Zakie Khate
To be in freedom in the bondage of hate is trivial. It amounts to nothing. Even to speak about freedom in the midst of hatred and bitterness amongst ourselves cannot be an ideal of our political struggle. The vision of our ancestors who laid the foundation of this great homeland was not so. They did not lay the basis so that our marvellous tradition would be smeared with blood and tears of our own people. They probably may not have anticipated a total desolation of our distinctive varied customs and its radiance by her people. If killings were tolerable in God’s commandment, our nation too would be one of the most outstanding lands in the world. Unfortunately, the commandment is the contrary.
History would be changed if we could build up our nations’ future through blame and condemnation. However, can such a nation survive? Freedom can never be realized at the price of our own brothers’ blood. For such an action is a total negation of love for one’s homeland.
The heroic sacrifices by our fathers and forefathers cannot be underestimated. They have done what they needed to be done in laying down the foundation of our people hood. However, we are also not ignorant of their mistakes they committed in their desperate moments that have led us to this point. Here, we cannot deny that we are paying the results of our own making. Those results have completely engulfed our people in hate, suspicion and killings. Nagaland has become nothing more then a butchering ground today. We are also practically experiencing how hate begets hate. We also see not only a self defeating factional rift but also even separation of the common Naga civil organizational platforms into Naga Hoho and ENPO, NSF and ENSF etc. We also see thousands of Indian army soldiers enjoying a vacation in the beautiful valleys and hills of Nagaland. They are enjoying their delightful Naga drama.
All through our movement until at present, several of our leaders set more value of their own personal and tribal self-image above national principles and interest. This has reduced our noble cause into a cheap struggle. It has become so cheap that, it has miserably divided not only our nationalist but even the people against each other. Here, can any faction or organization claim to be the mainstream? There is no mainstream among the Nagas today. To claim oneself as the mainstream is either a joke or total insanity. Therefore, the people also cannot effort to just point fingers at the factions alone. This is so because they bestow their allegiance to different factions; either of their liking where their leaders stand or their economic interest lays or their tribe is behind. No faction is qualified enough to accuse the other faction of committing mistakes as all the factions have committed mistakes. Hence, our factional leaders must be prepared to face truths and the people too must be prepared to sacrifice their allegiance and prove what they shout about our division. Maybe this is the only way to clear our mess. I say this on behalf of the Nagas of my generation who have seen only killings, allegations and counter allegations among ourselves. We have witnessed only shallow patriotism. I also say this because our generation deserve a future. And that future should be based on unity and integrity of the Nagas as a people. We do not want a future based on the basis of tribalism, factionalism and division. Our future would be assured if you can do the more important thing of what you can do today.
For the past 22 years of my life on this soil, I have not known a single day of peace between the Nagas. Surely, if I were in their shoes I would have committed more mistakes then them. However, I am confident that past mistakes can be discussed and cleansed because we do not want to live a life of yesterday in our tomorrow.
Perhaps, as our situation demands, it is time we consider and choose what is right and not who is right and wrong, as our people’s ideal. Without such an ideal, our lives would be worthless and freedom would be worthless. It would also be worthless if one cannot reconcile blunders or own up faults of one’s action for the sake of its people.
The question of who would launch a common platform for our warring factions as well as our divided people is difficult to answer. In the past, a number of such initiatives had met with nothing but failure. Apart from the many appeals by some of our civil organizations, individuals and the Churches, some such endeavours are, the 2001 Naga Hoho reconciliation commission, the NMA shed no more blood campaign, the 1997 Atlanta meet etc. Some initiatives failed due to the indifference and insincerity of both our factional leaders and people. While other factors are due to suspicious feelings and the subsequent pulling of the carpet from below as there are undeniable fears of facing factual truths by some of our factional leaders.
We have witnessed how much our people are yearning for peace and reconciliation. In the most recent Naga Hoho meeting at the Zonal council hall in Kohima, Scato Swu said, “How much I want to speak with authority here today”. He intended to convey that Naga Hoho do not have the authority, as the Nagas in the East (Burma), Assam, and Arunachal were not present because they are not a part of Naga Hoho. In the same gathering Arthur, the President of Tangkhul Long said, “Pease tell us where our people have wronged you”. He stated this pertaining to the ‘quit notice’. These two leaders have clearly in a way articulated the yearning of our people.
To our people, reconciliation subject has become a cliché, boring and exhausting. As Kofi Annan, the Secretary General of the United Nations in his last speech said, “Peace cannot be imposed but peace should come from within”, peace will never come from anywhere to us. It must come from the Nagas. It must come from within us. Peace cannot come to us from Holland, UNPO, New Delhi or Bangkok.
If we are not for peace, we are against peace and to stand against peace is to stand for war. Maybe even God also cannot do anything to give us peace if we are not for peace.
The cliché has opened up once again in the form of NBCC initiative. Do we give it a chance? Perhaps, it is not necessarily a matter of giving NBCC a chance but rather it is giving ourselves a chance. The Naga struggle is our common Naga cause and hence, our division is our common concern. Now, should we leave things as they are and remain as nothing is wrong, knowing fully that everything is wrong?
The essential question of reconciliation is how we would mutually survive as a people on the basis of our past and present realities. To reconcile is not an option but a necessity. It is whether to survive or reject ourselves towards the inevitable destruction of our people. This is the greatest and the most challenging struggle of our time. This struggle may not be an easy task. It cannot be achieved in an overnight discussion. But I am certain that, this moment in history has chosen us to reconcile though we may not have chosen this moment of history. Perhaps, reconciliation among ourselves is even more important than freedom from India. I see it as freedom under the domination of Indian army. Maybe, God have a purpose for our people, as only strong people can carry heavy burdens. Perhaps, He has given us this difficult task to be under the subjugation of India before we understand the art of surviving as a people. We must accomplish this mission.
The NBCC’s endeavour of beseeching our leaders and our people’s conscience to reconcile would not amount to anyone’s loss. In fact, all of us will be the beneficiaries of peace. NBCC must move on.
