[Previous entry: "Plea to expedite Naga talks OUR CORRESPONDENT The Telegraph"] [Next entry: "TRUCE TEST The Telegraph"]
06/19/2011: "Reconciliation and disintegration in the Nagas Thepfulhouvi Solo The Lim divide on June 18 A bridge too far ? - The Sangai Express-"
Reconciliation and disintegration in the Nagas Thepfulhouvi Solo The Lim divide on June 18 A bridge too far ? - The Sangai Express-
One man's food is another man's poison or to give it a more practical touch, U Morok or Bhoot Jholakia may be a favoured item on the dining table of a North Easterner but it may be something which a Gujarati will not touch with a barge pole or end up giving him or her a severe stomach upset.
This is one way of asserting that no two men's likes and dislikes will be similar or opinions will differ between two individuals and to view it on a larger canvas this may be understood as no group of people or two Nations sharing the same outlook on an issue.
In short a universal acceptance of a school of thought is something which is outside the realm of the 21st Century man and hence the existence of different faiths and political ideologies.
As long as these differences are not antagonistic to each other then there is no cause for concern but the trouble starts when two different schools of thought or opinions take the collision course and it is here the beauty of Democracy comes to the fore for this is a system of governance which gives enough room to different ideas and beliefs to co-exist together.
However, Democracy is not the only answer to put the collision course in reverse gear for ultimately what counts in the end is the mentality of the people and the ability to respect each others' point of view and adopt an accommodating outlook.
The term integrity has come to mean different things to different people in the backdrop of the growing demand for the integration of all Naga dominated areas under one administrative unit and on the other hand the audible voice raised against any design to compromise with the territorial map of Manipur.
It is under the shadow of these two diametrically opposing view points that the people are going to witness another June 18.
This date made it to the pages of the history of modern Manipur ten years back, when the people rose as one, took to the streets and literally turned to ashes the offices of a good number of political parties to protest the Bangkok Declaration of June 14, 2001 which rendered the cease fire pact between the Centre and the NSCN (IM) as a pact not bound by any territorial limits. There were no hazy points here.
June 18, 2001 was a demonstration that Manipur's territorial integrity cannot be compromised at any cost and the death of 18 persons in police firing on this day, ten years back, has come to serve as the rallying point for the pro-Manipur integrity group.
And it has been like this for the last ten years and the question that is begging an answer at the moment is whether the past ten years has been able to bridge the chasm that lies between the two group of people along the Lim divide.
This question is perhaps the most apt now, this day, as people come out to pay their respect and acknowledge the selfless sacrifice of the 18, who died on the altar of preserving the territorial integrity of the State.
On the other hand the May 6, 2010 incident at Mao Gate in which two students were killed in police firing has come to serve as the rallying point for the advocates of Nagalim.
This may sound blasphemous and preposterous, but the demand for integrating Naga inhabited areas is a matter of political expediency and adding that needed muscle and meat to this demand are numerous social, religious and economic factors.
It is a given that territorial integrity should be preceded by social integration or the oft repeated term emotional integration. This calls for an unbiased understanding of this term and a fitting question that may be raised on this day, that is June 18th, 2011, is whether any lessons have been learnt during the last ten years or not.
It is important that all need to be brutally frank and honest with oneself and with each other and the first step towards this should be to acknowledge certain realities, which cannot be simply wished away.
The slogan Chingtam-Amattani sounds hollow and without any substance today. This is a fact that should be acknowledged along with the acceptance that tokenism has outlived it days.
Inviting women, particularly women from the hills on Ningol Chakkouba is fine for sharing a meal has its positive points, but when this comes wrapped with the Chingtam-Amattani slogan, it only goes to highlight the stereotype which does nothing except reduce the wonderful feast to an ornamental social do.
This is something which no one needs, least of all the proponents of an intact Manipur and in the same vein we may add that no one needs to be fed with information that the message of Manipur's integrity has been delivered in Senapati district while that same message was delivered at Langol, which technically falls under Senapati district.
There are reasons why Chief Minister O Ibobi and his men, including all the tribal Ministers deem it so important to talk about equitable development of both the hills and the valley.
Does this then in any way indicate that equitable development was not heard or practised in the preceding years ? A look at the reality will confirm this.
There is the need to accept this and the Congress led SPF Government ought to be told in no uncertain term that there is nothing to crow about ensuring equitable development.
On the other hand a reality check is called for when anyone starts shouting about the oneness of the Naga people or Naga Nationhood. Nothing can be more fallacious than this.
