The Nagas are one and sectarianism or schism cannot separate the Nagas. The government of India cannot be blamed for their divide and rule game; rather the Nagas have to blame themselves for making themselves easy prey because of lack of principle. Shallow Christians have been fighting against one another for decades but the black event will pass away and the heroes to their own Naga family in divisive battle will be ashamed. The government of India also will no longer divide and rule but will find that the Nagas become one.
Stoppage of killing is a great step towards reconciliation. But the essence of reconciliation is yet to be arrived at. Thousands of people including many NGOs and Civil societies gather together in the name of reconciliation is only paving the way of reconciliation. Reconciliation should be genuine reconciliation. Reconciliation in the real sense is realising own mistake, forsaking wrongs and admitting what is right is right and accommodation the good opinion or work of others. Without such things reconciliation is mouth reconciliation only. It is observed that our people are vocal about reconciliation without practice. Reconciliation seems to be reconciliation unless provoked.
We have to seek justice by looking up to Christ. The Nagas have different organization but all are one and for the same cause. The government of India cannot treat the different political orgainsations separately. “Such group or groups have directly and indirectly accepted the Constitution of India”. Whatever group or groups have committed whatever things but the political talk at the highest level in the same footing with that of 1964 which is going on between the GoI and the NSCN (IM) on behalf of all the Nagas irrespective of organizations has superseded all past commitments done by whichever organizations because on reaching a settlement all past agreements will go and nothing will stand in the way of new arrangement. It doesn’t mean that all of the Nagas are under the NSCN (IM) but all of the Nagas are under the umbrella of the status of the ongoing talk. It is a fact and it cannot be denied by any Nagas or Indian Government.
As the government of India is not to treat the different organizations of the Nagas separately, the same cannot be done by the Nagas themselves. As stated earlier, the Shillong Accord was not for self-interest but it was done under duress and it is not a hurdle in the ongoing political talk or in the settlement. So it should not remain an unsettled matter among the Nagas but it is to be treated as a pardoned and bygone matter. If it is treated as settled accordingly, the wall between the Accordist and Non-Accordist of NNC is automatically removed. So also all other similar agreements or failures should be treated as settled. Let us claim that the Nagas are one and are to be treated by the government of India as one.
The Nagas were prayed for by many countries in the world for reconciliation is not a glorification of Christ but is a disgrace of the name of Christ. We owed great indebtedness to the Christian organizations abroad for being instrumental in bringing about reconciliation amongst the Nagas. It is a good thing that the conflicting leaders of the Nagas meet with one another but it is not a matter of our pride. I hope that through their meet some good thing will emerge. The most important thing for the Nagas at this stage is that the general public and all of the different political organizations rise above sectarian attitude and unanimously work together as one to bring about an early solution to the Indo-Naga political problem.
Rev. L. Suohie Mhasi
