To know the truth is a first step for reconciliation

I felt sad for the fighting among the Nagas which has taken place again on March 29, 2014 Saturday morning at Akhoya village jurisdiction in Ao Region right after the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) meeting held on March 27, 28, 2014 in Dimapur, but no wonder because such fighting always have been happened after the meeting of FNR in abroad and at home, and there the killings have been taken place and more factions have been created instead of reconciliation. It is therefore not a good sign for the FNR and has to consider that "Is FNR doing according to the will of God?"

I am also feeling sad not because I oppose peace and reconciliation, but most of public leaders are applauding and welcoming the Lenten Agreement of March 28, 2014 without knowing what will happen if the agreement is implemented? Where does the new government will lead the Nagas?  It was the fact that all Naga people applauded highly the NPC (Nagaland Peace Council) and welcomed Peace, because through the tireless effort of NPC, peace was restored once again in Nagaland in 1975 and save many periled lives. However, some of the same Nagas praised Isak, Muivah and Khaplang for they rejected the said peace brought by the PNC, and formed the so-called NSCN in January 1980 from the Eastern Nagaland jungle, which was done without their knowledge. They supported it without knowing where the NSCN will lead the Nagas, to the path of blood or peace. As they applauded them (Iask, Muivah, Khaplang) from the top of their voice and welcomed the formation of NSCN, they also welcomed factionalism and fratricidal killings among the Nagas. He who says, Phizo/NNC has done wrong; he said, Muivah has done right and thus bears false witness. Because he/she says wrong as right, and white as black. Our Bible says: "He who says the wicked you are right, the people will curse him, nations will abhor him". "He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, both of them alike are abomination to God". (Proverbs 24:24, 17:15).   

After fierce fighting with their own Naga brothers for 17 years, Isak-Muivah (IM) group reached at the so-called ceasefire agreement with GoI (Government of India) in August 1997. Again some of Nagas welcomed the said ceasefire agreement and supported, without knowing they are extending to support various evil activities (killings, telling lies, burning dawn the villages including with granaries and churches, false accusations, torturing, intimidation, deceiving, abduction, money extortion etc. etc.) as well which have been committing by IM group before and after the ceasefire.

The Nagas know, when Isak, Muivah ran away from the NNC, they have discarded the mandate of the Naga people and hence they have no right to represent Nagaland and its people, but some of Nagas supported their political negotiation with the GoI. In fact they know nothing what the ceasefire agreement was, and the stand of IM group for peace talk with the GoI. Later all Naga people came to know IM group submitted 31-Point competencies proposal to the GoI for their peace talk.  The fact Nagas know about the first political talk with the Indian leaders on July 19, 1947 is: at the talk Naga leaders said, the Nagas are not Indians and Naga territory does not belong to India. And in turn, Indian leaders said, if you say, the Nagas are not Indians and your country does not belong to India, the matter ends there, you have every right to be Independent outside the Indian Union. This is the only way that we have to talk with the GoI.  Therefore the Nagas have nothing to do with the NSCN-IM's 31-Point competencies proposal. This is not other than a proposal to sell out Nagaland and who supported their talks, supported the selling process of Nagaland to a foreign country. On May 16, 1951, Naga national voluntary Plebiscite Day, Naga leader Dr. A.Z. Phizo asserted that." To give away Nagaland to please India is not the solution".  

My point is; we must know explicitly what we are doing and must reject wrong as wrong and support right as right, but give pressure on the wrong doers by the public leaders and Church leaders till they give up their wrong doing.  If they refuse to take heed the voice of the people, they should be rejected once and for all by the people. That is the need of hour what we should do at this juncture.   

The NNC supports and gives encouragement to those who are striving to bring peace among the Nagas. But the NNC never support who deny the truth and try to justify the killings and marginalize the NNC/FGN to a mere faction.  This is the reason why the NNC does not involve with the FNR but encouraged it to work for the truth and justice.  

The FNR has done wrong to support illegitimate Singnya, Zhopra group who have been staying in Peace Camp for many years and ran away from it on their own accord in 2005 and killed many of their own people in Chakhesang Region. In Khiamniunga Region, this group has beaten many Naga Army and maimed them for life. Last year in 2013, Eno Longphu of Pashiu village who was brutally tortured by the said group died of his beaten injury. 

