Some of those who voted YES had this to say:
• Yes, India can only be serious when Nagas are serious about solution. Come on, they are the oppressors and so don’t expect them to be serious. But once the Nagas are serious, India will have to be serious.
• Yes, but only their own National interests. Don’t we realize that everything that is being done so far is just to show the world that India is sincere? With all these sincere effort India is only gaining support from the world where as Nagas are only gaining the support of some social misfit individuals or some few outlawed organization. Of course Nagas are gaining sympathy of the genuine people from around the world but not at all any form of genuine support. Their hands are totally tight cos of the GOI and our leaders….So just evaluate yourself how foolishly our leaders are giving cooperation to such kind of so called ‘sincere effort.’ Whatever of how smartly we think we are presenting our issues, GOI knows and the world knows that are only a ‘wannabes’ group of people trying to impress the world atleast during the first meet. Dig a little more into our Naga issue very sincerely…..everything is corrupt and messy. Originality is totally lost and only a cover up and I assure you…no one will buy our issue with a good intention except to make quick fortune by some unscrupulous persons.
• India does give good attention to bring about a permanent solution. But we Nagas ourselves do not give enough effort. Being a developed nation, how can India do anything for the Nagas even when tribalism and factionalism are visibly on the surface. India is never to be blamed but rather to be praised for thoroughly knowing the outcome if Nagas are given what Nagas are demanding. India well knows the rights of the Nagas. She loves the Nagas that's why she doesn’t want to leave the Nagas aside without deciding for the future of the Nagas.
• India wants to become a super power and so it is quite serious about the Naga problem and that is why India has recognized that Nagas have unique historical and political situation.
• Indian politicians are serious about solving the Naga problem, but the intelligence agencies and bureaucrats are not at all serious about the problem. In fact they want that the Naga problem should continue for many more years to come.
Some of those who voted NO had this to say:
• India will never be serious or sincere about the Nagas as long as Nagas are divided. No doubt the Indian government is responsible for the divisive policy, it will however still maintain that Nagas need to be united for a solution. So with its hands the Indian government will divide the Naga people and with its mouth it will say that it is sincere to the Naga issue as long as Nagas are united. We cannot blame India for this policy because they are only doing what is necessary to protect India’s interest. But on the other hand, what are the Nagas doing. We Nagas have allowed India to divide us like crazy and we are dancing to their tunes. If they say sit, we sit, if they say stand, we stand. Nagas must do what is necessary for us to protect our Naga interests.
• India does not have a good track record of solving problems. It has made a mess of all the issues that she has layed her hands upon. If India had solved the Naga problems sixty years back, I am sure India would have been a much peaceful nation today.
• The whole of NE including nagaland are just buffer states to protect mainland India from a posible chinese attack. as long as chinese threat persists, our condition will b the same. also india's look east policy is just a front to show a good face to the world.
• No, not at all, only just a mere lip service and nothing else. If they say it is genuine let them bring solution instead of beating around the bush.
• The govt. Has a strict system yet in implementing it lacks the guts and bows down to money and local pressures.
• Just buying time... do we think that the GOI will juts give away never. There is political problems involve to do that...
• No. How? India govt know our Naga national leaders how foolish and stupid. And here one question for our national leaders. Do you really believe in our Lord Jesus Christ?
• No,i'm very much sure they aren't sir. However, what i see is a mere play of politics; saving their skin from the world community & as such, the UNO in particular. I think India is playing a waiting game with false promises.
• No, because Indian has hidden agenda beyond understanding of most nagas cause they are not told
• Jokes naki? Of course not. They are least interested in solving the issue, what they are doing is, they are pumping in Loads of money n trying to corrupt the leaders (which is happening quite successfully by the way) n the common people will get frustrated n fight amongst ourselves n we would bring about our own demise. Work done for the GOI, that is what they are trying to do now. They've learnt a trick or two from the Britishers who ruled them for a LONG time.
• No, the government of India is not serious at all in addressing the Naga issue. The recent fear expressed by the government of India to the visit of a EU delegation is a strong indicator that the Government of India still wants to keep the Nagas under wraps despite the leaps and bounds it is making in the world. India is expected to show much more maturity in addressing the Naga issue.
• it play communal game e.g. manipur and surround state of nagalim
• No, the Indian government always adopt a policy to sow seeds of hatred among Naga brothers, theoretically they are little angel but practically they are devil, their motive is to suppress and deprive the naga nation.
• A big ‘no.’ Indian politicians seldom walk the talk. Delay tactics and divide and rule policy are being adopted to frustrate the naga cause. What a shame and sham democracy!
• nver. Our rugged dusty files, docs and memos etc will be piled up in the parliament of north east section.
• No, If india don’t want peaceful solution, there is only two option prepare for war or join china…
• No, if the GOI is genuine about addressing the Naga issue there will be no provocative activities on the ground; and the backtracking statement now and then. Who will trust the GOI?
• Every Naga have witness that GOI was never ever sincere towards Nagas in the past 64 years to resolve the long standing Indo-Naga issue. They only believe in dividing us and turning out land into killing fields, raping our women, destroying our economy…14 years of political negotiations with NSCN (IM) is long enough to hammer out a negotiated settlement by now. Again the news that NSCN-KK is going to have a separate talk confining to present Nagaland state – who can there be parallel talk on the same issue? Naga hoho and frontal organizations must act and intervene now so that GOI listen to the voice of Nagas. Enough is enough.
