Rare good news in days of tension: NMA reaching out
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: November 14 2019 -

The rare good news in these days of tension and uncertainty.

This is how one may put the visit of the 6 member team of the Naga Mothers’ Association (NMA) to Imphal and interact with Meira Paibis and members of COCOMI, which has been spearheading the movement against anything that may negatively impact on Manipur when the final deal is inked between the NSCN (IM) and the Government of India.

Renewing and strengthening the relationship between the NMA and the Meira Paibis especially in light of the fact that the two women organisations were joint winners of the Lifetime Achievement Peace Award instituted by the Times of India back in 2013.

Underlines the point of how women can be messengers of peace, especially in the Naga society and the Manipuri society, where women occupy a unique position.

Free and frank talks the NMA seemed to have had with the Meira Paibis of Manipur and COCOMI too, if the statement of the advisor of NMA, Dr Rosemary is anything to go by and this is extremely welcome.

The very fact that womenfolk of Manipur and Nagaland could have a free and frank discussion on some of the pressing issues besieging the States of Nagaland and Manipur at this uncertain juncture is what makes the interaction all that more crucial and interesting too.

Tough to imagine that such a ‘free and frank’ interaction could have been possible if the NMA and Meira Paibis had not been from two neighbouring States.

This is the intrinsic ties that bind the two States together and this is something which everyone should acknowledge.

And it stands that this intrinsic ties can only be strengthened by more people to people contact and no other force on earth should be given the room to politically tweak this ties.

This is an important point that should not blow over the heads of anyone.

If the November 11 and 12 interaction is to have any meaningful fallout then efforts should be made to see how such a positive development can be taken further.

Let this interaction just be the beginning and let it not end there.

The first and most important test will obviously be when the final agreement between the Government of India and the Naga armed groups, particularly the NSCN (IM) is inked.

The response of the people on either side will perhaps be the first demonstration to estimate how fruitful the interaction and sharing of ideas between the NMA of Nagaland and the Meira Paibis of Manipur has been.

It would have made the interaction programme all that more fruitful if only the Manipur based Naga Women Union had also taken part in the interaction exercise.

This would have gone a long way in thrashing out any misunderstanding and drawn the womenfolk closer.

Whatever the case, a beginning has been made and it would be so much more fruitful if this is taken one or two steps forward and CSOs from either side interact and have a heart to heart sitting.

UNC president Kho John has already spoken his mind, in an earlier interaction with The Sangai Express and it would be so much better if such an interaction can be held with the other CSOs of Manipur.