Naga quagmire
Rio denies Amsterdam talk was a failure while his predecessor S. C. Jamir claims that the settlement to Naga political issue continues to be as “elusive as ever with both the parties rigid in their stands.” 

IM is gung-ho about the Amsterdam round of talks. Hokugha Sema, the IM’s pointsman and secretary, information, terms these talks as quite encouraging. “Both sides approached the negotiations on a positive note and hence the optimism,” says Hokugha. The talks between IM and the Government were positive and quite encouraging and ended on a positive note in Amsterdam, claims Hokugha Sema. He says the Government of India is very much in favour of finding a solution to the Naga question. But there are some forces bent on arm-twisting the Government of India and derail the peace-talks, he believes.

Hokugha Sema doesn’t want to identify these forces. Nor is he willing to elucidate further his comment. He nevertheless adds: Government and the IM understand each others’ pulse very well. So, no danger to the peace-process. No question of sabotage. K Padmanabhiah led the official team as usual at the Amsterdam too. The IM delegation included besides h Muivah and Isak Chisi Swu, top leaders including R. H. Raising, Q. Tuccu, A. K.Lungalang and Rev Puni. NOT FAILURE: RIO The DAN government is closely following the progress of peace talks. The Centre is also keeping us posted with the developments, chief minister Rio said Based on these inputs, he believes that the latest Amsterdam round was not a failure.

“The Naga political issue”, he points out, “is a protracted one spanning over half-a-century. One should not expect a solution overnight”. Rio denied the Amsterdam talks between the representatives of New Delhi and the IM was a failure as claimed by S. C. Jamir. The former Nagaland chief minister believes that the settlement to Naga political issue continues to be as “elusive as ever with both the parties rigid in their stands and their meetings invariably ending in deadlock.” “I said it is a process,” Rio points out, wondering as to how one could say “it is a deadlock.” He asked “How Jamir can say there is no progress in the past six and a half years. The 50-year-old political problems cannot be resolved overnight”. JAMIR DISAGREES But the former chief minister doesn’t share Rio’s optimism. Nor does he agree that he has become a stumbling block to the peace process as alleged by the ruling establishment.

His anger is more on account of Rio’s reluctance to concede the historical importance of the 16-point agreement signed by the Naga People’s convention (NPC) and the Government of India in 1960. Jamir says the people of Nagaland, irrespective of political affiliations or inclinations are indebted to the then NPC leaders who took such a “bold political decision” to usher in peace. The signing of the 16-Point Agreement” heralded the birth of Nagaland as a new state in 1963. “These leaders need to be appreciated for the simple reason that they could bargain for Statehood to a people who numbered just about 3.5 lakh,” remarks the veteran Congress leader.  “If this arrangement was not arrived at, Nagas might have remained a district in Assam.” Jamir wants the Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio to “realises and appreciates the political farsightedness” of the NPC leaders instead of making baseless allegations against the 16-Point Agreement. “I really do not understand why Rio, who is the Chief Minister under the provisions of the 16-Point Agreement, is spitting venom over the very Agreement,” remarks Jamir, noting that  since becoming the chief minister Rio has been invoking the very agreement to secure more central funds and to press for  ‘the integration of contiguous Naga areas’. NOT ROAD BLOCK Jamir is aghast at the charge he is the road block to the peace process.

‘How can any one level the charge against me when it was I as the chief minister withdrew all pending cases against the IM leadership and even got cancelled arrest warrants against them. I did these things on my own, voluntarily to facilitate the smooth sailing of the peace process. ‘Because of my decision to withdraw cases, the IM leaders could come to India and hold direct talks with the Indian leadership in January this year. More over, in response to the call of the Naga Hoho for reconciliation among various sections of the Naga society, I publicly declared at Pughoboto on February 22, 2002, that I forgave them for their attempts to assassinate me on several occasions. “Therefore, let the people judge if I had done all these to further the Naga peace process or otherwise.” Jamir took a dig at Rio’s reported welcome of the NSCN decision to open an office at Washington. How could a Chief Minister who had sworn allegiance to the Constitution of India could appreciate the opening of the NSCN (IM)’s office at Washington, he asked. His advice to Rio is better concentrate on programs and policies, which benefited the people and learn to accept the truth without being coloured by prejudices.

Congress Chief has termed as wishful thinking Rio’s claim that   some Congress MLAs were ready to cross the floor. “If Rio is serious about another split, we can only assume that he is financially prepared once again. But if he thinks Congress legislators can be lured away from their principles and ideologies by money or position, he has set his sights at the wrong place”, he said.

