Night of slumber and paucity of statesmen
New Delhi/Dimapur
The silence of respected leaders Shurhozelie and Chingwang Konyak is truly baffling.
The one lesson of history that is often ignored is that the 'inevitable' does not happen; and sometimes the 'impossible' happens.
Thank you, Nagaland civil society. The apex Nagaland People's Action Committee (NPAC) is in action now trying to get the society 'act' together. One message is clear, the faith of the people should never be mocked.
Theja Theieh, convener of NPAC, is absolutely right when he wonders whether 90 years of struggle and 26 years of negotiation are still not enough to solve the problem. Those who want the status quo are only interested in their being in power.
How will history judge the role of the G-60 is better left to history. The 'first among equals' has been sounded from various quarters but he has stopped taking 'goodwill messages'.
Once a magician crossed a river just walking over; a rational Ramakrishna Paramhamsa told him: "For all this magical power and to cross the river I just paid one Anna to the boatman".
Let the Naga leaders of contemporary setting be convinced that everyone ought to be fair-minded enough to recognise the Naga people's right to Solution. Investing in Solution in today's Nagaland is tantamount to investing in democracy. The Election Commission will possibly get the right message.
The EC visit comes days after Home Minister Amit Shah made a whistlestop visit to Dimapur on Jan 6. His interactions with Naga leaders have been candid, and he too got to read the pulse of the people.
The centre is perhaps already assessing who all are responsible for 'sabotaging' the peace process after so much progress.
They must have put a few names and personalities under the scanner. All politicians struggle for power. Some
like the 'underestimated politician and overestimated economist' Dr Manmohan Singh often prefer to stay in office even
if there is no power. At one stage, he had even surrendered his right to resign.
Incidentally, another Congressman K Therie is now speaking out candidly, almost rising above party affiliation.
In a significant development, the Pradesh Congress chief has backed the Agreed Position inked with NNPG in 2017.
"The Centre must be sincere in implementing the Agreed Position because the broad agreements on that score
have tried to deal with issues concerning the people of Nagaland state" (reported in 'Nagaland Page', Jan 12).
The Congress is no friend of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Thus, the Congress endorsement of the Agreed Position will definitely help the Government of India to frame up its stance to push for an early solution even if the NSCN-IM does not come onboard over the issues of Flag and the Constitution.
But this is also an era of paucity of statesmen at a time when we have a plethora of politicians and leaders.
 |
| Blogger with Shurhozelie: Aug 2022 |
Why are two veteran presidents Shurhozelie of NPF and Chingwang Konyak of NDPP silent?
One knows both of them personally and so their 'silence' appears sickening.
There comes a time when senior and aging leaders give up. It is best explained in a phrase, I tend to use 'rebels tired of wars', courtesy poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. My plea to these two veterans is well Sirs, even if you are 'tired', why will both of you allow history to misjudge you for the lapses of the last few years when both of you had another kind of image in the past.
In August 2022, Shurhozelie told me, "We will wake up on time". In the 1990s when Chingwang Konyak had become Pradesh Congress chief, he had asserted, "I am not a rubber stamp president".
I am still confident, if these two heads of regional parties come back to their form; the course of the slog overs in Nagaland can change for the better. Let us not be drugged as it has been for months now with the opiate of compulsions of power politics.
A miracle is essentially the consequence of what we firmly believe.
ends
New Delhi
In a significant development the Nagaland civil society has called for morning to afternoon 'Bandh' across the state on Saturday, Jan 14, to ventilate the people's protest against the failure of Government of India to ink a final peace solution pact with Naga rebels.
The convenor of the Nagaland People's Action Committee (NPC) Theja Therieh told journalists in Dimapur, that the people of Nagaland desire a "resolution to Naga issue prior to the election" and mentioned that none in the state of Nagaland be it the various tribal bodies, legislators, or political parties, are opposed to finding a Solution.
All sections and key stakeholders including state legislators have made their voices heard loud and clear to the Government of India that they want a solution.
The Bandh coincides with the visit of the team of the Election Commission of India (ECI) led by CEC Rajiv Kumar.