• Forget about genuiness, govt of India is playing a traitors role. It is taking Nagas for a ride without destination.
• Nagas were Never part of India, so like Mahatma Gandhi said
• The government of India has never been serious. They do not have time or any concern to try and understand the Naga people. India is only interested with its own growth. They forget its not possible to fly high alone. India definitely needs the Naga people for them to shine, but they look down upon the Nagas quite shamelessly and this may cause their downfall. If not now, later.
• I think Nagas are too small and insignificant for India to be serious in solving the problem. But Nagas has always been the Achilles heel for India. Its like the david vs goliath story.
• “Nagas have every right to be Independent. We did not want to live under the domination of the British and they are now leaving us. I want you to feel that India is yours. I feel that the Naga Hills are mine as much as they are yours, but if you say, it is mine’, then the matter must stop there. I believe in the brotherhood of man, but I do not believe in forced unions. If you do not wish to join the Union of India, nobody will force you to do that. The Congress government will not do that’. Mahatma Gandhi said this in the Bhangi Colony in New Delhi on 19 July 1947" (Source: Internet and Various Newspapers) But then again what would we do when we do get Independence, apart from Economic problems, most of all, there might be Administrative problems. The present cease-fire and the AFSPA is killing us slowly
Some of those who voted OTHERS had this to say:
• Indian government will never be serious about the Naga issue as long as Nagas are fighting among ourselves and as long as the Indian population remains indifferent to the Naga people. In this day and age where time is money, we cannot expect an ordinary Indian to have any concern for the Nagas.
• From the historical point of view on a merit basis, dating back to the year in 1929 when the Indian struggle for independence was reaching its peak, the representation submitted to simon commission by the naga leaders on behalf of their peace-loving naga people where our freedom-loving grandfathers expressed their desire to live independently with or without their white master, then the post 1947 along came the Dravidian master to replicate his English master unleashing the reign of terror on the hapless victims. The plebiscite took place in 1951 throughout the entire area of naga inhabitation where the overwhelmingly unprecedented participation of the entire naga populace in the process of unilateral referendum conducted through free and fair means was recorded 99.9% which the result was never recognized by GOI and the insurgency unrest continued as the Indian army redoubled its effort in sustaining its brutal military campaign throughout the naga inhabited areas. Somehow out of the blue, the 16 points agreement was hammered out between GOI and Naga representatives in 1962 and subsequently the bill passed in the Indian parliament paving the way for the creation of a Nagaland state as the 16th state of Indian union and the rest is history….but ever since the state of Nagaland came into being through 16 points agreement as oneo f the 28 states of India, the insurgency problem of Nagaland continues to persist till date with no solution in sight. I don’t mean to question that GOI is neither serious enough nor paying great attention to the longest drawn insurgency unrest in Asia and the mother of all insurgencies in NE region, but I would certainly like to question the depth of seriousness and level of sincerity of GOI and the way it prioritized commitment to J&K and Assam and the like are something which don’t bode down well with the naga intellectual community. kuknalim
• Unless the Nagas draw the attention of the world to the problems of Nagaland, the Indian government will not care.
• Neither they (Indians) nor us (Nagas).
• If we want India to be serious, than its time that our Naga UGs are serious also. After the ceasefire instead of building a common platform amongst us, more divisions were created. One group should not think they are bigger and better than the other group. At the end of the day, they are more or less the same. Our UGs forget that our Naga people are tolerating them only because we believe our cause is just. They should stop polluting the cause.
• Today both India and Nagas leaders are not sincere about solving the problem. The Naga common people want solution, but the leaders are enjoying at the behest of the India government and they do not want this situation to change. There are many UGs in all the groups who are benefiting through illegal tax collection which is not sanctioned by their government. This money obviously will go into their own pockets. So how do you expect such people to support any solution? As long as there is conflict they will be making more money. India is obviously happy with this. There are many Indian army officers who want quick promotion, so they just go raiding houses and arrest people in the name of security where they plant some country made pistols. I tell you, both India and a few UGs are profiting from this situation and they would not want this to change at all.
• India does not care about the Naga people at all. They are only interest in the land, resources and minerals of the Naga people. As long as they can use our land and resources India will not bother at all.
• I remember this time when one Assam Rifles CO arrogantly walked into our NGO office, without prior information, in a village in Nagaland along with 10-15 fully armed personnel. His PA, of sorts, was busy clicking photos while the CO rattled off questions and answers of his own about funding the AR would like to offer to the NGO. The stooge clicking photos, it turned out, was taking high zoom profile shots of the local employees of the organisation and all posters on display. I can't imagine what this was for if not intelligence files. They looked around the premises and left just as abruptly. I can't say if the GoI is genuine about addressing the Naga issue or not (count me into 'others'), but it sure doesn't smell genuine at the grassroots. The GoI's foremost approach should be to retract its army and let civilian rule handle arms and related violence (without check though, this could easily prove to be worse as the Manipur Commandos have exemplified). The above mentioned scare/intimidating tactic should not be accepted by any resident or leadership. Also, India should, perhaps, stall talks till Naga groups have come together and terms of reference have been commonly decided on by the Nagas. It would also show their commitment to reconciliation within the Naga society.
