Witoubou Newmai
Emergence of too many power centres is detrimental to the collective Naga movement
“If we do not act, we shall surely be dragged down the long, dark, and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality, and strength without sight.”
This quote of Martin Luther King Jr. has become of great value to an enigmatically blended Naga society.
As a way of being practical, we need to address those constructions of tribal/sectarian politics, driven and sustained today in the Naga society by vested interests, which has also taken the form of invoking mesmerizing power. Such rampant emergence of power centres needs to be discouraged.
To begin with, we need to identify those ‘regional assertions’ within the collective Naga society. Because, these ‘regional assertions’ often transforms into power centres, and become antagonistic to the collective movement of the Naga society.
As stated earlier by this writer several months ago, the so-called eastern, southern, western, northern and central Naga assertions have widened the gaps as they divide people into hardened groups - as they engage with their respective interests. Such scenario has become a perfect configuration for adversaries to exploit while fomenting strife.
Again, we also notice the emergence of ‘sub-regional assertions’ from within a ‘regional assertion’. These facts are, perhaps, serious admonitions entwined with the very assertions which we often failed to recognize.
As we all are aware, these ‘regional assertions’ perhaps prompt today’s Nagas within their respective premises to harbour the notion that ‘those Nagas are other Nagas. One can allude to Oscar Wilde’s ‘Most people are other people’ or Noam Chomsky’s postulation that the connotation of the whole “public pose is this—we are defending ourselves.” This notion of the people enables sectarian/tribal politics to sustain.
The challenge before us, albeit such dicey circumstances, is to find out the best and the most suited methods to discourage the idea of ‘regional assertions’ or the making of power centres or the tribal politics.
The celebration of the Naga Day was a perfect start to address this trend. We should not feel discouraged by the ‘ignorance’ of many power centres about the importance of the Naga Day. Instead, we should continue to help find more platforms which fit the ‘Naga whole-ness’ as the Naga Day.
Unless our activities and approaches are programmed in the vein of the “Nagas without borders,” we are only promoting ‘regional assertions’ which would lead to the proliferation of more power centres to antagonize the collective Naga good.
So, in order avoid the “dark and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion” it is high time we act.
