Historical truth demonstrates that Naga political relations with India and Burma have been an acrimonious one. It is imperative that one turns to that history so that people may once again engage with those defining issues, with the intent to imaginatively create opportunities that will affect future Naga generations as a dignified shared humanity. The monotheism of force has been at the center of Indo-Naga-Burma relationship. Experience shows that it is the lack of critical imagination and the arrogance of power which perpetuated the assumption that the hammer is the only means available to deal with people who disagree with you.
The parameters of such acrimonious relation have caused a dialogue between two monologues and this has not been healthy for neither India, Burma or Nagas, and the acrimonious political relations have created a gap in the social and cultural relations as well. The possibilities of finding a peaceful and just solution becomes real only when the hammer is no longer considered to be the only tool and the monologue shifts to a dialogue.
The lack of critical imagination and the arrogance of power have further turned inwards into the Naga moral and social fiber and they today have affected the course and future of Naga history. The present dialogue between monologues has also slowly crept into the relationship between different Naga communities which have led to internalization of fear, distrust and suspicion. This has greatly determined the manner in which Nagas relate to each other and to the world around them. It is only now through the Naga reconciliation process that the walls of distrust are being chipped away.
The politics of underdevelopment in the Naga situation is just not simply the absence of development. It is defined by current political and economic system thriving on a militarized and bureaucratic system which sucks resources from the village to towns, from towns to cities and from perceived peripheries to the center. The policies and projects have little participation of grassroots in evolving objectives and processes. They only encourage large scale borrowing, which inevitably causes debt that leads to dependency.
At such a time as this Nagas need to critically reflect on the direction that they find themselves in. Nagas need to explore ways where they can strengthen initiatives for a dialogue that represents a process of creation which focuses on elevating their purposefulness to embody human dignity and human worth? Together Nagas are called to unmask and engage the powers that be, so that a dialogue is possible with the human being, the real person, and not just structures of arrogance and power.
In a world where diplomacy has become a world of conformism, representing a virtual reality of the powers that be which resolves nothing, it must be affirmed that the dignity and voice of the voiceless cannot be negotiated, silenced, or beaten. In this light is it possible to cultivate enough trust to speak the truth, which primarily revolves around one fundamental concern: can different people co-exist with mutual respect, dignity and have a shared humanity? The question of co-existence is essential because herein lies the future of ones dignified collective survival.
