Rtd. Gen T.M. Keyho
The Shillong Accord is the most discussed of the accords signed between the Government of India and Underground Organization. The others are the Naga Peoples’ Convention which produced the State of Nagaland, and the Revolutionary Government, which produced a Naga Battalion of the BSF and some other well-known consequences.
The literal meaning of the Shillong Accord is acceptance of Indian Constitution as the basis for the further talks. Some different Naga groups have already given their consent to three such accords, namely the ones mentioned above which were signed under various circumstances, serving only the considerations and interests of those involved. It is crystal clear to all of us that these three accords were never honourable and acceptable to the Naga people, as such the Naga political struggle has continued unresolved till date since 1929.
Do not get confused with the present talk of ‘80% sovereignty’ and ‘20% shared sovereignty’, because the so-called 80% sovereignty can never exist under the Indian constitution in any case, it shall have to be a separate constitution if the claim is true. Take for example the shared sovereignty concept of the Pacific Island of Niue and New Zealand having its own flag, passport, national anthem, constitution, two currency arrangements etc, where New Zealand exercises only the responsibility of external affairs and defence at the request of the Govt. of Niue. Please note that Island of Niue has its own constitution and sovereignty. The arrangement of this nature in one form or the other is only considered honourable and acceptable. If an honourable political settlement inclusive of all political groups which is acceptable to the Naga people is materialised then the present sixty legislators are ever ready and willing to vacate their chairs. I appreciate them for this meaningful, selflessness and patriotic stand; however they will need to go further beyond this point in furtherance of our legitimate political right. Each and every Naga must give his very best support and contribution for our common goal in a united front.
Accepting Indian constitution is never honourable and acceptable because Nagas were not and are not Indians and their territories are not a part of the Indian Union. They were absolutely free people from time immemorial until the British came in the first half of the 19th century. The Nagas fought furiously and valiantly, resisting their transgression into their homeland for over six decades culminating in our rather military defeat and a ‘no more fight peace treaty’ without any written document at Mezoma, Western Angami Region of Nagaland on 27th March, 1880 which permitted British settlement in our land as a friendly nation, it also led to the creation of the Naga Hills District. The treaty was made in our customary practise. A circle was drawn on the ground. Two men got into the circle, one representing the British and the other the Nagas. A cat was produced. The British held the body while the Naga held the head. The cat was sliced from the neck by a Naga priest that was to signify that any party treacherous to the other would face the same fate. The Nagas were honest to their treaty and gloried in the claim that they held the head which signifies the upper position in the treaty according to their tradition.
However, later this peace treaty was interpreted by the British as the Western Nagas (of course the Eastern Nagas were as free as ever) becoming a part of British India Empire. Thus, when Nagas realised and re-affirmed their stand of ‘KHUNAK NGEU KHUM’ Chang people’s war cry ‘our land our own’ and declared their decision to remain as a people and a nation as ever before on the departure of the British from their South Asian colonies, based on the facts of their undeniable history. To their utter shock and surprise their political movement became a severe clash with the untenable claim of the new India over their homeland on the mere ground of an imaginary map randomly drawn by the British without the knowledge of the Nagas that she, India, has claim to have inherited from the British when their empire ended. This resulted in the Indo-Naga political problem and war started. The conflict continues till this day.
Outwardly Indian superior military fire-power, treachery and other resources seem to have decided the outcome of this six and half decades’ war and clash. Nonetheless Nagas are proud till date that their political struggle was and is for an ethically and legally right cause and is not an act of secession that treasonously violated a prior undertaking or agreement made by them willingly to be a part of British India or the new India. As such the Naga political rights, based on the facts of their history gave them unchallengeable legal rights to choose their own future by themselves and to be a good and friendly neighbour of India in perpetuity. If we have unity, understanding and a government with proper infrastructure of moral code of conduct and discipline and are capable to manage and administer law and order, maintain peace and tranquillity by ourselves that is expected from a people who claim to be a nation, we will not be disabled by rampant fratricide and mushrooming factionalism. We will not then be repeatedly going to Delhi with what is now called a Charter of Demands as it is in the present case. This approach is totally wrong. East Pakistan was fighting for sovereignty, India gave recognition and not by Pakistan then a new country was born, named as Bangladesh and instantly she became a member of the UNO because she became qualified as a recognised country.
Many parts of Nagaland are floating on oil and we need not elaborate our mineral resources. However, in a closer examination of ourselves, we find we are our own enemy and each individual or group is part of the problem rather than the solution. Let us be honest with one another leaving behind the past distrust, hatred and bitterness but forgive each other for the love of our nation and its land, if we want to come to a practical and honourable political solution which can last. We cannot fool all the people all the time. The Federal Government of Nagaland having absolute consensus national mandate authorized NNC and Federal leaders for a political settlement. Then those leaders brought the infamous Shillong Accord in the name of “Underground Organization”. The Accordist group may have many excuses but their refusal to come out of the Transit Camp at Kohima, created by the Accord, and disconnect themselves from Shillong Accord till date is inexcusable, condemnable because the Accord was far from being acceptable and honourable. The Shillong Accord was physically rejected, stumped and overthrown when discussion on the third clause of the Accord was in progress at Rubi Cinema Hall in Kohima by NNC’s Youth Movement about four decades ago. The tense meeting was been watched by over thousand members of the NNC’s Youth Movement from outside of the meeting venue inspite of heavy security. The youth became violent when they suspected that an attempt was being made to explain away the shocking terms of the Accord for the Nagas to join the Indian constitution.
The accordists came to be called traitors by the other political groups who stood for defence of our sovereignty. On account of this most despised accord too many have miserably suffered or lost their lives in the hands of those who stood for sovereignty. Nagas do not want another type of Shillong Accord today by accepting Indian constitution in one form or another and repeat the same old ugly political agendas of factionalism, tearing apart the struggling Naga family.
There can be no honourable and acceptable political solution for the Nagas without recognition of Naga sovereignty to a certain extent. We have no choice but to work out such a solution by first restoring mutual trust and goodwill among all Nagas by accepting to pay the costly price for it for the sake of our people and their history. To be ready to admit where we are wrong, not wasting our time and energy on where others are wrong is the price we have to pay. It is a small price to pay to secure the unity of the Naga people.
The best contribution the Naga National Workers can give to their people at this critical juncture is an agreement by them that cannot be questioned by anyone afterwards on the settlement that will be wisest and best for the Nagas now after all that they have struggled for and achieved. To come to such an agreement which will include a common decision on sovereignty, the top national workers must sit down together and thrash out their differences that have produced the self-defeating factions; reconcile amongst the brethren by boldly evolving together, as equals representing all the Naga tribes, the terms for a political settlement. Whatever they will thus decide to be the best for their people at this stage in their history will be fully supported by the Nagas because they alone, the national workers who have fought together sacrificially for the Naga cause, possess the political mandate to decide what the settlement should be. NGOs and selected members of the public called together by any group for consultations and deliberations do not have this political mandate. This reality must be clearly understood. Such a settlement will be honourable and acceptable. It will therefore be workable and made lasting because the common position thus transparently achieved will also bring to birth true reconciliation. Peace will then prevail in our land in which positive human growth, socio-economic development and life fulfilment will become a reality.
(Speech delivered at APO consultative meet at Hotel Vivor, Kohima on 8th Nov. 2012.)
