On the event of the burning of Wungram Colony a few months ago I had received an SMS from a friend which read, “In the debris of the Dimapur burning you may also find the debris of the Naga freedom movement”. This apprehension would have been true if the NSCN I-M leadership had chosen to react to the situation violently. But Muivah in his wisdom restrained his boys from firing a single shot and that was certainly not out of weakness but wisdom. Such inner strength of the leadership was highly appreciated by the people across communities. Defensiveness is in a way an indication of weakness. Soft words are often more convincing than hard words.
Every third person in the community seems to find it interesting to share opinion on the issue arising out of the confessional statement of Rev. Tuisem Shishak and the response of IM leadership thereto. It is quite natural that our nationalists who have suffered untold miseries and humiliation all their life should be sensitive to any criticism even if it is a constructive one and it is understandable that certain remarks of Rev. Dr. Shishak could have hurt their sentiments. Not surprisingly IM leadership did not mince words and the language they use in responding to the statement of Dr. Shishak chills the heart and mind of readers.
But from the point view of the larger Naga society it would have been better if NSCN I-M had taken the criticism positively in view of the fact that there is no leader on earth who has not been criticized. Even Christ was criticized and crucified. Dr. Shishak in no way wants to be in their position and therefore, his statement may be considered as a constructive criticism. In the perspective of the Indo Naga peace talk the fact that we need to bring reconciliation among the different factions of our armed groups was stated by no other person than Muivah and Isak Chishi themselves. The confessional statement of Dr. Shishak was simply a step towards initiating the process of reconciliation and could not have been a crime, neither his confession necessarily meant that other factions did no wrong.
We cannot also deny the fact that our armed men inspired by ideological fervor and nationalism could have committed accesses wherever they might have encountered opposition and Dr. Shishak has rather expressed solidarity with by way of confessing on behalf of the Tangkhuls. I feel that a person like Dr. shishak, an intellectual of his caliber who is highly respected in society does not deserve to be humiliated in the manner it was done. His statement should be rather viewed in the light of its objectivity. Forgive me if I offend anyone’s feeling but it will be wrong if we say Tangkhuls can do no wrong. Tangkhuls are capable of committing mistakes as much as others are. What we need to ask ourselves here is, are we really trying to cut a better image of the Tangkhul by refuting and denouncing the confessional statement of Dr. Shishak? This I feel will rather be counter productive and prove to be a stumbling block to the efforts being made by various groups for reconciliation and bring Naga unity for an honorable outcome of the Indo Naga Peace Talk. I guest sixty years of freedom struggle has made our leaders strong enough to be true to the concept of freedom and are wiser than be suppressively successful in their leadership. However, this does not mean that the civil society can make irresponsible statements at free will. It is certainly easier to watch and criticize the performance of others than be a player in the field ourselves.
Jubilate Kazingmei
Chingmeirong East
