For Nagas to emerge victorious from the present condition of injustice, suspicion, anger and disunity, public critical solidarity and public action is the cry of the hour. Nagas young and old, rich and poor, powerful and powerless, Naga civil society, Naga public and Naga political groups need to recognize that their survival is dependent on the survival of the Naga people as a whole. To arrest the deepening state of Naga affairs, it is essential that every Naga rises above their own individual interest and work towards the collective well being of the Nagahood, because it is only when the collective is secure, that the individual finds its rightful place.
Public solidarity is the power that comes through recognizing and respecting dignity of all and understanding that they are united in opposition to the injustices they face by embracing the richness of humanity. It involves creating a common vision where there is withdrawal of consent to existing established institutions and participation from all power structures of domination. Such critical solidarity should lead to the empowerment of peoples and provide a vision of the world that involves the active transformation of both humans and structures till they are able to enter into right relationship with one another.
Public solidarity and action requires dynamic leaders that constructively and respectfully engage with people and instills the desire to liberate human reason from the dominant status quo. Public action demands evolving a consensus on a shared future while also seeking to rewrite history in which the people are defined as makers of history and not as objects. The interplay between leaders and the people is often complicated and complex especially when it seems that consumerism has created societies in which truth does not matter any more, it’s the personal feelings that count.
Therefore, a leader who confines his or her role to the people’s feelings may create a situation of stagnation while a leader who transcends his or her people’s feelings to uncover the truth runs the risk of being misunderstood. The complexity is compounded furthermore when in times of crisis and upheavals, a leader who confines to the feelings of the people may acquire temporary popularity, while a leader who gets too far ahead of the people may become irrelevant. Hence, a leader must be an educator that involves building a bridge between the feelings of the people and a vision in which truth is prior to the feelings.
The leaders must educate to arouse critical consciousness and enable people to locate themselves in the relentless movement to reclaim their humanity and the realization of their values. History, to a leader is of the essence and one’s dynamic singularity stems from an ability to discern challenges that are not yet apparent to their contemporaries. Are Naga leaders willing to assume the role and responsibilities that are being demanded of them by time and history?
