Z Lohe
The word ‘facilitation’ (noun) means to make easy or easier or more convenient or to help bring about according to Dictionary. These English vocabularies as Sovereignty, Independence, Integration and Facilitation are familiar to the Nagas in particular including the illiterate because these are our chorus words without which we do not eat or drink. Of late, the word ‘facilitation’ has superimposed the other three vocabularies under the weight of extraordinarily passionate facilitation initiated by the 59 elected Members of Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) under the aegis of Parliamentary Core Committee on Naga Political Issue (PCCNPI).
The facilitation role to be played by any individual or any community is purely voluntary and by choice and not otherwise. Neither the facilitators are the political negotiators nor can the facilitators become negotiators at any stage of such negotiation. The only role a facilitator plays is to extend his/her support to the negotiator with the best of intention.
Merely by the mercies of the Living God, the processes of the political negotiations between the GoI and the Naga political negotiating parties, namely, NSCN (IM) and Working Committee of 7 NNPGs had been completed by 31st October, 2019. In other words, in my belief, all the contentious issues so far tabled by the negotiators were sorted out at least by that given dateline. Practically the ground for finalizing the negotiations has been kept ready. What remains to be done is the signing of the agreement.
As and when the GoI decides to ink the agreement, as I believe, the two Naga negotiating parties will be invited to sign the agreement for a single solution. People tend to have apprehension as to how the parallel political negotiations with NSCN (IM) and WC, 7-NNPGs are converged into a single solution. Yet, personally I have confidence that the GoI has the readymade mechanism to tactfully translate the dual negotiations into a solution.
Meanwhile, we are witnessing a flurry of felicitation-cum-political gaming activities of the MLAs at present in Nagaland. Firstly, the PDA and NPF formed the PCCNPI on 16.6.2021, and in one of its subsequent meetings a 5 Points resolution was adopted which was published in local papers dated 10.7.2021. Vide Resolution No.1 “The Core Committee appeals to the negotiating Parties of the Indo-Naga political dialogue to resume the Peace Talks……” This opening sentence implies as though the WC of 7 NNPGs has too stalled the process of negotiation, whereas no such hiccup is reportedly known so far. The Core Committee should have been bold and frank enough to make that appeal to NSCN (IM) to resume the negotiation with the official representative of the GoI rather than confusing the public. What makes PCCNPI shudder even to urge the NSCN (IM) to resume talk? I appreciate the Resolution No.4 that “All Members of the Core Committee and the PCCNPI including the two MPs …..“ have resolved to pave the way (to resign from the membership) ‘as and when an acceptable solution is arrived at’ in honor of the declarations made in respective party manifestos. Whereas, the resolution No. 5 remains ambiguous as the Core Committee appeals to the Naga negotiating parties “to come together in order to hammer out their differences and create a common approach for One Solution and One Agreement.”
The NSCN (IM) was determined to have the exclusive political negotiation with the GoI, and accordingly it had completed the very process of negotiation within the time frame of 31.10.2019 set by GoI in its 22nd year of negotiation. The other 7 NNPGs had agreed to have a common platform under the aegis of Working Committee and then entered into negotiation with the GoI in 2017, and it too had completed the process of negotiation within the same given dateline in just 2 years of dialogue.
What the Core Committee implores upon the Naga negotiating parties to sort out their ‘differences’ after one year and nine months of completing the processes of negotiations by the parties with the GoI simply sounds un-facilitating. The very language implies as though such ‘differences’ have been hampering the processes of negotiations. Whatever may be the purported differences according to the Core Committee were never considered by the GoI to be the impediment to dual negotiations and that was how the processes could be successfully completed within the given dateline. Therefore, when the status of the political negotiations with the GoI has reached the final stage of signing the agreement, the Core Committee’s resolution No.5 is found to be a pre-condition being imposed on the Naga negotiating parties. This resolution No. 5 is therefore dubious in character for the reason that while the Core Committee has impressed upon the negotiators not to have precondition, the Committee is not supposed to impose the same on anybody.
Consequently, after the formation of PCCNPI and after adopting the very 5 Points resolution, the dramatic political maneuver of NPF to join PDA to have opposition-less government took place using the facilitation of Naga political solution as its major plank. As aforementioned, the spadework of negotiations has been completed except the inking of the agreement. The fact is that neither the GoI nor the Naga negotiating parties ever demanded the facilitation through the opposition-less govt. In other words, the PDA in ruling with NPF in opposition was never considered to be a road block to the processes of negotiations, and the situation remains the same.
An elected member or a political party has the liberty to opt for greener pastures, and yet it should neither be at the cost of political solution nor at the cost of the accountability of the elected members to the voters. The agenda of NDPP-NPF to have opposition-less Govt. under public pressure as claimed for the sake of facilitating the political negotiations and its solution is casuistic and indeed it is a political gimmickry. Discarding the political morality in the guise of political exigency exposes the greed of the present day leaders, and the practical transition facing unwelcoming wave from within the PDA is the bouquet given to NPF at the PDA’s gate. No doubt the negotiation processes, the logical conclusion and the arrival of the solution do require the cooperation of everyone. Nevertheless, any political party taking undue advantage of the prevailing situation to further the political agenda of one’s political party undermines the Naga political issue.
Indeed, Nagaland needs a vibrant and stable Opposition without which good and transparent governance cannot be expected. No matter how corrupt a ministry may be, when some genuine political leaders are there in the Opposition and playing their role positively, the rule of law and check and balance can sustain a system of deliverance to the public. The Opposition has miserably failed and thus the governance has become opaque, and the ultimate victim of the failure is the general public. The NPF’s abdication of the Opposition bench may now promote broad day pillage of the public exchequer; when so, such unholy marriage becomes detrimental to the welfare of the public.
The facilitators, as we all know, are not the negotiators, and the roles of the former and also of the latter are distinctly different. The facilitators therefore cannot become negotiators be it elected members of NLA or Civil organizations. The facilitators are supposed to extend overwhelming support and goodwill to the negotiators but not to overwhelmingly overshadow or to intimidate or to marginalize the negotiators through overindulgence. A minister in PDA recently disclosed in local media on 21.7.2021 that ‘the Centre tells us to go back, unite the Naga political groups and bring them together.’ If truly so, the message would have been officially conveyed to the Naga negotiators through the official representative of the GoI, the Interlocutor. The processes of negotiations cannot be driven by private influences.
As the negotiations have attained the signing status, the negotiating parties as well as the facilitators are required to focus our attention to the expeditious signing of the agreement. Be it the 59 MLAs and their Core Committee or their cohorts or any facilitator trying to digress the very focus will tantamount to sabotage of solution. While the facilitators are found urging the negotiating parties to bring the business to its logical conclusion without much ado, the facilitation has to be genuine in letter and spirit. The inconsistencies in the facilitation, from unconditional support to conditional support by propping up local conditions that are impediment to early solution, which may even lead it to no solution.
We cannot afford to entertain any proposal that can upset the process for solution with delaying tactics in the guise of calling for Naga unity or common interest by which the progress can be punctuated at this crucial juncture. I am sure every sensible Naga is aware of what are going to be the consequences of the political zero. The ultimate result of inconclusiveness of the negotiations will be the Damocles’ sword of uncertainties hanging above everybody’s head. The Nagas cannot opt for disaster.
May the Living God guide the Nagas at this crucial time!