Has everyone forgotten the manner in which a student from Mao was denied a prize for topping the HSLC examination conducted by the Nagaland Board following a hue and cry raised in the neighbouring State that the award was about to go to a resident who is not from Nagaland sometime in the early part of the 90s ?
This may be just one example but it does speak volumes about the notion of oneness of the Naga people.
Morungexpress
The Naga National Groups do not seem to have realized how the Naga common layman looks at them. They may justify themselves of their actions but the common men view them very disgusted at the ease with which a Parent Political Organization, built over many years with precious naga ‘blood and toil’, is splintered. The latest vertical cleft in the NSCN (K) into Khehoi and the Khaplang Camps have added further to the hopeless balkanization of the Naga Society. The very fact that they, the National Workers, cannot overcome their differences is a significant indication they do not have what it takes to build a truly great Naga Organization. At present they do not appear even Naga Class; forget about being Asia Class and do not dream about building a World Class Organization; at this rate, we are nowhere near equal to it yet.
The State Government too talks very highly about Peace and Reconciliation for the development of the Nagas and Nagaland in particular, it has constituted even a grand Peace and Reconciliation Committee but not much people who matter in the State have shown how to achieve Peace and Reconciliation. The News Papers in Nagaland today, every day, are full of Charges and counter Charges and Disputes and Challenges and Refutations and counter Refutations and demand of public apology and counter demand of apology and threat to take legal action etcetera and etcetera among the State Parties. Why not show Peace and Reconciliation inside the Nagaland Assembly Kitchen first than take the outside? Prophet Jeremiah had said of us 2700 years ago: “this People have Peace in their lips but ambush in their heart”.
Sometimes it is a wonder at what ease Nagas can splinter long established Organs, even the Church. They give justifications, -beautifully expedient for the present- but without foundation Principle, good only for the time being (adhoc). One of the greatest defects of the people who matter is that they feel themselves so important they are prepared to split even an Organization just because of their personal difficulty with another colleague who matter in the Organization. This happens in Nagaland even in the Church. Some people go to the extent of breaking even the Church just because two Deacons do not see eye to eye with each other personally.
As long as we are this petty and lack long term Ideal, there can be not great Organization in the Nagas. Prime Minister of Great Britain Churchill and Charles De-Guile of France, during World War II, had difficulties between them and Churchill use to talk about his heavy ‘Cross of Loraine’ but they did not split the Allied Friendship for that.
The Naga National factions seem to have Peace and Reconciliation in their lips but hooks in their heart. Until we are nakedly true to ourselves and disadvantageously honest to our self, the petty Naga World of today would continue and we can not be World Material or Asia Material, not even India Material which we all do not have very high esteem.
NPCC counters Rajya Sabha MP Khekiho Zhimomi NPCC
Shri. Khekiho Zhimomi is known more for Sugar Mill VRS Scam (in which he is charge-sheeted) and thea Industrial transport subsidy scam than being a Rajya Sabha MP. His lengthy discourse to paint Congress as anti-Naga was an imitation of whom he called his political saviour, Shri. Neiphiu Rio, the Chief Minister of Nagaland. He had raised 16-point agreement, Bedrock of Naga Society, DAA/AFSPA, 1998 general election, imposition of President’s rule in 2007 and NPF’s launching in Senapati, Manipur to score his points.
On 16-point agreement, does he know that he is also included in the group of over-ground leaders whom he charged of hijacking the underground leaders? All over-ground leaders who had and have been taking active part in Nagaland State electoral politics falls into that category because by doing so all have joined the band-wagon of Naga Peoples’ Convention (NPC). He is a Naga MP today because of 16-point agreement. Therefore, by terming the 16-point agreement as a blunder he has lost constitutional right to continue as MP.
On 1998 general election, he should ask Neiphiu Rio, Chief Minister, G. Kaito, Minister of R & B, T.R. Zeliang, Minister for Planning, Doshehe Sema, Power Minister and Ex.Congress MLAs in NPF to explain because they also got elected unopposed as INC candidates.
Other points he had mentioned did not merit any response. However, on his willingness to sacrifice any day for the interest of the Naga people, he should do so immediately on moral ground because he is a charge-sheeted accused in Sugar Mill VRS scam and cases are pending against him in Industrial Transport Subsidy case. Are these issues not the interest of the Naga people?
Khekiho Zhimomi should also spell out, as MP, what he has done for the Nagas on Naga political issue. How many times had he met the Prime Minister of India and Union Home Minister to personally discuss the Naga issue? How many times had he raised the Naga political issue on the floor of the upper house of Parliament? What sort of intellectual people had he met and for how many times, to disseminate the Nagas’ right? If he has not done these basic home works, he has no moral right to lecture the Nagas on Naga political issue.
