File Photo of public leaders with NSCN/GPRN general secretary Th Muivah, GPRN/NSCN general secretary N Kitovi Zhimomi and NNC/FGN President Brig (retd) S Singnya during “Highest Level Reconciliation Meeting” initiated by FNR at Dimapur during September 2010
What is going on these few weeks among factional leadership? How many times will they fall in the same trap then and now? What if we fall again and again in this same outlet? Are they wise enough or not? If they cannot find out a way out from that same ensnare, this spiral of violence’s will be no ending if we cannot humble before God. Naga people are pleading many times. Is it prerogative for them to listen to people’s voices or not? Do leaders listen to its people’s needs or not? Is it wise or supercilious to be selfish in their decision making? Remember there is time to lead as well to retire from active politics. No leadership should always use the word “our group” often in the usage of vocabulary. They also need to think that there are upcoming youngsters who can also fill the gap of leadership. No leadership should think, “Without me Nagas society will directionless and vague in Naga political venture.” These kinds of mentality produce nothing but bloodshed among brother-hood. It will not produce healthy but sick people who always seek someone to help them. We have become bunch of sick people. Unless change is not taken place in their own heart. Change in leadership position will be needed among them. Remember there is still someone who can fill by God in the gap.
Do the leadership thinks that they have Nagas’ time? We have let many good opportunity slip from our hand. We need not only realized our need to be together. Is this a time to blame or to embrace? Have we not let wilderness be our territory! Factional leadership thinks that they are always right and others are wrong. Some leadership always echo and blame their counterpart. We should not use God’s name in vain! Let God be God and let us consider that we are just a mortal being. It is also a time to refrain from counter attack. Naga people also need to acknowledge the sacrifice that many of them has done selflessly. Can we embrace one another or not? We shout no turning back but if we attack other and if we shout reconciliation it will produce nothing but air of suspicious. Those who want serious dialogue also need to ask their own conscience. If possible we need to reconcile with one’s own self. Before we utter reconciliation we better listen to our inner conscious. We seek consultation and counseling from other but we rarely listen to God. Ask your own conscience whether what you do is right. Factions’ leadership should also be willing to ask? Have I reconciled with God at personal level? We need to know the past and learn from it but we let the past bitterness bind our present situation which is in turn let only the future generation in tumult. Leadership who are not willing to come together need to ask themselves. Am I a Naga? Am I leading Naga people right or not? Signatories of COR reaffirmation alone is not enough (The Morung express dated March 31, 2011). Appended by pen alone is not enough. They should see other camp as human created in his image just as they are. Are they not too old in terms of age to play the games of blame shifting?
It is a time for us to mourn in shame and agony! It is a time for us to be remorseful in greater degree not just passing of words to other. It is a time to admit that we have done terrible mistake to our fellow Nagas. It is a time to ask people what to do with those messy things already done. It is a time to seek forgiveness from younger generation. It is a time to realize our foolishness and folly as finite person. It is a time to realize that many of them are for money, power and family independent, not for Nagas.
If He says, He is the only the way, truth and life we better listen. No one has claimed such an authority! We have many leadership among the Nagas and though we like it or not, it is a problem. They need to learn the value of listening not just lead us to nowhere. Where do we find the present Nagaland state in the world Map. May be just a dot. We occupied too little space in the world map and yet we refuse to come together as family. We refuse to know God personally but we love to tell about his Word and deeds. We refuse to humble before God and want to lead million of people. Moses lead people according to God’s direction but today Naga people can never cross the Red sea that is ahead of us. Instead of asking God’s intervention to part the Red sea to liberation. We are chasing other like an Egyptian who chased Israelites. Chasing and hunting does nothing but will drown in the sea of hopelessness. It is not others that will be drown in the Red sea but Naga people because we have shed too much blood. We can never cross the Red sea. We prattle too much before God. Any leadership that refuses to acknowledge God will fail in their endeavor, even nation will fall along with them. What a terrible crush and noise will it produces. We are not falling apart but have already fall.
