DIMAPUR, MAY 13 (MExN): UNPO General Secretary, Marino Busdachin has said that the issue of self-determination has its roots in and continues to be inseparably linked to the core concept of democracy, understood to mean the right to choose one’s rulers and to participate in decision-making.
“In this sense, the right to self-determination is a right of choice and a right of participation”, Busdachin was quoted as saying during the launch of the Parliamentarians for National Self-Determination which was attended among others by Rh. Raising Secretary of Steering Committee of Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN).
Organised in partnership with UNPO, Parliamentarians and national representatives from Westminster, Europe and Asia met in the Houses of Parliament, London with the right to self-determination being the central theme and common denominator.
Pointing out that many of the armed conflicts that have raged in the world during the last century, and the vast majority of those that have taken place since the end of the Cold War and continue today, centre around people’s drive to self-determination, whether explicitly stated as such or not, the UNPO General Secretary told the conference.
“For this reason, it is necessary to explore ways to transform the perception of self-determination – away from being a contributing factor or even cause of conflict, and into being the notion of self-determination as a foundation and instrument for effective prevention and resolution of conflict”, Busdachin said.
Saying that for peace, security and stability to exist, any associations between peoples and communities or between them and the state must be based on genuine and continuing consent, mutual respect and mutual benefit and that peace cannot exist in states that lack legitimacy or whose governments threaten the lives or wellbeing of a section of the population.
On self-determination as it should be today, Busdachin said that at a time of inter-dependency, it should embody a broad concept which enlists solutions going from regional partial autonomy, full autonomy, association, to federalism, to independence.
Strengthening democracy, human rights, the right to self-determination and the rule of law in the broad sense is the milestone to achieving peaceful coexistence and progress, and to meeting the challenges of the present time, Busdachin further added.
Later, a 10-point Draft resolution was passed by the conference which included nationalist leaders and representatives of the Nagas, Kashmiri, Kosovar, Palestinian, Sikh, Tamil, Chechen, Kurd, Manipuri and other nations. According to the resolution, they collectively recognized each other’s nationhood and declared mutual support for each other’s individual national independence movements in their quest for ultimately achieving freedom, independence and sovereignty in accordance with the wishes of their peoples.
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