Kahuto Chishi Sumi
In an earlier letter, I had compared Nagas to Donkeys because we keep electing Jackasses to our State Legislature; now I’m constrained to compare us to Ostriches when it comes to the magical “Solution” to our struggle for independence from India and Myanmar. We refuse to face reality and choose to bury our head in the sand, just as ostriches do when faced with danger.
Do you remember the time when all Nagaland was gung-ho about the “Framework Agreement” and the secret deal between the NSCN (IM) and the Government of India? Everybody and his dog was praying for it to come into effect. We never paused to think what it contained and what it could imply for us. But then reality set in, and we realised that we had not thought things through.
Now we’re making the same mistake with the 6 NNPGs being invited for talks with the GOI’s Interlocuter R. N. Ravi. The Government of India, unlike the Government of Nagaland, is not comprised of asses; they have sensed that the mood of the People of Nagaland is against the unknown “Framework Agreement” and in favour of inclusion of all the Political Groups/Factions in any settlement, and they have responded by inviting them all, apart from the NSCN (K), for talks. They have just begun discussions and here we idiots are acting as if the solution to all our problems is at hand.
There cannot be multiple solutions to the same problem, so I want all of Nagaland to think about these points that spring to my mind:
Are the NNPGs being invited so that they may give their opinions on the “Framework Agreement” of the NSCN (I-M) with a view to getting them to endorse the FA, with whatever few corrections or modifications they may desire? If this is the case, we will have jumped from the frying pan into the fire.
Are the NNPGs being invited to give their separate answer to the Naga Issue? In which case, the question arises, “Do the 6 Factions have any Common Solution to offer the GOI in place of the IM’s Framework Agreement?” In order to reach common ground, the 6 groups will have to have intensive and exhaustive talks on a broad range of issues.
The discussions and debates between the 6 groups may remain a secret, but the broad outlines of the issues must be laid out in the Public Domain, so that any or all inputs, doubts and objections may be voiced out by all Nagas and our neighbours, during the formulation of the solution; in order to modify terms or allay fears, which will surely spring up. Or else the same objections to the Framework Agreement of the I-M will be faced; for India is not a dictatorship where a fait accompli can be rammed down the throats of the people.
The issues have to be such that the Nagas of Myanmar feel they have something to benefit from any solution that the Nagas of India make with the Indian Government. Only then will the N.S.C.N. (K) feel the need to participate in any discussions; and only then will a truly amicable and durable answer be found to the Naga Issue. For all those who ignore the NSCN (K) are simply ignoring the elephant in the room and are no better than ostriches with their heads buried in the sand.
I bring up these points because there has been an alarming trend on the part of some of our politicians, notably, Rio, TR Zeliang and Imkong Imchen that “Solution, not election, is the answer”. Now the Sumi Hoho seems to have joined their bandwagon by stating that elections should be deferred in order to facilitate a solution. I would like to remind the Sumi Hoho that, these same politicians were the ones who came to power promising a, “Solution within 3 months” way back in 2003.
Everybody in Nagaland should keep in mind that elections are the only way that the people of any nation or state can express their voices and make their feelings known. Apart from the first timers in our State Legislature, the people of Nagaland are fed up with the hoary and stale old-timers and are just waiting for the opportunity to relegate them to the dustbins of history. They may buy their way back into power, in which case some Nagas may get back a bit of the money looted from us over the course of the years; but either way, they have to pay in some measure for all the misery that Nagaland faces. They cannot walk away free after all these years of rapine and plunder, enjoying the fruits of their ill-gotten wealth, while waiting for an indeterminate period of time for the “Solution”.
If and when a truly acceptable and durable solution to the Naga Issue is found, I can guarantee that the People of Nagaland will have elected to office Legislators who recognise the Common Good and who will facilitate its implementation, even to the extent of giving up power by surrendering their Ministerial Berths and vacating their Legislative seats; unlike the present lot of Jackasses who are hell bent on grabbing power by hook or by crook, and hanging on to power by tooth and nail.
So, remember, holding elections has nothing to do with finding the solution to The Naga Issue. Elections and our Solution run in different spheres. The slogan “Solution, not Election” is just a dirty, cunning phrase coined by some of our present Legislators to avoid facing the electorate and to save their ill-gotten wealth. The Democratic process of Elections is the Voice of the People; and the Voices of The People of Nagaland must not be stifled.
God save Our Nagaland