C.S. Song in his book title “Tell us our Names” is derived from a simple story from Angola in Africa. Where a bride is married to a young man who has four brothers. It is expected that the bride must learn the names of the family members of her in-laws as her first duty. Failing to do this breaks down the whole connection, relationships and communications. Even when the bride bought a meal to her four brother in-laws, they ask, “What are our names?” because she could not tell the names, they did not eat the food she bought. This went on several times until she was able to tell their names before she was welcome.
Leadership are not meant to rule but to work on our behalf. Know our struggle and our pain. Please know us and not just by pass us. Do you have time to know our names and stories? Today if you don’t know our names, our pains and agonies and our stories but if all you cares is only about your understanding of sovereignty issue and your factional mission. If all you want is about your own agendas and mission. If all you know is about your factions do’s and don’t it will only produce nothing but selfish people and building more wall. We need leaders who knows our name and who know our need. Though we are offered food and money what we Nagas needs is dignity. Where each one of us respect the being of a person. Human needs are a dignity where we need to see other as a human. A single Naga army soul is as precious as you are! Some might see them as too little but in the sight of God and before the Nagas every single soul is too precious. Save one precious soul of the Nagas army from factional causalities. Are you willing to listen to us? Is there any Nagas time or universal time. We don’t have NNC/ FGN, GPRN /NSCN, or NSCN/ GPRN time in this universal time. These leadership need to have solemn deeper reflection. Have they spend their time and life in this tug of self righteous war or national reconstruction?
A bitter person is like a person who took poison and waiting for the other person to die. Bitter person always give what is bitter to other. They learn to give what is their personal stock. Bitter person have experience with bitter and they only love to share what is inside of their own life. When we let the past to be our guide. Sadly we have leader who want to lead us in their own not to what people’s want.
We had enough workshops and had seminars on conflict resolution. We Naga people gather much for many times. We have enough good plans and think tankers within us. We have enough support from outside. We love to hear from other nationalities but we refuse to hear among us. Is it a dignity for Naga leadership to hold the offic
e with head held high and consider other as some lesser being. Do they see other Nagas as aggressive because they did not represent their own political group. Inferior leadership produces lots of chaos and headache in the social structures. It is like a stone rippling a peaceful atmosphere in the sea. They give to other what is inside of them. People who consider as champion of the Nagas cause also need to assess their own leadership. Naga people do need not a champ but leaders who are willing to lead to road of hope not mystification.
“You are loved and forgiven” book by Lloyd John Ogilvie said, There are four deep, undeniable emotional needs we all have in common. We all need to be loved, to feel forgiven, to experience security and to have a sense of adequate hope for future. Naga people need each other and seek forgiveness from one another. We are all mere mortal being. We all made mistake and we need to ask forgiveness from each other. We need each other in our political itinerary. To experience the community of harmony and to see hope as our future asset. Persistent can break resistance. One of the smallest group of people in the world and yet are we refusing to come together as one. Lord have mercy upon us!!! Are we becoming so self sufficient to be alone? Two is better than one! We need to go back to God and ask him an honest question. What is wrong with me? He is an expert, he is the designer of our restless heart. He knows our complexity and our finite nature. He knows us better than any super specialist in cardiologist or political expertise. We better ask him to heal all our soul disease so that we can see someone as person in God’s image.
If one sparrow does not fall without his consent if we did not seek his will our Naga political journey will crumble like the tower of Babel. Has God left them like Samson or not? (Judges 16). Without God though we shout freedom, sovereignty and trying to shake free like Samson. We will be bound by other and we will become the grinder in the prisoner. We will be visionless and die without dignity. Remember the hope of this nation is not any political group. It is not NNC/FGN, GPRN/NSCN , NSCN/ GPRN or any one. We better come to him to heal us if not FNR or churches can do nothing to change heart. May the good lord bless and give wisdom to Naga political leadership to come under the banner of Christ. Lord use FNR as the instrument of your peace in this great hour of our needs.
H. Apise
Purana Bazar, East Dimapur.
