In my 94th, when I retrospect my past life, I can say that I was innocent and blameless in the age when I was on my mother’s thighs and got feeding with my mother’s breast milk. Since my childhood up to old age, my life has been full of wrongs and deeds of shortcomings and weaknesses before God, before my parents and others. I cannot help wonder at what God has been so gracious to me up to now in spite of my being a wretched sinner!
Like me all men and women have shortcomings and weaknesses and no one is blameless and perfect before God. In the context of Naga family, there have been full of blames and condemnation and no voice of appreciation and encouragement is heard in the aspect of politics both in the State and in the National movement. If criticism is necessary, healthy criticism is to be made. If anything is worth appreciation, it is to be appreciated for encouragement and a mistake or failure is realized, it is to be admitted.
1. In the history of the Naga freedom movement, some of the political leaders who were spearheading the movement had sensed that the non-violent political movement of NNC was going to be turned into violence. So, I heard some ones saying that Nagas have no infrastructure to build up the house; so it is not a question of giving up independence movement but in order to have more preparedness, we need co - operation for a period of time and thus they declared co - operation. As they had foreseen, violence started and T. Sakhrie was brutally assassinated and the rests were under heavy guards. It was not a matter of selling out the Naga Nation.
2. The first Indo - Naga Political talk was carried out under the leadership of Kughato Sukhai during Indira Gandhi’s Premiership. Later a crisis erupted among the Naga leaders which led to the failure of the talk. Dramatic change took place. A Presidential form of government was formed by ousting Sukhai which hurt the Sema brethren and they snatched away the President Mhiasiu and Secretary Ramyo from Chedema to Satakha. NBCC peace consultative Body sent late Perhicha and myself to Satakha to meet the leaders but we could not meet any one and came back. Two parallel Governments came up. The Federal Presidential Government and the Revolutionary Government. Who is to be blamed and who is to be justified I do not know but to me it is a matter of controversy and not a matter of betrayal.
3. In 1957, a Naga People’s Convention was held at Kohima under the Chairmanship of Dr. Imkongliba Ao and a General Amnesty was declared to facilitate the people who were underground to come out overground. Under the Amnesty, the masses of underground public returned to their respective villages clearing up the grasses and herbs grown in the sites of the burnt down houses and put up sheds for resettlement. The convention led to the 16 Points Agreement and ceding the Statehood. NNC/FGN condemned it and opposed it branding it as anti - national and killed the President Dr. Imkongliba and attempting the lives of four consecutive Chief Ministers and a Speaker and killed some persons of their entourage.
Had the Nagas of Naga Hills remained in the Naga Hills District of Assam, and no NHTA and no Statehood were evolved, the Nagas would have been dwarfed educationally, economically and in respect of development. The way of God is not our way and He loves us and He uses different men and women as His instruments or servants to fulfill His purposes at different times. We have to realize it.
4. The Shillong Accord was a confused Accord, because. It was not in the name of NNC / FGN but it was in the name of Underground Representatives though the persons involved in it were workers of NNC/FGN. My suggestion written to the leaders of NNC/FGN was a measure of pre-emptive to surrendering the FGN but after it was done I cannot claim that I am a non - Accordist because what the authority of the organization to which I belong had done I am also included. So claiming self as non - Accordist is a confused matter. When it was signed and peace was declared, it was as if a darkest cloud over Nagaland was dispelled and the Nagas in all the land heaved a heavy sigh of relief. After a decade, many people began claiming non - Accordists. Who are Accordists and who are non - Accordists? The foreign returned National workers and those who were in Jail during that time but no others have the right to disclaim it. It is not genuine.
