Living under an illusion : Monopolising peace
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: June 27, 2012 -

Peace has a responsibility. And when this is overlooked, the price that one has to pay for peace can be heavy and nothing illustrates this better than when peace becomes the monopoly of some power mongers.

In all likelihood this is the case with the purported peace process that the Government of India has embarked upon with different armed groups, notably the factions of the NSCN.

Ceasefire agreements, peace process, political dialogue and such similar sounding slogans have literally flooded Nagaland and have become the fashion statement of quite a large number of the Naga people but peace continues to be a conundrum.

Nearly 15 years down the line, since August 1, 1997, and peace continues to be a mirage to the Naga people as a whole.

Top this up with consequent cease agreements inked with all the armed Naga groups and the picture should become clearer to all.

It is apparent that to Delhi, the peace process or the ceasefire agreements are fine and working, even to the extent of proceeding in the right direction, so long as their men, read the security agencies, do not have to engage the armed militants in a state of conflict.

To the armed groups too the ceasefire agreements are fine and working, so long as their cadres do not have to worry about confronting the security forces.

A case of monopolising peace, for in all practical sense, the hyped peace process has been anything but allowing the people, the common people, to live with a sense of security and under an environment of the universal understanding of peace.

The recent killing at Haochong village in Tamenglong district in which six persons including two civilians were killed is an apt example of how peace has been monopolised to the extent of exacting a heavy toll from the public.

Charges and counter-charges have been flying thick and fast between the NSCN (IM) on the one hand and the NSCN (K) and the ZUF on the other and while it is not the case of this paper to comment on which side of the story is more laudable, it definitely says something significant about how peace has been distorted and manipulated to the advantage of the armed groups.

Another fitting example of the public being short changed but who cares ? Not Delhi, not the armed groups either.

A damning statement of how the slogan of peace raised by numerous Naga civil society organisations has been defiled.

A wake up call, it should be to the people. The smokescreen created by the rantings of peace and ceasefire agreements have blinded everyone for far too long.

With Delhi demonstrating time and again that it is not willing to go the whole hog to actually allow peace to filter down to the people and with the armed groups using the peace call for their own convenience, it is time for a reality check.

Bitter it may be, but to deal with the reality, it is important to peel away the layers of sugar coated slogans. The enormity of the task is no doubt mammoth, but there can be no greater tragedy than to let a people live under an illusion of peace.