Jubilate Kazingmei
The Indo Naga Peace talk since 1996 has been a turning point in the history of Naga politics. Leadership of the armed cadres who claims the limelight deserves credit for bringing in a new era from the culture of violence to a peaceful democratic process of resolving the problem and drawing all the Nagas across boundaries emotionally closer to the vision.
Territorial oneness with others may have been imposed on the Nagas but biological integrity of the Nagas cannot be altered by anyone least by those who says there is no Nagas in Manipur. I do not think we need to quote anybody’s book to prove that we are Nagas. Nobody has to tell us whether we are Nagas or not. Every Naga feels as a Naga wherever we may be. Culture as identity commits all of us into oneness of the Nagas across territorial boundaries. The tune of our folk songs drawn from a flying hornbill, folk dances, festivities based on the seasonal crops and vegetation, the traditional art of housing, the traditional costumes, food habit, our concept of God and rituals before we embraced Christianity, the typical and unmistakable Naga look, all these gives us our identity as Nagas irrespective of where we are. We also share the same traditional concept of governance, each village as independent state ruled by a hereditary chief, having their own system of governance.
In recent years the north eastern states of India has witnessed violent uprisings of ethnic nationalism, therefore failing to recognize the biological and cultural integrity and thereby the need for territorial integration based on ethnic lines and contiguity particularly that of the Nagas will only worsen the socio political crisis in the region. Govt. of India ever since independence has recognized the unique cultural heritage of the Nagas and in order to preserve it, has required even Indian citizens to obtain inner-line permit to enter Nagaland. This was reaffirmed by recognizing the unique history and political problem of the Nagas through the joint communiqué of November 11th 2002 between GOI and the NSCN (I-M) which indicates the legitimacy of the Nagas aspiration of integrating all the Naga inhabited areas and freedom of the Nagas.
Cultural infiltration from outside world particularly Christianity was a threat to our culture. Much of our customary practices and old values had to be given up. But like the ancient Hebrews in their captivity, the Nagas have kept their culture alive and thereby our identity sustained. There has been a conscious effort in recent years to revive the old values. In fact the positive influence brought in by Christianity in Naga ways of life cannot be under estimated and ignored. Christianity brought in an era of peace among warring Naga villages and this needs to be sustained.
However, inspite of the biological and cultural integrity of the Nagas across territorial boundaries, there are factors causing psychological distance among us. Territorial separation the multi dialect and the traditional concept of independent villages had caused negative impact of psychological distance among us earlier. Some irresponsibly even call us Katja Nagas, or that Tangkhuls are not Nagas because we are not Nagas of Nagaland. On the other hand unfortunately there are individuals expressing solidarity with other people for reasons of personal gain and has caused reduced emotion among us. Therefore, if there is threat to solidarity of the Nagas it is not from outside world but it is from within.
It is also most unfortunate that, our armed cadres are also divided into faction though they mean the same thing, and their sacrifices are for the same vision of freedom and dignity for every Naga. Killing each other will not take us anywhere.
All the Nagas are emotionally one with the peace process. But this is misunderstood or taken for granted. Supporting one faction or the other or any feed back against suppressive behaviour of armed cadres is often considered anti national and the armed cadres even decide who should live and who should not. This act of fratricidal is rather anti Naga. For the civil society choice of faction is not the solution, our only concern is that the entire movement should not be deemed as mere game of power politics of individuals. I am afraid the armed cadres identifying themselves synonymously as the nation distinguishing themselves from the civil society is a misnomer. No nation is a nation without civil society. Nagas are rather a nation with or without armed cadres.
We have not made good use of the 8 years of peace. This should have been a time for a serious introspection for both the civil society and the armed cadres as well. But our revolutionary heroes are already celebrating making fortunes, exercising authority and influence to get jobs, social security benefits and contract works, taking sides in every local conflict and dynamics and dispensing justice on personal whims absolutely with no jurisprudence, and the civil society simply watching. Social organizations can neither have leadership of their own choice nor function on their own. Individuals do not have fundamental rights even to exercise their franchise. The armed cadres do not even consider civil society as conscious beings they call for meetings expects us to simply swallow whatever they say, gives no right to discuss. They are even trying to tell us which church one should be associated with.
I guess we need to sacrifice a lot of freedom to uphold national interest. But at the same time I also feel that we need to define our concept of freedom too. As it stands now freedom seems to be exclusively for a few and not for the civil society.
We need to evolve systems of governance based on values, accept duties and responsibilities towards nation building. Our revolutionaries should have been motivating the public with vision for a better society, a society with freedom and dignity for every Naga citizen based on truth and justice. But instead we are deeply involved in corrupt political processes causing conflicts within the structure. Between Nagaland for Christ and the barrel of gun from which power emerges there is no coherence in our beliefs. Who is creating the confusion? On one hand the armed cadres and related organizations are requiring civil society to take risks despising Govt. of Manipur but on the other hand they are pushing in their wives and relatives into Manipur Govt. service as teachers and pretend as if they do not know. I don’t mean to criticize the NSCN but their performance for a constructive purpose. UG taxation has hit the poor man’s stomach. Old aged pensions are being taxed, rice for the poorest families and even mid day meal for poor children are being taxed. The armed cadres do not seem to have a heart even for the poorest people in society. What is worse is there is absolutely no transparency and accountability in the system. There is no taxation policy as such. Entrusting some irresponsible ruffians to collect tax amounts to highway robbery. A memorial stone of a church youth crossing Litan was taxed Rs. 600/-. Every canter load of cabbage or potato taken down to Imphal is taxed ranging from 150-400 depending on discretionary bargaining by the collector Mayang shop keepers pay tax on their goods but they recover all the taxed money from the local customers meaning their tax is being born by the local people as the armed cadres do not control pricing of the shops. Agri products and goods going out from the district should not be taxed if we are to promote economy of the district.
It will be wrong to put the entire blame on the armed cadres for the whole state of affairs but the growing discontentment among the civil society who however, cannot raise their voice for fear begins to manifest in people questioning integrity and credibility of the armed cadres.
After 8 long years of passive emotional association with the peace process people are now aware, the peace talk cannot go on forever. They are trying to visualize the outcome and consequences if the talk fails. Full sovereignty is an unlikely outcome. Even if an agreement is reached between the NSCN-IM and Govt. of India or between GOI and other factions, so long as the armed cadres remain divided they will have their own sphere of influence even among civil society and any agreement reached by one faction will not be honoured by others which means that it may turn out to be another “Shillong Accord”. Therefore, unification of the armed cadres and solidarity of all Nagas are prerequisites for a permanent solution to the vexed Naga Political problem. May be, NSCN-IM will need to look beyond their Hebron nest and may be other factions will need to reciprocate. But the threat to Naga solidarity is from within not from outside world. If the talk fails it means going back to zero point and God knows how many more decades of struggle and sufferings! Further splits in the armed cadres cannot be ruled out. New leadership might emerge even as reactionaries. The choice is ours.