MONEY FOR CHURCHES: RIO CLARIFICATION

Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has defended his government donation of Rs. 60 lakhs to the Church. The money was not for furthering the peace process with the help of the church as some alleged but for giving a fillip to the development works undertaken by the Church, he clarified. Rio took the Congress to task for kicking up a row over the donation and seeing politics where there was none. The Congress, he said, is instigating and poisoning the Church functionaries not to have money from the Government. He said the Church has not conveyed to him its rejection of our gesture though that is what the Congress has been claiming. “Although the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) government took the decision to allocate development fund to churches with good intention, the opposition made a hue and cry thereby forcing the church to reject the offer”, Rio regretted. He said the Nagaland Churches are doing a “wonderful job” for the society but there is so much shortage of fund with them.  “So, we thought of the contribution — Rs. one lakh by each of our sixty MLAs from their Constituency Development Fund to the Churches.”

The Chief Minister was happy that the North East BJP Secretary V Satish had welcomed the offer. In the same breath, Rio made it clear: “It is up to the Church functionaries whether they receive the fund or not. There is no going back on our desire to help them with a small contribution as they have been doing so much wonderful work for our society’s uplift”. Obviously pained by the mixed reaction to the government offer, the Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC), the apex church body, has decided not to accept the government money “to safeguard the sanctity of the church”

Rio expressed surprise over the NBCC’s rejection of the offer as a collective body pointing out that individual church leaders always ask for financial assistance from the government to carry out the church works. WHY BLAME CONGRESS: IMKONG TO RIO Why blame the Congress for Churches’ refusal to accept your government money, Opposition Leader I Imkong is asking the chief minister in all seriousness “Our party has only conveyed it’s considered opinion on your decision to divert Rs. 60 lakhs out of MLAs constituency fund to the Church work. We believe your very decision undermines the sanctity of the Church,” he said in response to the chief minister’s diatribe against the Congress. ‘To accept or not to accept the money offered is entirely up to them (Church leadership) Rio should know the way the Church works. He must stop blaming the Congress for the snub from the Churches’, remarked Imkong. The blame game Rio is indulging in shows his lack of confidence in himself and his own DAN government, the Congress leader added. Imkong took exception to the Rio warning to the Church leadership that if they failed to receive the fund collectively, they should not receive it individually either. 

NSCN (K) RECEIVES JOLT, ‘HOME MINISTER’ JOINS NSCN (IM)

Meanwhile, NSCN (K) received a major setback when its kilo kilonser (home minister) Tongmeth Konyak shifted loyalty to the NSCN (IM). The high profile defection came at a time when the NSCN (K) was trying to re-establish its operational base in the State since its organisational and logistical assets were severely disoriented after its command headquarters in Nagaland’s Mokokchung district had to face the wrath of public uprising recently. According to the sources from the Ministry of Information and Publicity (MIP) of the NSCN (IM), Mr Konyak joined the outfit with a captain, both hailing from the Konyak tribe. Sources, however, stated that the organisation expected more defections from the higher echleons of the rival setup in the coming days as many of their regional commanders and political leaders of the group were in a State of utter confusion over its policies. Defection at such a high level is likely to trigger another round of defection in the rank and file of the NSCN (K) particularly from Tongmeth’s followers, who are mostly from the powerful Konyak tribe, sources pointed out and added that Konyaks are a powerful repository of the NSCN (K)’s cadre strength and might hurt the outfit severely if the cadres switched sides. According to political analysts, the NSCN (IM) was certain to get a foothold and might even be able to establish its control in areas around Mon district hitherto the stronghold of the NSCN (K) faction. However, more than the NSCN (IM) is likely to project this development as a vindication of its credibility as the authentic organisation espousing the cause of the Nagas. In the lexicon of the NSCN (IM) it terms such defections as ‘homecoming’ as it believed that it had the people’s mandate and that the NSCN (K) faction was just a group floated by hostile elements. Meanwhile, defected NSCN (K) leader Tongmeth Konyak in a statement categorically stated that he found the NSCN (IM) headed by Swu and Muivah was ‘people-based’. He said he was deeply convinced that the current peace process under the three agreed terms between the Centre and the NSCN had now entered a crucial stage. The official recognition of the unique history and situation of the Nagas was also a landmark. These were the achievements of the Nagas under the leadership of Swu and Muivah, which should be appreciated and supported by all Nagas from all quarters, he added. Mr Konyak further stated that after having undertaken some critical analysis on the issue, he believed that had the NSCN been united on correct bases, it could have avoided division, distrust and bloodshed among the Naga brothers and sisters. Unity was assured if the current peace process, based on the Naga national principle, upheld the territorial integrity as top priority, he said adding any problem could be solved through negotiations.

