The social political transformation from resistance to nation building is fraught with challenges and opportunities. In the process of exercising our rights and freedom, highlighting and honoring our accountability to one another becomes paramount. The manner in which a peoples – a nation – addresses the tension between the dilemmas of truth and the truth of dilemmas is critical to this construct. Within this rubric the interplay between civic, social and political responsibility begins to acquire an ethical framework when accountability is established as the primary function of transparency. This is fundamental to stabilizing conflict affected societies, yet is challenging to initiate when a protracted peoples’ struggle for justice, as in the Naga situation, is still ongoing.
The thrust of the traditional human rights discourse primarily focused on the State’s obligation to uphold, protect and fulfill human rights, which are defined and protected by law. Since the State is the primary institution responsible as the protector, guarantor and provider of a wide spectrum of human rights, its accountability to human rights violations has been a cornerstone of the human rights framework. The human rights discourse, while fundamentally premised on the same shared values, has evolved and broadened its scope. And, with States no longer considered the only entity and actors in the political arena, it has become equally important to hold non-state entities accountable. After all, the effectiveness of accountability, and, hence, transparency, must be practiced in its wholeness.
The Naga praxis of nation building can only be achieved by envisioning a society that respects and sustains human rights values. Hence, while it is fundamental to hold the State accountable to universal standards of human rights, it is equally imperative for Naga Political Groups (NPGs) to respect and adhere to international covenants and human rights norms. To build a new culture and relationships of justice and human rights, the NPGs themselves must recognize the need to assume responsibility to become bearers of civil and political rights. This means introducing political measures to ensure that any violation of human rights is held accountable to international norms and standards.
In situations of sovereignty and self-determination based conflicts, it is evident that political violence and human rights violations are the result of broader unresolved political issues. It is also equally true that day to day acts of violations take center stage because its effect is more immediately felt by the public. Invariably the culture of impunity, though created primarily by the State, is exercised by all. Hence, to further build a credible or acceptable relationship of transparency, the Naga groups need to contribute towards ending the overarching perverse culture of impunity. This demands self-examination and structural transformation.
In close-knit community societies like the Nagas, the urgency of the situation requires proactive measures to be taken both symbolically, as well as, concretely to ensure that any human rights violations are addressed. The symbolic expressions of saying ‘Sorry,’ seeking ‘forgiveness’ by Naga groups to each other and to the public are fundamental and significant to the process, yet, by themselves they are insufficient and need to be supported by actions.
The challenge is for Naga groups to muster the political will and moral courage to take responsibility, without justifications, in addressing violations committed from within their own ranks. Their collective political and moral will needs to ensure that their cadres are informed about and fully respect people’s human rights. This invariably implies that when a cadre violates a citizen’s rights, corrective measures need to be taken publicly. Justice must not only be done, but must also be seen to be done. Only then, will Naga public begin to accept that the Naga groups are committed to safeguarding everyone’s rights, well-being and the rehumanization of the whole.
This is a revised version of an editorial which was published in 2013
