement that we know absolutely nothing about is downright stupid. Each one of us need to admit that as Christians we have directly or indirectly participated in blasphemous hypocrisy along the way, placing our self indulgent interests before the common good in our endeavours while being miserly Shylocks with truth. This is a crucial time to cast aside our petty Tribal biases and egos for a dispassionate assessment of our present realities in the hope of identifying our possible future. The bottom-line beneath the layers of desperate confusion, contradictions and blind loyalties is an unquestionable desire in the hearts of all Nagas across the board to put an end to this oppressive half existence in an unproductive limbo and start a wholesome productive life for ourselves and for our children. While the basket of woes is overflowing with various life threatening ailments, let us try and narrow down our focus on a couple of cancerous facts before entering the world of speculations:
1. Despite verbalizing the subject of “forgiveness and reconciliation” for public consumption, which is the dire need of the hour, none of the NPGs are truly prepared to give up their respective egos and their questionable ‘taxation’ authorities under the guise of their pretentious “national principles” which they themselves are ill prepared to explain.
2. The unfortunate level of arrogance of NSCN (IM) in not acknowledging the existence of other Factions and defining their impracticable “forgiveness and reconciliation” parameter to only mean that all other factions must kneel before them and publically admit their respective mistakes first before earning NSCN (IM)’s forgiveness and only then be prepared to reconcile, all the while overlooking their own iniquities. These are the main damning fault lines Nagas must contend with. The Almighty God seems to have withdrawn His wisdom from all the leaders of NPGs because each of them without exception, have blasphemously spit upon every conceivable Christian values under the flag of “Nagaland for Christ”. Hypocritically conducting well publicised fasting and prayers only for an outward show of Christianity is rendered meaningless by their routine despicable and depraved actions upon the populace while the masses on the other hand look on in fearful silence devoid of courage to stand up for what is right. With crippling realities such as these, it is no surprise that lasting solution has eluded the Nagas for the past 69 years. It is imperative that the unity of the Nagas, both in the overground and the underground must first be forged without question as our primary task.
In the home front, the NSCN (IM) has totally refused to exercise their God given wisdom to garner the strength of Naga unity in a forthright honourable manner. Starting from Pundit Jawaharlal Nheru to the present time Narindra Modi, the Government of India has only been guided by the comfort of their brute force capability without really understanding or acknowledging that the Nagas are human beings, a race, a people with undisputable independent democratic social structure passed down the centuries. The danger of being able to fool the less perceptible GoI with illegitimate ‘Niathu Resort’ mandate of the people therefore, equally spells the danger of what Nagas may have to also endure in its aftermath. NSCN (IM) must surely see that they will have to eventually come home to the land of the Nagas to place their accomplishment before the people. All Nagas will spontaneously rejoice with them without reservation if they were to bring home “absolute sovereignty and integration”. However, from all that we have heard so far about “shared sovereignty” with “Pan-Naga Confederation without physical integration” it is indicative of a scenario that full ‘sovereignty and integration’ is not about to happen in practice. Can NSCN (IM) not discern that the people at least believe in them that they would not have conceded the birthrights of the Nagas to the GoI without an honourable resistance? Based on their honest best efforts, can NSCN (IM) not also believe in themselves with confidence that no matter what efforts are put in by any other NPG Factions, none are likely to be able to salvage anything beyond what they have brought home? Therefore, instead of undermining the existence of other NPGs to a status of “non-existence”, which is a very arrogant and costly miscalculation of NSCN (IM)’s upper echelon, why not place the full text of the agreement before all the factional leaders and find a consensus? This one singular step will result in an iron clad conclusion without a blood bath in the aftermath.
To a greater extent other NPG Factions have only themselves to blame for reinforcing indifferent conclusion of NSCN (IM)...because all the other Factions are but like little frogs croaking loudly in their very tiny ponds without realising that there is a bigger world beyond that little pond of theirs...thereby handing over the stamp of dominance to the NSCN (IM) on a platter. The NSCN (IM) has therefore, been steering the course of Naga destiny relentlessly with clogged up ears that fails to hear the voice of the stakeholders thus erecting a Naga edifice on a feet of clay. The only option left is for all other NPGs to come to an understanding and unite as one body to gain the attention of NSCN (IM) as a force to be reckoned with.
What one fails to understand is why all the Factions still use NSCN as their identity even after they have broken away from the fold of NSCN (IM). Do they truly understand and accept the communistic ideology of NSCN (IM)? In as far as Mr. Isac and Mr. Muivah are concerned, they were in China when the indoctrination of the revolutionary philosophy of Mao Zedong was in full flow. That they were influenced by it is understandable. The stupidity lies in the fact that while China itself has abandoned this ship, NSCN (IM) still persists on sailing in this outdated sinking ship philosophy. The inexplicable factor is the mindless factional leaders who have never been to China yet endorse the “Yezabo” of NSCN (IM) which has blindly been adopted by each of them...the fundamentals of which is to nationalise all individual property? Are the leaders of all the other factions really prepared to hand over all their individual properties waxed from sovereign taxation to the National Communistic Government or propose that nationalisation of individual property would apply to all in exclusion of themselves? Do they not have any group pride to identify themselves differently by some other democratic name rather than adopt NSCN this or NSCN that? Even if the factions adopt a different name however, the fact will still remain that none of them would have the honest mandate of the people including the NSCN (IM) and would need to carry out a fresh referendum equal to the Plebiscite of 1951 which is next to impossible to recreate. It is here that one would like to proffer a “What if” scenario.
The root cause of factionalism within the Naga National Movement germinated from Shillong Accord 1975 without a doubt. That this Accord has soundly been condemned as unacceptable by the masses is transparently clear. Irrespective of whichever factions they may belong, what if NNC/FGN combined was to convene a National Parliament and assess the harsh facts of reality? What if Madam Adino is then given a final opportunity to officially and publically condemn the Shillong Accord or be told in no uncertain terms to pack up her bags and retire from the National scene rather than allow the legacy of this Accord becoming the stumbling block of Naga unity by her persistence that thwarts any forward momentum? Once the cancer of Shillong Accord is effectively eliminated within NNC/FGN, what if a coordination of all other factions in a common platform is convened for convergence into the NNC/FGN? The collective gathering could then exercise an option to allow Madam Adino to stand for election and have her endorsed as the President of undivided NNC once again if the collective House so desire...if not find another common leader that all can identify with. This is the only possible way to exhume the mortal remains of 1951 Plebiscite which gave the moral strength to the Nagas to declare their freedom. Once this is accomplished, NSCN (IM) and the GoI would have less choice but to recognise the united strength of all the factions put together...and perhaps be left with no option but to have a consultation on a transparent manner with the new force before the final settlement...and avert a blood bath. The Nagas will then rejoice even if they finally bring home a chicken together.
