CCNTHCO puts onus on political parties
Source: The Sangai Express / Newmai News Network
Dimapur, February 05 2018:
The Core Committee of the Nagaland Tribal Hohos and the Civil Organizations (CCNTHCO) "expects that all those political parties which signed the pledges on their own volition to pave way for solution first and for the purpose of which they committed not to issue party tickets will prove their worth only when one puts it into action" .
The CCNTHCO stated that what it is expected to shoulder, it has accomplished.
"The rest are therefore left to those who are supposed to implement the resolutions practically," it added.
Meanwhile, the CCNTHCO said when "we pressed for 'Solution before Election', anyone can misconstrue it to be anti-Constitutional or anti-India," but added that the solution in the present context should never be misread.
Solution, when arrived at will be good for Nagas in particular and for Governmet of India in general, it added.
"We need this solution for peaceful coexistence and for durable peace which is why we implored our people to support the collective decisions adopted at different levels," it said.
"Nevertheless, it is not the Core Committee of the Nagaland Tribal Hohos and the Civil Organizations (CCNTHCO) to be the sole authority with powers to force anyone to refrain, be it a political party or an aspiring candidate from participating in the fray," it stated.
According to the CCNTHCO, after all, every Naga is part and parcel of the social and political mess and none can escape from it.
"It is therefore the bounden responsibility of every Naga to voluntarily contribute towards solution and none should hinder the processes for negotiation," it added.
Particularly, the Naga leaders and the sensible Nagas must never depend on someone else to clean the Naga dirty linen nor should anyone irresponsibly opt for posture of 'holier than thou' at the cost of the common man at this venture, the CCNTHCO said.
It said that every political party that came to rule the country, India, used to pass down the onus of solving Naga political issue to the next Government as observed in the last 7 decades on one hand.
"Whereas, on the other, the Nagas missed an opportunity to have a better political status out of the 6 rounds of negotiation in 1960s and yet whatever had happened to us, it is the question of fate.
Today, the leadership of the country has political will to resolve the Naga issue for the fact that it signed an agreement with NSCN (IM) known as 'Framework Agreement' on August 3, 2015 and also signed the Preamble for Negotiation with Working Committee of Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs) on November 17, 2017," the CCNTHCO said.
While the Naga political groups are in active negotiation with Government of India and the simultaneous contacts with the rest who are yet to come within the purview, there is definitely chance of getting the political issue resolved as all the parties are found determined to work out solutions, it added.
According to CCNTHCO, for decades, the Nagas have been shackled with the fetters of illusion, of anxiety and of division and confusion.
The Naga society has been in total haywire for a long, long time, it said.
"Our Naga society has been remaining in stagnation in respect of every positive aspect of life and we have not seen the progress of life for many years.
We have grown tired of continuing with the status quo as we cannot afford to live in this mess any longer," the CCNTHCO said.
It further said that the present generation leaders have this responsibility to arrange a better future for "our children and posterity" .
"It is shameful on our part to remain helpless in the midst of confusion and uncertainties.
We cannot shift the responsibility to any other people to bring change to Naga society.
In this endeavor, there can be neither exemption nor excuse for anyone but it has to be a total involvement of every Naga," it added.
The CCNTHCO said that the solution to the political issue has therefore become so imperative for the Nagas today as it can give answers to lot of "our questions, it can mitigate our burdens and it is expected to bring sustainable peace to our land".
To this end, the Government of India has agreed to jointly work out answers, it stated.
"Indeed, this is the opportunity for the Nagas to avail that chance at this very moment.
The deep concern of the conscientious Nagas is that if we are to hinder the progress of the negotiations though not necessarily derailing it ourselves, the greater loss will be to us.
The need of the hour is therefore how we can collectively and cohesively give the requisite impetus to the processes of negotiations and to urge for expeditious logical conclusions," it added.
According to the CCNTHCO, with this very ambition, the Nagas from all walks of life mutually agreed to give priority to political solution than having election simultaneously with the processes of negotiations.
"After a long spell, God in His wisdom brought the Nagas together in a spectacular manner to come to a consensus decision for 'Solution before Election'.
There is no ambiguity in this decision as one knows what can be the adverse ramifications the election will have on the people of Nagaland," it added.