Therieh said while the poll panel shall be fulfilling its constitutional duties,the NPAC shall have no say in that, but if democracy is for the people, by the people and of the people, then the people of Nagaland have made it clear that they want a Solution and the bandh shall be a democratic expression of resentment against the "delay in finding a solution".
Paradoxically though pressure seems to be mounting on the centre for inking a final peace pact, the real cause
of delay is clearly the twin demands of the NSCN -IM -- a separate Flag and a Naga constitution. This has been outright
rejected by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and others repeatedly.
The centre as well as the umbrella body of seven Naga outfits Naga National Political Group (NNPG) are also
keen to sign such a final peace pact at the earliest.
In yet another related and crucial development, the Nagaland Congress party has stated that
"The onus is on the Modi government and Home Minister Amit Shah to deliver a Solution now."
State Congress chief K Therie told IANS: "The Centre must be sincere in implementing the Agreed
Position signed with the umbrella body Naga National Political Group (NNPG) in 2017 because the
broad agreements on that score have tried to deal with issues concerning the people of Nagaland state".
Interestingly, the NNPG led by N Kitovi Zhimomi is fiercely against holding elections.
The umbrella body of seven militant groups had earlier demanded the resignation of the Neiphiu Rio government to facilitate an early signing of a peace pact. It had signed the preliminary Agreed Position in 2017 when R N Ravi was the state Governor and negotiator.
The Congress endorsement of the Agreed Position of 2017 will definitely help the Government of India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi to frame up its stance to push for an early solution even if the NSCN-IM does not come on board.
One source in the know of things said, "The Naga issue has been deliberately made complicated and diluted by those who are outsiders to the state. The centre is open to the idea of making a special political and developmental arrangement for Nagas of Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. In the Status Paper worked out between the Centre and the NNPG, there is already a proposal for special autonomous territorial councils even with "legislative powers".
These observations are again critical as people of six districts in Eastern Nagaland now want a separate state carved out of the 16th state of Indian Union.
Congress president Therie said, "To me, Statehood for Nagaland is vital and so is the political integration of Nagaland. We cannot allow any compromise on Article 371 (A). The Congress priority is for the integrity of Nagaland state".
As it is, the 'outsiders' bogey has hit the Naga peace process. The NSCN-IM draws its strength from Tangkhul Nagas who actually reside mostly in the Ukhrul region of the neighbouring state of Manipur. Therefore, clamour now often latent but very strong is that the Nagas 'outside Nagaland state' should not interfere in the affairs of present Nagaland state.
In May 2022, veteran Naga leader S C Jamir (92) had told this journalist: "It is true we have so many tribes. We can really forge unity and harmony among ourselves. But some outsiders have been creating problems for so many years. But now integration (of Naga areas) is no longer there; they should take care of their own problem. But allow us to take care of our own problems exclusively for us...I have been often misinterpreted and misunderstood. But outsiders should not become a burden for Nagaland.
So, Nagaland will be Nagaland; Manpur will be Manipur. So there can be no dispute. I have explained these in detail to everyone. We cannot cross Mao Gate, you know the topography".
In fact, prior to 2017 Agreed Position between NNPG and the centre, the Framework Agreement was also inked on Aug 3, 2015 between Govt of India and NSCN-IM but the hurdles created by the demands for a separate Flag and Naga constitution continues to hamper the peace process.
Elections are due in Nagaland next month along with Meghalaya and Tripura. The EC is now on a visit to these three states. In Eastern Nagaland - that has 20 out of 60 assembly seats, the apex Eastern Nagaland People's Organisation (ENPO) has threatened to boycott the polls if statehood demand is not fulfilled.
The ENPO delegation is now engaged in talks with a three-member special Home Ministry panel headed by Naga peace emissary A K Mishra in Guwahati. "One round of meeting on Thursday, Jan 12 remained inconclusive," a source said.
It may be relevant to note that the village elders' body, the Nagaland Gaon Burrah Federation (NGBF), in a mature statement has said last week: “Resolving the Naga political issue and post solution realignments of flawed political and administrative status will fulfill the aspiration of Eastern Nagaland Tribes".
ends
 |
| Blogger with Kitovi of NNPG |
No comments:
Post a Comment