The Political Limbo in Nagaland

In brutal honesty, I view the FNR as a self-inflated, not very concretely constituted Naga address balloon. This is a serious view; the CNCR is at best only a hoped-for group nomenclature without the weight of any authorised group capable of any authenticity to voice the whole of the Naga politically; and when the powerful State Government of Nagaland tried with the whole weight of its entire august Assembly and knocked at Delhi to open the door but could not, I would presume the FNR cannot, if impertinent.

An unauthorised civil body cannot speak for the people's representatives of the Assembly: for example, the civilian population of Gaza, however millions it may be, cannot represent the Hamas organisation in any political discussion or enter into any agreement with Israel on behalf of Hamas.

Politically elected leaders only have the authenticity and authority to speak on behalf of their electors, not others.

It is not the policy of any National Political Group to function under the umbrella of a non-government public organisation; that would be like putting the cart before the horse. It is a misplaced position for a National Political Group to function under the programmes of an NGO.

In their long fight for their common rights, the Nagas have observed each other's tribes much; nevertheless, they are all united politically in their single political desire for freedom.

Of all the Mongolian tribes of the North East, the Nagas have perhaps undertaken one of the heaviest burdens for their stand: nearly all Naga tribes have suffered tremendously for their own land and community; yet the Nagas have not yet achieved political unity in full; their Tear is still not fully dried yet. 

God did not want the Jews to live in Egypt; a severe famine in the land of Canaan made the Jews migrate to Egypt. They stayed there for 450 years in slavery to the Egyptians; God did not appear or speak to them even once. However, during that time, the Jews learned many things from the highly civilised Egyptians, and when the fullness of time came, God took the Jews out of Egypt from slavery under the leadership of a fugitive Jew, Moses.

Some Nagas talk of India in undesirable lights; however, Nagaland today is one of the states of India, heavily financed by the Union Government. Without the Union Government's financial support, the state would be in dire consequences. The Nagas are culturally not Indian; yet they may have to live with India until the fullness of time comes for the Nagas to exist as a separate identity. During the time they live in India, the Nagas should multiply like the Jews in Egypt, educated and developed as high; in seven generations, they must advance in truth, honesty and justice even higher than the Hindus.

Surely one day, a time will come for the people to democratically attain Naga democracy with or without India.

It is Christianity, the government, and the common good sense of the Nagas only that can unite the entire Naga; any Naga community not in line with 'the Naga common good sense' is a reproach to the whole Naga.

On the Government of India's declaration that it would make an agreement only with a single whole Naga group, and not piecemeal with the different groups, the NNPG and the NSCN (IM) initially agreed to unite and make the agreement with the GoI. The FNR may know the story in detail of its attempt to forge a united political unity for the whole Naga since its Atlanta meet and its subsequent prayer camps, unity football matches, meetings in Bangkok, Delhi, Calcutta, Dimapur to Chumoukedima, and from village to village—Ungma, Jotsoma, Zǜnheboto—for the last 28 years.

However, when the time came for a single unified Naga talk with the GoI, the Naga side splintered into two: the Working Committee on their side concluded the talk with the GoI in their "17 September 2021 Agreed Position," but the NSCN (IM) is still claiming their Framework Agreement without any final declaration with the GoI.

At this rate, the old Indo-IM talk may drag on indefinitely for generations until God raises able Naga men and women to lead the people.

The inability to think clearly in a serious situation is an indication of incompetence in the leaders; jumping to conclusions without critical assessment, disproportionate reactions, casual, superficial talks, and a lack of hard-headed seriousness, without any magnanimity, ends in a fruitless, unredeemable end.

Sadly and fearfully, increased superficiality and lack of shrewd dispositions appear to be increasingly observed in Naga society these days. The public verbose expositions of written matters in the public domain, of immature decisions, expressions, descriptions, statements, and resolutions made early in the morning, withdrawn before the sun sets in Nagaland, display quick intelligence and formal cerebral qualifications, but less of the heart is not unusual in today's generation.

