Expectations are high, rumours and assumptions are doing it’s own circulations and both cynics and optimists are actively engaged in interpreting the impending political settlement with GOI.
One thing need to be precisely conveyed to the Nagas with regard to the nature of settlement that is being contemplated or already blue printed.
Is the political settlement Indo-Naga or NSCN (IM)-GOI settlement? This is the main contention of the issue that is puzzling the Naga intellectuals, political thinkers and even the common citizens.
The Nagas have experienced enough political blunders in the past owing to prejudiced and arbitrary actions of the leaders and consequently many lives of both the innocents and those culpable of the error has been lost. Yet, instead of elevating the Naga issue, these mistakes accompanied by India’s double standard policies has relegated the Naga issue from Sovereignty to autonomy, packages, rehabilitation etc.
For the past 15 years since the signing of cease-fire between GOI and IM, regardless of the factional conflicts and traumas, the Nagas were once again given hope, assurance of self-dignity and honourable solution. The stipulations-
1) Talks at highest Prime Minister’s level.
2) At third country.
3) Solution to be out of Indian constitutional bindings.
These particular provisions were indeed an achievement in itself not only to the NSCN-IM but the Nagas in general, for it assured the Nagas as not merely a subject of India but a separate entity entering into political dialogue for honourable political solution.
However, true to it’s diabolic character, the GOI dragged down the issue to integration and almost destroyed the process by instigating the neighbouring states to rose in revolt against Naga territorial integration. All the while, Indian political leaders were watching the conflagration finger crossed and politically insensitive bureaucrats were tasked to dirty the already dirtied water.
The smugness of IM leaders such as, “we alone represent the voice of the Nagas” and complete ignorance of other Naga political movements indeed is exacting heavily on their credibility to bring about pan-naga solution.
On the contrary, the emergence of NSCN/GPRN led by SS.Khaplang as the major political force and also commanding the representation of every Naga tribes spread across India and Myanmar. Despite reduced hostility, the lack of any formal or tactical understanding between IM and K needed to be reviewed and avenues explored so as to ensure durability of any settlement that comes about.
Whatever frustrated rhetoric being levelled against each other in order to determine one’s superiority or credibility, unless realistic approach to put the two at acceptance mindset, no solution would be lasting if rejection by other is to become imminent.
Even the recent allied concordant(s) seems to be at loggerheads for not having taken into confidence or acceptance at equal footing vis-a-vis impending Indo-Naga political.
Every concerned Nagas must be apprehensive of the consequence of partial settlement with a particular group alone, survival of any settlement largely depend on the reaction of other non-involved political groups. The only possible pre-solution to pave way for final solution would be to take all groups on board and convert the settlement to pan-naga rather than factional settlement.
On this crucial issue, the voices of Naga people and GOI needed to be super imposed over different armed groups so that effectiveness of any solution is assured and recurrence of bloody conflicts post-solution may be prevented.
If this suggested formula fails to take off, another suggestion may be worth considering.
That, non-involved groups may neither accept nor reject any settlement and leave to the best judgement of the Naga people provided fundamental issue remain uncompromised.
The groups involved in the process should not focus entirely on benefitting itself from the solution, for the issue is of the people and so is the solution.
Isak Sumi
Independent observation