A commitment “To accept the Constitution of India on their own volition” was made. By whom? By some personnel of Underground Representative only. But the Signatories were workers of NNC/FGN. So the train of the Nagas got stuck and could not proceed further. But God opened the way to the Nagas by using the NSCN (I-M) to resume the talk in the level of that of 1964 and onward. So it is a sin for the NSCN (I-M) to treat the Accordists as traitors. Rationally speaking, the Church leaders and the politicians who did it was for the love of all the Nagas who have been lying prostrate under the pressure of Armed Forces and dirty administration. They were Scape-goats for the sake of me and you all. It is not a matter of selling out the people.
5. Once I had a hard time with the NSCN (K). In their Ceasefire Agreement, “The Government or Security Forces can reserve / retain the right to operate.” The Naga National Movement is for the Right of the Nagas. The people suffered and died for the right. If it is committed to the GoI, the movement is meaningless. So I wrote a letter to them when they were at Mokokchung Town. After some time I repeated it in my press statement which enraged them and I was summoned to Mon. I thanked the Church leaders, my relatives and others who accompanied me to Mon. Kitovi was not there and I thanked a youthful leader Wangtin Naga who said that my coming to their Oking was a blessing and he wished that God could add twenty years more to me. Their senior leader who might have drafted the ceasefire Agreement did not behave as a Scrupulous gentleman to me though he could not justify the matter. He left them again. When I said the truth, my life was threatened for the sake of their prestige. It was not back biting. I honoured them, so I sent the letter to them but I was not replied and instead of rectifying or redressing it, my life was threatened for their own prestige. Prestige is more important than the truth in Nagaland. Seeking prestige even it is wrong and lie. Our people in general do not speak out the truth even it is fully aware of.
Is reserving or retaining right by GoI in the National movement the principle of NSCN (K)? No. It is a sincere mistake or failure out of sincere weaknesses or inefficiency of the leaders. So it is not a matter of betrayal. It can be mended or redressed.
6. The Transit Peace Campers too had summoned me to their Oking (Mission Compound). It too for their own prestige and not for the sake of the truth. When I said that after the Shillong Acccord, the Nagas can be rebuilt up basing on the Naga National Workers who returned from China instead of going against them. When I said such thing, I was branded as most silly and lunatic reverend. I replied them that though I am bad, my consolation is that they are good. Whether I am their enemy or their friend, they will come to know.
7. After a lapse of 33 years, the second political talk at the highest level was started and is in process up to now. Now the NSCN (I-M) has been the party to political talk with the GoI. Why is NSCN (I-M) in place of NNC? The reason is known to all. Naga political situation has changed to the present stance. Out of NNC, NSCN (I-M) and NSCN (K), the GoI has chosen the NSCN (I-M) to have ceasefire with them and political dialogue was started with them which lasted up to now. Before God the right thing to do for all is to appreciate the successes or achievements of any body or group as the successes belong to the whole family.
Whichever Political group is a party to the talk, It is for independence or sovereignty. The consequence of the failure of the first talk is so tragic and horrible. So whoever is leading the Nagas in the talk, the second talk should not be allowed to be a failure. The success or failure of the talk will be for all of the Nagas. So all the Nagas should try to see that it is a breakthrough. The same thing I used to say or write. Many people said that I am for NSCN (I-M). Changes of events took place are beyond human power and device. Such things were God’s doings. We have to commit or place ourselves in the hand of God to be used according to His will.
As mentioned above, all mistakes or failures on blunder or committed by any one or any Political Group were sincere mistakes or failure made out of sincere weaknesses and inefficiency of the leaders. So it is a matter of excessiveness that so many people were killed on ground of betrayal or being traitors. Change of events took place towards the trend of your favour or disfavour, advantage or disadvantage might be according to the will of God but we blame one another. For all these and any other sins we have committed in the National movement we have to confess our sins and to realize that the Creator God Almighty is at work. Taking all these things into consideration, all be declared inclusive and not exclusive and there is no more barriers or schism among the National workers and the Nagas. Isak and Muivah being the present leading personalities of the Nagas, they have to feel obliged to take initiative for the glory of God.
Rev. L. Suohie Mhasi