 
The Nagas are a nation and they have their own national Government and have their own Yehzabo (Constitution). The Nagas therefore elect their new leaders following their Yehzabo and form their new Government accordingly. No one has the right to claim as NNC/FGN leader by himself/herself outside the Yehzabo. Even if he/she do so, it is illegal and no one will respect or regard him/her as NNC/FGN leader. If they do not regard as such leaders by their own people, to whom they represent and signed the Lenten agreement of 28th March 2014?  

The Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN) is the only Naga National Government formed in 1956 by all Nagas (Ao, Angami, Chakhesang, Sema, Lotha, Konyak, Chang, Sangtam, Khiamniungan, Yingchunger, Phom, Pochuri, Shepoumarath, Zeliangrong).  Some Nagas from remote Regions, such as Tangkhul. Heimi, Amanch, Somra could not participate in the formation, but later all joined the FGN.  And the Nagas joyously celebrated the Golden Jubilee of their National Government on March 22, 2006. How then, the FGN would sign to form another new Naga national government, as claimed by the FNR.  It is really a mockery.

The Nagas are needed to be reconciled and should have peace among them, and I extend my support to anyone who is truly working for peace and reconciliation, and I myself am working for peace and reconciliation and thus telling the Naga people what truth is. Because to know the truth is a first step for reconciliation.  

The fact all Naga know that our nation had never surrendered its sovereignty to any foreign nation in this running history. And the NNC had never deterred here and there from the Naga national stand despite ups and downs political situation in the past more than sixty years of war with the aggressors. The Nagas therefore have no reason to condemn and reject the NNC/FGN and form another new political institution or government in this 21st century. The factional leaders, who went on astray and diverted their stand from the Naga national stand, should relinquish their illegitimate organizations and reunite with the their parent body NNC/FGN is the only meaning that bears for reconciliation.

In this year 2014, the NSCN celebrated its 35th Republic Day on March 21, and the FGN celebrated 59th Republic Day on 22nd March. When the Eastern Nagas youths noticed NSCN's 35th republic day celebration, they questioned why should the Naga national Day (Republic Day) be degraded to 35th celebration? even when the Kachins  who started their Revolutionary from 1961, celebrated 54th revolutionary Day on 5th February 2014.  The celebration of 35th republic day has shown to the outside world that the Naga national movement is too much younger than the revolutionary groups of Myanmar. Despite these entire past mistakes, the Lenten agreement has conceived another new Naga national government to be born in the near future.  Will it not bring another setback to the Nagas in the history?

More than thirty years ago, we told Muivah, the Nagas have already experienced a setback when the revolutionary government was formed in 1968, and if we do form a socialist government we will face another setback in our history, thus fervently urged him not to repeat such mistake in our time. But he didn't take heed to our suggestion and formed the NSCN, that is now a history and cannot be corrected it. Yet, what we can do at this time is, to analyze the past mistakes correctly and should decide not to commit another mistake in this generation again. The question is: why should we destroy the existing Naga national foundation which is built on the solid rock and start to build another foundation on the sand?

We should thank God, because even if we are not good followers of Jesus Christ, God our Lord never forsake us, but has been protecting our sovereignty from the beginning, and when the Nagas reached at the brim of doom in 1975, for scorch-earth operation was carried by the Indian Army against the Nagas, God our Lord has intervened the war and restored peace in Nagaland without political commitment to accept the Indian Constitution.  Hence the Nagas have much alleviation from the sufferings in the hands of Indian Army.  But when some of Nagas rejected the peace brought by God, He makes us to suffer again in the hands of our own brothers in the past more than thirty years. Yet, the Church leaders keep silent and mum, and perpetrators show no sign of remorse and repent for their mistake and sins.

Why the Nagas failed to use the peace brought by God our Lord and fight against the enemy through peaceful means with the truth and historical facts? Was it necessary for the Nagas to form NSCN? Why the NSCN groups signed peace agreements with the enemies and continued to fight against their own Nagas? Should we continue to reject the God given peace, even after we have suffered from His divine punishment? are the points to be scrutinized and pondered by the young generation of today.