NSCN (IM) ASKED TO DESIST FROM CRIMES

Apex social organisation, United Committee, Manipur, spearheading a stir for the protection of the State’s boundaries, hit back at the NSCN (IM) and asked it to refrain from committing crimes in Manipur and show respect to the 2000 year old history of the State. Welcoming the peace talks between the outfit and the Centre, a UCM spokesman said that since the NSCN (IM) was engaged in talks for peace, they should stop extortion, looting and collection of ‘taxes’ from the people in Manipur. He said the NSCN (IM) which had told the UCM not to distort Naga history, while trying to create a Naga state and nation, should not forget that the people of Manipur were solidly united to protect the boundaries of their State at all costs. The UCM respected Naga insurgents who had sacrificed their lives for an ‘independent Nagaland’ and the NSCN (IM) should know how the people of Manipur helped them in their struggle. He wondered whether Nagas who had sacrificed their lives would have liked the present peace talks between the Centre and the NSCN (IM). The UCM spokesman said many communities had settled in Manipur and UCM had so far not taken any unilateral decision on border issues without consulting them. The UCM, he said, had been trying to implement the decision of these communities that any attempt to divide Manipur should be thwarted at all costs. The NSCN (IM) had also said “the Meiteis and Nagas are two different entities. The UCM’s distortion of history to misinform the outside world can never undo the historical accounts written by prominent British writers and Meitei scholars. “The basis of Indo-Naga talks fully recognised the unique history of Nagas, which is not within the confines of the present State of Manipur,” NSCN (IM)’s information and publicity wing had said in Kohima.

Don’t shy away from reality: Naga NGOs to Meities

However, various mass-based civil societies and NGOs of Nagaland have reacted to the recent development in Manipur over the integration issue of contiguous Naga inhabited areas and cautioned the Meiteis to accept the reality. Reacting for the first time over the development, the apex body of all the Naga tribes, the Naga Hoho, clearly stated that it would not be long before the Naga people react. Ridiculing the statement made by a Meitei leader that hundreds of Meitei youths were ready to lay down their lives for the territorial integrity of Manipur, Naga Hoho general secretary Dr John Murry reminded that thousands of Naga youths had already sacrificed their lives for the Naga cause and said the Meitei threat was insignificant. Lashing out at the United Committee of Manipur (UCM) for threatening the cause of the Naga people that had been nurtured over the past many decades, Dr Murry said their reaction only exhibits the level of disrespect they have for the Nagas. The Hoho leader hoped that better sense would prevail but also said that the situation was unfortunate and that it was forcing the Naga people to react.

“The Government of India and the world has recognised the relevance of the history of Nagas but the Meiteis fail to understand and realise the reality even today,” Dr Murry said adding the Meiteis could not solve the Naga problem as the Naga issue was not dependent on them. Incidentally the UCM is spearheading a protest movement against the recent release of NSCN (IM) officials and demanded that the boundary of Manipur be protected, besides asking the Centre to clarify whether the ceasefire with the NSCN(IM) was “informally” operational in the State. A similar spate of violence erupted in the state in 2001 over the Union Government extending the ceasefire to all Naga inhabited areas and which had to b e “rolled back” to assuage Meitei sentiment.

Naga Peoples Movement for Human Right (NPMHR) leader Keviletuo Kewhuo, reacting to the recent development, commented that it was interesting to note the contradictory stands of the Meitei bodies whereby, while certain organisations in the valley were fighting for secession from India, the UCM and the all Manipur United Club Organisation (AMUCO) were talking about protecting the territorial integrity of Manipur. The apex Naga students body, Naga Students Federation president Achumbemo Kikon asked the Meiteis under the leadership of the UCM to immediately stop provoking the Nagas, stating that if this agitation was a test of strength, then Nagas were much better prepared than the Meiteis. On Manipur’s point of integration, Mr Kikon reiterated that the Nagas would not take an inch of Meitei territory, but would also not part with an inch of their territory. “They should respect the rights of the Nagas as the Nagas respect the rights of the Meiteis and live as good neighbours,” he observed. The Naga Mothers Association (NMA) has taken strong exception to the situation emanating from Manipur’s response to the ongoing Naga peace process.