(NILLO RENGMA)
Vice President, NPCC
(KHUTOVI SEMA)
Vice President, NPCC
GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF NAGALAND
The Collective Leadership
Memo No. AKO-XXI/REAFFR-01/GPRN/2011-12 Date: 17th June 2011.
NPF-Congress debate topic: 16-Point Accord morungexpress
Dimapur,(MExN): The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) today said the debate on the Naga political issue, which Naga People’s Front (NPF) chief Dr. Shurhozelie accepted recently, is the contentious 16-point Agreement. However, the NPCC said the Urban Development and Higher Education minister has to clarify whether his accepting the challenge is at his individual level or at the NPF’s.
The NPCC’s Media cell explained in the statement – “The topic in question for open debate is the Naga political issue with particular reference to 16-points agreement. Being the best possible arrangement to salvage the Nagas from total annihilation at that point of time, the NPCC had staunchly defended and owned the full responsibility on 16-point agreement”
On the other hand, the opposition said, the NPF had ‘vehemently condemned the Congress on this subject.’ For that reason, this topic needs to be brought to a logical conclusion first. “After all, the Naga political issue is not the monopoly of the regional party,” the NPCC told the NPF.
Nonetheless, the NPCC said, before the actual debate commences, Dr. Shürhozelie must first clarify whether the acceptance of the challenge was at “personal level” or at party level.
“If he had accepted the challenge, why had he failed to come out with a response in black and white on questions posed by the NPCC? It appears that the NPCC’s challenge on healthy political debate in print media for wide publicity was misconstrued as a challenge for an open debate.”
The Congress expressed exasperation for Home Minister Imkong L Imchen’s ‘repeated off-track statements’ and for which the NPCC had thrown the challenge.
“The NPCC’s call for healthy political debate was with a focus on future road-map and its applied theory for solution, based on history and philosophy,” the opposition said.
The NPF is yet to make it public “its achievements on Naga political issue” as demanded by the NPCC. “This is an obligatory pre-requisite before the open debate proposed by him is set into motion. Like the NPCC, the NPF also should first publish all its achievements in the print media for wide publicity. Let the NPF also make a public statement on Shillong Accord as charged by the NPCC.”
The Congress also accused the Urban Development and Higher Education minister of being unable to call elections to the Urban Local Bodies. “And as a face-saving exercise he has been touring the districts to elicit the opinion of the non-government organizations,” the NPCC said.
The minister of accused of being responsible for the “flopped” development projects in Kohima town under the Urban Development department and under his ‘stewardship” the higher education including Nagaland University “are in total chaos.”
When he had failed to tackle these state subjects directly under his control (except NU), the NPCC queried, what moral right and authority does he have to debate on ‘other topics.’
On the Dr. Shurhozelie commenting on ‘going back to dig old wounds’, the Congress said the NPF president may recollect “as to who had opened the Pandora’s Box on Naga political issue and 16-points agreement.”
“Dr. Shürhozelie, as an elderly man seems to be trying to take the role of level-playing between the Congress and his own party, the NPF, proving that he did not approve the approach some of his own party men had adopted,” the NPCC added.
REAFFIRMATION
The Government of the People’s Republic of Nagaland convened an emergency National Assembly on 7th June, 2011 and espousing the socialist democratic principles enshrined in the National Yehzabo, the Tatar Hoho, in the interest of the Nagas, impeached former President, GPRN & Chairman, NSCN Mr. S.S Khaplang, for failing to abide by the National Yehzabo at a crucial hour. His unilateral withdrawal from the Covenant of Reconciliation was a perjury against the Naga people for which the Tatar Hoho unanimously elected Gen. Khole, Commander-in-Chief, Naga Army, as the new President of the GPRN and also Chairman of the NSCN.
The Collective Leadership, as approved by the Tatar Hoho, shall endeavour to serve the Nation on the principle of self determination and freedom of the Naga people without which our existence as a people will ever be threatened.
The Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR), since its inception, has courageously strived to instil peace, unity and brotherhood among the warring Naga groups. Reasoning among the Nagas, at all levels, has been aroused. We have faith and confidence in the FNR and we are committed to the Covenant of Reconciliation (COR).
Sd/- Sd/-
(Gen. Khole) (N. Kitovi Zhimomi)
President, GPRN/NSCN. Ato Kilonser, GPRN/NSCN.
Copy:
1. Rev. Dr Wati Aier, Convener, Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR)
2. Media Outlets, for Publication.
3. Office File.
