DIMAPUR, Sept 12 - In the aftermath of the signing of the framework agreement between the NSCN-IM and the Government India on August 3 and with contents of the agreement still not made public, a common platform on �Nagas� Opinion for Peaceful Settlement� today expressed the view that unless all the Naga underground factions come together and place their demands as one, any settlement will only be a piecemeal settlement.
The speakers at the discussion, organised by the Against Corruption and Unabated Taxation Nagaland (ACAUT) at DDSC stadium here today, feared that in view of presence of six-seven underground factions in Nagaland, history may repeat itself if all Nagas are not taken on board while hammering out a final settlement. Besides, they opined that the common Nagas must be consulted and their views taken before arriving at a final decision as seven accords signed with different Naga groups earlier failed to stop violence and bloodshed in Nagaland.
Opening the discussion, Dr Visier Sanyu Meyasetsu, president of Overseas Nagas� Association, opined that all Naga political groups must heal each other�s wounds and contribute to the final settlement of the Naga issue. This is necessary for one Nagaland and better Nagaland, he stated.
On the term Nagalim used by NSCN-IM for Nagaland, Dr Meyasetsu, who is based in Australia, said all Nagas must agree on the nomenclature or else go for referendum on the matter. He also stated that the negotiations between the NSCN-IM and Government of India should not be end of the Nagas� journey to meet their aspirations.
Rev Dr Tuisem Shishak, Emeritus Principal, Patkai Christian College Dimapur and an eminent educationist, said the delay in making public the contents of the framework agreement will make the matter worse and further divide the Nagas.
He pleaded with NSCN-IM leaders Isak Chishi Swu and Th Muivah to clear the doubts and not treat the accord as �IM� record but as �Naga accord� while calling for peace among all Naga groups.
Dr VK Nuh, general secretary, Fellowship of Naga Baptist Associations and founder of Forum for Naga Reconciliation, stated that creation of Nagaland State without taking the consent of all Naga political groups was a mistake. �We have to sit together and reason together to decide what is right for us,� he stressed.
Rev Dr Mazie Nakhro, director, Mission Facilitator, USA, appealed to treat the agreement as a stepping stone towards meeting the aspirations of the Nagas. He also urged not to put a �complete stop� to Nagas� dream with signing of the accord while giving a clarion call to leave it to younger Naga generation to decide their future.
Niketu Iralu, a noted peace activist who describes himself as a committed fighter for change and healing in human relations in Naga crisis, wished that the NSCN-IM leadership extend special invitation to other Naga political groups and reveal to them the contents of the framework agreement. He warned that issuing provocative statements and counter-statements will only result in a paralysed society.
KK Sema, retired IAS officer and a forceful exponent of Naga unity grounded in the 1951 Naga plebiscite, dwelt on shared sovereignty as stated by Centre�s interlocutor RN Ravi and NSCN-IM general secretary Th Muivah. Maintaining that sovereignty means independence, he stated that the Naga people are confused about shared sovereignty and integration.
