'On waiting mode, only time will tell' : Search for a dialogue
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: December 08, 2012 -

Ambiguously unambiguous.

This perhaps sums up the position where the Kuki National Organisation, one of the conglomerate body of Kuki armed groups in the Suspension of Operation pact, stands.

By refusing to sign the extension pact, insisting on a written assurance from the Government of India that a political dialogue would be initiated on a predetermined date, the KNO has delivered an unambiguous stand.

‘On waiting mode,’ ‘the time will tell’ are clever terms, which is perfectly in line with, ‘the SoO pact has not been abrogated. Neither has it been extended’ statement.

Surely a demonstration of what good public relations is all about and perhaps here is the dawn of a new chapter in the definition and understanding of what being media savvy is all about.

Politics of pressure or demonstrating a committed stand ? Only time will tell, as the KNO spokesperson, Dr Seilen Haokip said.

On November 2 this year, the KNO spelt out its stand in clear cut terms and even went to the extent of stating that the SoO pact has become meaningless in the absence of any talks across the negotiating table.

Seven years down the line and it is obvious that the SoO groups still have nothing to show by way of progress. What however has emerged clearly is the demand for a Kuki State or Zalengam.

And not surprisingly this has stirred a hornet's nest, with numerous Naga civil society organisations coming out and challenging the veracity of the claims made by the Kuki State Demand Committee in its proposed Kuki State map.

Nothing ambiguous in the demand raised by the KSDC and the KNO, but what still remains in the realm of the ambiguous is the question of whether the demand for a separate State is within the parameters of the SoO pact when it was inked more than seven years ago. The KNO has not answered this point till date.

As things stand now, the SoO pact will obviously not be derailed, with the other constituent group, the United People's Front having agreed to the proposal of the Government to extend the period till August next year.

Another unambiguous point that has emerged from the latest development is the different agenda of the two said groups.

An autonomous tribal region is the demand that has been reportedly put forward by the UPF and by agreeing to append their signature on the extension pact, the UPF has conveyed the signal that it is ready to wait for some more time before a political dialogue begins.

This is where an interesting point emerges. How Delhi deals with two groups, having different and maybe even opposing agenda, under the same pact, will be interesting to see and study.

A room being created for political manoeuvring for Delhi and Imphal or will this prove to be a detriment in taking the SoO pact to its logical conclusion ?

This is where the ambiguity of the SoO agreement emerges. A dialogue is the natural follow up to any peace deal or suspension of hostility and it defies logic why no talk has been initiated even after seven years of it being implemented.

Delhi may have its own reasons, but then it is only right that the reason be made known to the stake holders or the groups directly involved in the peace pact.

The communication gap is palpable.

On the other hand, it is also important that the KNO and the UPF try to first find a common meeting ground or else a dialogue under the same pact, will prove fruitless.

It is not a stalemate as yet, but to keep an issue smouldering can definitely lead to a situation that may rank as a stalemate.