Dr Vikuosa Nienu
This article is the result of my recent visit to Nagaland. Even though I have been away from home for some time, I have not forgotten my roots and have kept in touch with our people, occasionally returning for short visits. This article narrates what I have witnessed myself and heard during the past weeks I was there.
I’m troubled by the events developing in Nagaland’s heartland. It grieves me more as the true nature and characteristics of the Nagas are distastefully tainted, if they are not disappearing. Even though some of the heinous crimes committed are exposed through the media, it is fair to assume that many incidents are not reported for fear of retaliations and retributions. As recent as a few weeks ago, a minister of God was assaulted for no valid reason.
Nagaland prides itself on being a Christian state, and rightly so, statistically. Christians are variously estimated at around 90% of the total population. Of course, no one really knows how many of these professed Christians truly are born-again believers. Only God has the answer.
There is, however, a societal decline among the Nagas. It appears that honesty and integrity are not virtues any more; rather, corruption, deceit, extortion, complicity, and murder seem to be the preferred traits which can be justified as acceptable acts in the name of a movement, legitimate or not. And the perpetrators get away with it because no one dares to challenge them by risking their own lives when threatened by guns or employing other forms of intimidation and controlling devices.
What is troubling, though, is that we can no longer trust our leaders because the deceit and corruption have reached an unprecedented level. What is even more troubling is that these ill-gotten traits have extended to the very institutions charged with watch-dogging the public interest. There are no checks and balances, our priorities are out of focus. Equally disturbing is that these evil practices have gone beyond the established institutions. They have reached into the heart of our villages, the very fabric and foundation of our society. Greed, fraud, violence, extortion, and corruption of all kinds, are now shaping the Naga moral and cultural map.
Let me assure you that what is happening in Nagaland today is not from God; it is pure evil – from the devil, the father of all lies and murderer. The word of God clearly declares that “God is Love” and “killings, murders, extortions, corruptions, cheatings, etc.,” are not from God but from the devil.
Like rainbow, the strength and beauty of being a Naga lies in our shared values, strengthened by a variety of rich traditions and culture. Our Naga principles were like currency. Doing the right thing was not just an option, it is instilled into our system, but these days those principles have little to do with the heat and haste of the newly acquired Naga ways of life after our aspired movement got derailed, bifurcated into various factions. Our values are simple, straightforward, and strongly held: Honesty, integrity, accountability, reciprocity, respect for our elders, and dignity of labor are some of the traits we cherish. These values are reinforced by other higher moral values such as to live a holy life, love our enemies and neighbors as ourselves as taught in the Bible. These are our core values. But what is wrong with the Nagas today is that on a societal level we have turned away from these fundamental values in a kind of mass crisis of conscience – like a virus! Indeed, it is spreading like wildfire. Our so- called leaders have not been standing up for the good of Nagaland, but for themselves. Creating hostility, divisiveness, brutality, deceitfulness never produces any positive or good results.
This is a call to all the Nagas. We need to take a stand. Stand up for a common good. Initially, respect and love for our land, our people, our freedom, and our culture drove us into solidarity in a movement so strong and powerful that even a foe with modern weaponry and resources ten thousand times greater than that of our forces could be challenged. We were very honest and sincere and wholeheartedly committed to a worthy cause without dissent because everybody believed that it was for the good of the people of Nagaland. We all heard of stories of how God miraculously delivered the Nagas from the ruthless and merciless Indian soldiers, unmatched militarily, economically, in fact, in every aspect, except in the spiritual life. The Nagas believed in a living and holy God. As you are well aware, the conflict in the beginning was more or less David-like innocence creating no small challenge to Goliath, namely India. But as the conflict wore thin, the Samson-like power dwindled as corruption set in and as India deployed some of the most cunning devices ever known to man by pouring in money by plane-loads, thus shaking the pillars of the traditional structure. But we cannot blame India alone for our own sins. We need to face God honestly and squarely and pray for forgiveness. In essence, this conflict revealed the true test of our faith.
Up until reinforcement arrived from those trained in China and Pakistan with better weapons, our freedom fighters fought using spears, except for a few leftover rifles from the World War II and muzzle-loading guns. In other words, we simply fought with bare hands. Imagine fighting against forces not only superior on land, but with massive air power, using antiquated weapons! Yet, the Nagas were victorious in terms of winning battles against the mighty Indian forces. Certainly, one could easily claim that God was with the Nagas.
