Dr Asangba Tzudir
The need for a ‘transformative change’ was the highlight of the recent meeting of the Naga Apex bodies and Church coming under the banner of the forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) to walk the statement, “Nagas are moving ahead” declared on January 23, 2023, in Dimapur. This meeting was also a call to NNPG and the NSCN/GPRN to come to a meeting without delay and honor their commitments of the ‘September Joint Accordant’ of September 14, 2023; the ‘Kolkata Meeting’ of October 18, 2022; and the ‘Nagas are Moving Ahead’ statement of January 14, 2023, “in the spirit of sincerity and realism.”
It was also a call for Nagas from every side to “cooperate with each other without compulsion” notwithstanding the “regional aspirations.” That the “cooperation must emerge voluntarily by respecting every cultural (tribal) group and political organizations.”
The meeting also stressed on a very important premise that “changes are a fact—politics and political forms are also changing” and which is vital in the coming together as a nation, and which also requires the acknowledgement of each other through cooperation.
As the Forum for Naga Reconciliation, it also inclines to the position that those who are unable to cooperate for their own personal reasons should also be respected, that there should be no room within the Nagas as a whole for undermining nor for overbearing anyone.
Calling upon the “Naga people and citizens of the land” to render support to any forms of transformative change, it is looking at events to impress upon the Government of India to accelerate the Naga political agreements before the general elections.
On the whole, the call for a “transformative change” in “accordance to global relevance” is still a dream. The call for reconciliation, accepting, respecting and acknowledging the differences, cooperation and mutual support are indeed very beautiful terms, the potentiality of which is yet to be actualized, nonetheless, it is a work in progress.
While the focus needs to be sincere and pragmatically real, the work in progress also needs to go in tune with how the global politics and the world order is shaping up. However, it draws the Naga Political issue to the premise of respecting each other’s position. This seems to be a very pertinent challenge today. How can there be real forward movement or “transformative Change” if there are differences? How can the Naga Political Issue move forward when there is trust deficit yet to be bridged?
And yes, it is important to respect each other’s position, yet it is also equally important and crucial to settle differences to come together to carry forward the process of Naga Political Solution. This seems to be the threshold, the crux of the issue today. As such, there is an urgent need for transcending the threshold to a space where the aspired and pursued dreams can actualize.
Dr Asangba Tzudir writes a weekly guest editorial for The Morung Express. Comments can be mailed to asangtz@gmail.com