Most of the young generation appears not to be looking at the ground foundation on which they stand; instead, they look at the sky and distant global horizons far away, little knowing the reality of the ground of their own kitchen.

The Memorandum submitted by uneducated Naga interpreters to the Simon Commission of the British Parliament on 10 January 1929 did not use English words like INDEPENDENCE and SOVEREIGNTY even once in the petition, but the Nagas lived them in their native land long before the white man came to the land with mountain guns, the Ten Commandments following the British flag wherever it went.

The Naga interpreters, led by Head Dobashi Neihu Rame, in his native Angami pig-tail haircut at the back, bare feet but in native kilt and distinctive government-issued red blanket of the Deputy Commissioner, Naga Hills District, most of them knew no English alphabets. Yet, every Naga village had sovereignty and independence; every man and woman had his or her own sense of equal humanity, not under any king, warlord, or elected man with power; every village was a village republic where everyone did what he considered the best for the common good of the village: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and a life for a life.

The pure Naga democracy followed from parents to the children, from generation to generation, written neither on paper nor in stone but in the heart of every man and woman, from time immemorial, long before the name JESUS came to the land or any white-skinned man saw it.

The people lived in mountain village republics and knew the white man would one day leave for their own native land. The interpreters asked for nothing, no reformation in the land, only the return of their ancient life of freedom without the interference of any outside. The uneducated, hard-headed Naga interpreters' realistic memorandum of 10 January 1929 asked the British Parliament only: "to leave us alone to determine for ourselves as in ancient times," meaning independence and sovereignty.

Today, the educated do not seem to look down at their feet to know where they stand; whether on the foundation of rock or on loose filled-up soil. The young generation appears to hanker only after the horizon, the sky, and faraway foreign and global things, mostly in borrowed words.

The fable: "The Sky is Falling" of Henny Penny may introduce a little opening of some myopic visions; in that hope, the European fable is reproduced below with a little Naga improvisation:

Once a little chicken, Henny-Penny, was pecking at the ground in search of food at the end of the garden, and a chestnut acorn from the tree fell on its head. Henny-Penny was startled and said: "Goodness gracious me!" She looked up and around; but finding nothing, she thought the sky must be falling down and decided to run to tell the king the sky was falling.

As Henny-Penny ran along, she found a cock, Cocky-Locky, on the road.

"Where are you going?" Cocky-Locky asked Henny-Penny.

Henny-Penny said: "The sky is falling, and I am going to tell the king."

Then Cocky Locky said, "May I come with you?" "Certainly," said Henny Penny.

As Henny Penny and Cocky Locky ran along, the Duck, Ducky Lucky, asked, "Where are you going?" Henny Penny said, "The sky is falling and we are going to tell the King."

"May I come with you?" Ducky Lucky said and joined Henny Penny and Cocky Locky.

Henny Penny, Cocky Locky, and Ducky Lucky ran along, and the Goose, Goosey Poossey, saw them.

Goosey Poossey asked where Henny Penny, Cocky Locky, and Ducky Lucky were running to.

Henny Penny said, "The sky is falling and we are going to tell the King." "May I come with you?" said Goosey Poossey, and joined the worried band.

Then, as the great company ran together in great concern, Turkey Lurkey saw them and asked, "Where are you running to?"

Henny Penny, in great concern, said, "The sky is falling and so we are going to tell the King."

So Turkey Lurkey asked, "May I come with you?" and Henny Penny, Cocky Locky, Ducky Lucky, and Goosey Poossey altogether said, "Certainly," and he joined the group in haste.

Then all the information bearers—Henny Penny crackling, Cocky Locky crowing, Goosey Poossey cranking, and Turkey Lurkey screeching—met Foxy Loxsy, who enquired, "Where are you all going with such great noise?"

So they all said, "The sky is falling and so we are going to tell the King."

"May I also come? I know the shortcut to the King's palace."

"Certainly," they all replied in one voice.

Then Foxy Loxsy said, "This is the way," and showed the mouth of his own den's hole and had a nice dinner, having been hungry for a long time!

Whoever has ears may hear.

(The writer is former Principal Secretary, Nagaland and retired IFS officer)