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More than four thousand years ago, a Chinese monarch promptly executed offenders of his slogan “No more gossip in my country.” But a wise and courageous man responded to this tyrannical rule, “It is more dangerous to shut people’s mouth than to block the flow of a river. To halt the flow of water would consequentially mean disaster. Therefore, it is best left for the water to take its natural course, such is the case with people.”
In the same vein, no amount of suppression can prevent the assertion of one’s own birthright. In the last 7 decades, the Nagas have suffered defending just that. Their political will and struggle for freedom is synonymous with the Israelites in the land of Pharaoh four thousand years ago. The striking truth with the story of Israel, was, the more Pharaoh used force, the more they united as a people.
The Naga were united through Plebiscite in 1951. The Government of India tried to appease them with 16 point agreement and statehood within Indian union was subsequently established. Attempts to obliterate Naga political aspiration only encouraged proliferation of people’s movement. We have heaps of data to substantiate this historical reality. In fact, no power on earth can destroy our history.
To recall the fact of Naga history, the level of utmost dedication to the cause of freedom is evident in the fact that every Naga village agreed upon contributing one soldier with a rifle from every ten houses. As the conflict persisted between Indian Arm Forces and the Nagas, Government of India implemented new policies. To eradicate the Naga political movement, they placed “Red flags” in houses across the Naga villages to identify persons with active involvement in the political struggles. However, this attempt failed as well; the occasion rather generated complex web of networking and deepened the idea of Naga unity. In terms of contribution to the cause of the nation, undeniably, every Naga, in one way or the other participated. The question of over-ground and underground was irrelevant for the fact that this idea of freedom and self-determination runs deep within the fabric of Naga as a race. It was a collaborative conviction, persuasion, and effort. Truth be told, EVERY NAGA, WITHOUT EXCEPTION, PARTICIPATED IN THE STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM AND SELF-DETERMINATION.
What do we make of the recent exercise enforced by the Government of India through the state machinery upon those in the government payrolls to identify family members involved in Naga movement? Yet again, history is repeating itself! This same principle was executed in the past – the Red Flag operation. Was it successful? No. It was rather a vain pursuit. What happened then and happening today was and is a gross violation of democratic tenets, not to talk of human rights violation.
Learning lesson from modern Russian Political History would be worthwhile at this point. With reference to the coerced Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), the then visionary President Mikhail Gorbachev had this to say: “It is possible to suppress, compel, bribe, break or blast, but only for certain period, from the point of view of long term big time political vision, no one will be able to subordinate others.” The recognition and implementation of such profound truth brought peace to the nations belonging to erstwhile USSR.
Likewise, I believe its time for such wisdom and political will to prevail. The time is about ripened for the Government of India (represented by R. N. Ravi, the Interlocutor) and Naga Political Leaders (NSCN/IM and NPG/WC) to deliver peaceful, honourable, and lasting solution to the seventy years old Indo-Naga political conflict. Twenty years of negotiation among the stakeholders is a long time. May the prayers of the faithful hasten a permanent solution that will flourish both the Nagas and India for posterity.
Rev Dr. V.K. Nuh