However, it appears that the Nagas are losing the war, the ultimate war of self-reliance, self- determination and self-governance, though fiercely insistent on our right to regulate our own affairs free from external interference. It is not external power that is destroying our hopes and aspirations; the Nagas are to blame themselves for misleading and corrupt leadership. A movement so powerful, despite lack of modern weaponry and knowledge, is now drastically reduced to pursuits for the benefit of a few individuals. Rather than focusing on attaining our age-old dream, we are beginning to succumb to sectarian politics and power-grabbing conflict. It is a disgrace to see that patriotism has been deployed so viciously and with such brazen hypocrisy as seen in recent years.
History will judge us. And legacy matters. What matters is what our children are going to say about us after we are gone, what they are going to tell their grandchildren – it is not how much money we have made, or how many properties we have acquired, or how many elections we have won, or how many meetings we have had with the Prime Ministers and/or Presidents of such-and-such countries, legitimate or not. Rather, it is going to be about the things that define us – our core values. What is even more appalling is that our young people also seem to have lost their vision, values, and challenges - and it is this very misguided complacency that threatens our future generations. Our youth have lost a sense of purpose; everyone seemed to have caught up in the frenzy of obtaining government jobs, or get-rich-quick schemes at any cost, fair or unfair, honest or dishonest. In an age where other nations are competing to produce the best microchips and nanochips, the Nagas are moving backward preferring to control by force and violence as they did during the headhunting era when might was right.
Our moral fiber is stretched so thin that the future of Nagaland hangs on a delicate and precarious balance. It is up to us to destroy or save Nagaland from a bloody disaster.
Let us not repeat the sins our forefathers committed during the dark, headhunting era. There is nothing to be proud of as a headhunter. It was a barbaric act, pure and simple. It was a cowardly act – killing innocent, unarmed children, women, and elderly. The difference between the sins committed by the headhunters in the bygone days and the sins being committed by the various faction-groups is this: God forgave the sins of the headhunters because they did not know what they were doing - that it was a sin to take away someone’s life. They took pride in what they did and justified it; whereas crimes committed by the various faction-groups know that their actions are wrong and cannot be justified. The Word of God declares that whatever is happening in Nagaland is grave sin.
If public voice is not heard or heeded, then what are we seeking and for whom? Does any organization claiming to be the legitimate one have a mandate from the people whom they are suppose to be serving – to bring about liberty, democracy, and justice for all the people? How can one faction claim over the other that theirs is the legitimate one, chosen by God, without the mandate of the people? Worse yet, how can any group justify the crime being committed - whether it is violence, extortion, or corruption-- and legitimize it, none of which should even be mentioned in our Naga society, let alone by born-again Christians. I condemn anyone who exploits the system using religion and violence to create rifts or to enhance their own power. The greatest assault ever launched against our aspirations is not by external power, but by our own people. Anyone that tries to suppress dissent or opposing views by condoning torture, killing, and extorting money in the name of patriotism undermines a worthy cause. This is a perfect textbook story where a well-intentioned and legitimate mission is thwarted by a few for their own benefit. Experts call this kind of activity “organized crime.” A true leader will not resort to violence. Violence is not a leadership quality. Leaders are responsible for their own acts as well as those of their followers. Preying on gullible public supposedly for a worthy cause is not acceptable behavior. By the same token, one cannot claim to be a leader if one can be bought, whether by force, bribery or other tricks.
During the war with India, many people have lost their lives, both inside and outside of the battlefields. All of them died in a worthy cause. All of them died sacrificially. My youngest brother was also killed by the Indian army. Today, lives that are lost in the hands of our own people are not attributable to any patriotic or worthy cause: They were murdered – a criminal act. There is a vast amount of subterranean protest and dissatisfaction spread across Nagaland that eventually will become disastrous if not controlled while there is still a chance to avert such a conflict.
Nagaland is no more than a welfare state. The entire budget comes from the Central Government. Besides lacking revenues of its own, Nagaland is experiencing hyperinflation and negative growth with no hope of correction or control since there is no system to counterbalance it, thereby straining the working people, especially the villagers, whose livelihood depends on the agrarian economy. The gap between the rich and the poor is so wide that people are forced to resort to other forms of survival techniques – fraud, extortion, corruption and many other social evils introduced by these faction-led groups. Sin is multiplying everywhere, exponentially.
