Thepfulhouvi Solo
I don’t know the reasons why the supposedly finalized draft of the agreement between the GoI and the NNPGs has not been inked so far. Are the reasons for not inking the draft lying with the Government of India? Or it is with the NSCN-IM?
If I correctly remember, the Working Committee (WC) of the Working Group of 7 NNPGs has quite some time ago made known the principles of their Draft Agreement with the GoI in the public domain. I also read them and would think the principles quite sensible to the Reality of public life of the Naga in Nagaland and the World today.
The two main issues hitched in the talk are:
I. Sovereignty and Flag- (a Two-in-One Item: Sovereignty involves ‘Political Flag’ which involves the question of Sovereignty)
II. Integration of contagious Naga areas into one Political Unit.
On the question of Sovereignty and Flag at I, the GoI is said to have understood the Naga right to the claim and puts no stumbling block in the continuance of a Peaceful and Democratic movement any time for it by the Naga. If it is so, I consider the WC principle of the settlement reasonable and sensible. The only condition I personally would like to add is that if the GoI had said so, then it be recorded as one item in the Agreement.
And if the GoI makes a separate document with the IM, then I would like to see the name of the territory on which the document would apply. I sincerely would like it does not disturb the Constitution of India’s special Article 371A for Nagaland.
On the question at II: the important Points in the issue are:
i. The people demanding the Integration should be of the same racial Stock, which is what it is in the case at hand. They are all Naga.
ii. The Area involved should be contagious: the areas involved are contagious to State of Nagaland.
iii. But there is a third and big Point that enlarges into a big ISSUE; that is that, it involves different States, different Peoples and dissimilar racial stocks who jointly forms the unwilling decisive majority of the unwilling States.
This is the reality of the matter and even the Government of India as the biggest democracy in the world cannot overrule this democratic principle, if the States do not agree; the Government of India cannot force them undemocratically.
The Naga Democracy is however a little different from the modern Democracy. The Majority of the Nagaland tribes want the ENPO to be in Nagaland, but they, the majority, do not oppose the demand of the ENPO tribes.
The reality of the present world of India and of Nagaland, make Integration of contagious Naga areas with Nagaland, not ripe until most Nagas in general share ingredients of a ripe Democracy thought of as people living together with same of laws, customs, traditions, shared values and principles -principles and ethics held in common rather than take political advantage of.
A lot of people in Nagaland appear worried at the prospect of accepting the Agreement between GoI and the NNPGs without knowing what the Agreement Terms are.
A lot of people in Nagaland are apprehensive the IM will start war again. Actually, the NSCN (K) was extorting fund in Kohima and Dimapur earlier than the IM perhaps because certain Angamis joined the K organization before they joined the IM. But after the two factions started eliminating each other for the control of the turfs, the IM was more successful in bewitching the populace in Nagaland toe their line of thinking.
However, today, they are intelligent enough to understand ‘time and tide waits for none’ and in History there is a time of war and a time of peace. They know in their hearts that today is the time of peace. The writer has not the slightest apprehension the IM will choose the lesser even if it were evil.
But the Agreement is being made supposedly leaders of the people and the Government of India. Even if you do not believe in the leaders, it is too late for you to do any change now.
I hope the WC’s decisions are tolerably acceptable in spite of all their past sins and their human weaknesses. They appear to have been chastised by circumstances of reality and have become considerably humble in humility and honesty in their public statements. Their views, as seen from the media, have shown often rare visions of reality for their people and their blessed land. They seem to sincerely desire for God’s blessing and I believe God see them.
According to what we interpret from our personal eye to eye exchanges with the Interlocutor RN Ravi:
I. Nagaland will remain as it and not changed from what it was before.
II. Article 371A will not be changed.
III. The Nagaland Assembly shall continue.
IV. There will be special arrangements for Nagas of Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, and the Naga of the ENPO Area shall have special treatment.
V. There will be no creation of any new armed Unit.
VI. The Arms will be collected and deposited with the GoI.
VII. The recorded Armed Cadres will be re-employed according to their status and education etc, and posted in the different existing Police Organizations.
It is not possible for every Naga to see all the detailed Terms of Agreement, but we now have an appreciable understanding of the Principles the Working Committee of the NNPGs prepared and we hope for an acceptably good term for the Nagas of Nagaland and for the Nagas in other States also.