To achieve our common desired goal, the Nagas need to maintain unity among ourselves. What is happening right now in Nagaland is not only harmful but destructive to our collective dream. It is so destructive that even our state government machineries cannot function properly and judiciously. They must perform under pressure and duress and many of them, in the past, have experienced kidnapping and being held for ransom. Many live in fear, due to the actual violence as well as inflicting psychological warfare, skillfully manipulated and exploited.
Are we so drunk with blood that no one really cares? What sin of such evil has been committed that we are being visited by this soul-destroying Hell? Even the spears are crying out, saying “Stop killings, stop exploitation.”
Up until various factions began their own pursuits, Nagaland existed peacefully and harmoniously among all the various tribes amidst the atrocities perpetrated by the external power. During those days, they did not have to fear each other; their only fear was the Indian Army. Today, instead, they fear each other more than they feared their external enemy. What a tragedy!
Allow me to repeat what I told the late Mr. A.Z. Phizo, considered the father of Naga independence movement. I told him that India is not our enemy; India is our friend and neighbor and should be treated that way. They will continue to be our friend and neighbor regardless of the outcome.
Our archenemy is the Devil. And rather than presenting ourselves as worthy Ambassadors for Christ, the Nagas have become spokespersons for Satan and transformed ourselves into a liability creating a major stumbling block, spiritually and politically. The reason: pure greed and power.
We need to build a fair, realistic, and consensus pathway out of this internal conflict for the good of the Nagas and for our future generation. To do so would require every member of Naga society, these seven essential attitudes, instilled into everyone’s heart:
1. A high sense of worth for the individual.
2. Leaders (political, government, and religious) as servants of the people.
3. Participatory. Every person within the society must feel involved in every decision made within the government, actual or assumed, so that each citizen takes ownership over the decisions and their implementation.
4. Inclusion. Elimination of disenfranchisement or exclusion. Every individual and group should feel they can participate in the national dream without exerting undue control.
5. Justice for all.
6. Healing of wounds from previous injustice. A healthy society must be a self-healing society because wounds are always being inflicted, either intentionally or inadvertently. Nagas must bury their past. Let forgiveness and reconciliation prevail through Christ our Lord and Savior who already did on the Cross.
7. Attitude that the best way to improve my quality of life is to improve the quality of life for the whole community.
As in a democratic system, we need to have open and uninhibited dialogue; in other words, the voice of the people must be heard without coercing. We need to build a consensus, be it the function of the government system, the political structure, or judicial system – no one individual or group can arbitrarily establish the system or hijack it for their own interest.
I suggest the following:
1. Stop violence immediately.
2. The Nagas (wherever they are) must fall down on their knees and ask for God’s mercy and forgiveness. A time of fasting and prayer (National Fasting Day/s) is suggested which should be organized by the Nagaland Church leaders. People, individually and collectively, must repent and pray for God’s cleansing and ask for His blessing and guidance
3. All faction leaders must come together and meet and discuss issues confronting us, at a place and time to be determined and arranged by a third party.
3. The Nagas need to come together under one banner regardless of political differences and develop a common ground. There needs to be only one organization, representing the entire Nagaland, approved and acceptable by all citizens, and not just one group or faction. The newly created and chosen leaders will meet with the Indian counterpart. Until this takes place, no activity should be carried out by any of the faction groups.
4. India will not decide who will be represented in the dialogue. The people of Nagaland will decide who will represent them.
5. No group/organization should conduct activities that are objectionable, such as representing Nagaland to the outside world without proper approval/authorization, especially trying to solicit donations or contributions from foreigners without proper approval/authorization. In the event such activities do takes place with proper approval and authorization, all collections thus received must be reported including how they were spent. We must be accountable to everything entrusted to us especially as children of God.
Dr. V. Nienu received his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1983. He was the recipient of The Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship as well as research grants from The National Geographic Society, The Ford Foundation, Asian Cultural Council, and The Leakey Foundation. Twice, Dr. Nienu served as a Visiting Scholar at UC Berkeley as well as taught at Patten University and Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. Currently, he works as a Consultant in a number of fields including energy conservation, media, ecology/environmental issues among others. Dr. Nienu and his family live in California, USA.
