The Realities and Challenges of Nation Building
Where are we going as a people?
: aküm longchari
Change – the unspoken need?
Our future is determined by who we are today
and where we come from in the past
The journey of nations and human kind has profoundly been altered in the last twelve months or so. The world that we knew off is not quite the same today. The forces of nature, history and the unseen source of creation have once again unmasked the frailty of the human mind. The continuing polarization and intolerance around the world has come to the forefront. The need to ask ourselves questions that concern the core of human co-existence and the imperative need for justice and dignity to be at the core of human security has become imperative and unavoidable.
Have we fully comprehended the meaning of our existence? Where are we going? What kind of future are we seeking to build? What legacy do we leave for the future generation? What are we going to do with the present circumstances of the situation? These questions continue to challenge my mind in ways that I may never be able to fully articulate and express through mere words. It makes one wonder what would the future look like if we were all seriously and genuinely concerned about making changes in our lives and the world?
I have for several months been gathering my thoughts around these very issues, but have until now been unable to write this reflection paper. Every time I sat down to write, a feeling deep down inside me kept pushing me away from doing so. As I struggled with this mysterious feeling within me, I began to realize that this unknown feeling was urging me to understand in greater dept the frailty of human character and to get a deeper sense of the direction we as a peoples are moving towards.
In the aftermath of the September 11 tragedy, a Native American grandfather was talking to his grandson about how he felt about the tragedy and he said, "I feel as if I have two wolves fighting in my heart. One wolf is the vengeful, angry, violent one. The other wolf is the loving, compassionate one." The grandson asked him, "Which wolf will win the fight in your heart?" The grandfather answered, "The one I feed."
These profound words of wisdom continue to echo in my heart and it reaffirms my conviction that we as a nation with a greater sense of responsibility must begin critically examining ourselves and ask ourselves if we are feeding and nurturing the forces that will create a nation of respect, dignity, justice and hope. Or are we only fueling the forces of prejudice, hatred, oppression and the ‘isms’ that allows the powerful to exploit the growth of a nation? When do we realize that we cannot begin building a future that is founded on ‘hate’ and ‘exclusivity?’ I believe that the time has now come before us to address the issues around our mortality!
Basing on my limited experience and guided by my deepest passion and commitment for the Naga struggle, I would like to share some of my reflections as we continue in a dialogue of how and where do we proceed with our nation building.
Addressing history in a meaningful way
Until lions have their own historians,
tales of hunting will always glorify the hunters – African Proverb
I believe to move forward, we must first begin to understand where we came from and where we are today. In order to do so, we must reclaim our heritage, reclaim our stories, erase the myths that have distorted our identity and begin addressing our history in a way that embraces the richness of our cultures and one that will liberate us from the parochial systems that continues to suffocate us.
It is a fact that the colonial policies have through a subtle interplay of assimilation, and divide and rule stripped away our dignity and liberty. In the course of time statecraft too with great sophistication been able to refine lies to an extent that we are now made to believe it is the truth. In other words, the refined lies have now acquired some form of truth. Therefore how do we peel away the lies that continue to suppress the truth? How do we distinguish the perceived truth and the real truth, when the lies have now become the perceived truth? These are difficult questions that will challenge the core of our being and in the process create rifts and differences within peoples; but a journey that nevertheless needs to be taken in the process of nation building and in the search for a justpeace.
As Sekon Taiaiake, an activist for dignity, unity, strength and indigenous rights from the Mohawk Nation would ask, "What would the future be like if we were serious about making change? What would we do if we were really serious about changing things and breaking from the colonial chains that have been placed around our neck and which we have become so fond of carrying around?" We Nagas too must ask ourselves whether we are serious about making change? Are we prepared to free ourselves from the colonial chains that have made us stop thinking? Are we willing to prove to ourselves and all others that we love our land and our rights more than the money, the wealth and the institutions that are showered upon us by those who continue to keep us in chains?
And so how do we address all these important questions that defines our existence unless we begin to put right our history in a meaningful way? How do we move forward unless we reclaim our history? The strength and relevance of history cannot be rendered irrelevant nor can we underestimate its significance in the theatre of struggle for peace.
I feel we can begin to address history in a meaningful way once we have the courage to recognize one another’s right and understand the meaning of our existence as peoples. As Bob Marley, the great singer and revolutionary would say, "In this Great Future, you cannot forget your past, so dry your tears, I’d say..."
Addressing the legacy and scars of conflict
In order to forget, we must first remember – Nancy Good Sider
There is no doubt in my mind that in order to move forward into the future, we must first address the legacy of conflict and create space to acknowledge the deep fresh scars so that we can begin healing. In Naga society, everyone has a scar because of the oppression and protracted nature of struggle for rights like the one we have been engaged in.
We continue to struggle with deep physical, social, intellectual, economic, emotional and spiritual isolation and trauma that we have endured for generations. Communication systems have collapsed, social institutions have been damaged and people have stop communicating with one another thereby leaving room for the oppressors to create suspicion amongst one another through psychological warfare by means of rumors, confusion and division.
The institutions of governance and administration are corrupt and unresponsive to people’s basic needs. The institutions have come to regulate the lives of ordinary Naga citizens in an exploitative way by creating a relationship of dependency. In doing so, people have become passive and immune to structural violence. In effect institutions control sources of employment and exploit the basic human needs that denies a person to enjoy the right to life. Not surprisingly, like most situations of protracted conflict, the most basic essentials and human needs have become the most expensive, violating all norms of human understanding and natural rights.
Social and economic policies are non-existent. Internalization of fear and anger has taken place where people have begun turning their anger, hatred and violence towards themselves. Self-destruction is taking place. Alcohol and drug abuse, prostitution and social disorders continue at a very random and high rate. There is a very high degree of distrust, emotional and psychological trauma and disorder, thereby making the situation vulnerable to violence.
In such situations of uncertainty and exploitation, people look towards their own kin for safety, thus giving room for the powers, to create situations of instability and insecurity by promoting feelings of ‘isms.’ This has also allowed the practice and institutionalization of electoral politics based on patronage, whereby people begin to vote for individuals that guarantee jobs, favors and business contracts. In effect democracy is non-existent, and a state of militarization is created where direct violence through armed forces and in-direct violence through institutions lay the basis of control and power. Inevitably the use of force to suppress peoples rights are by people for whom change is extremely difficult due to their reluctance to lose power.
It is therefore imperative to address the legacy and scars of protracted conflict – and especially armed conflict in a meaningful and just manner. We just cannot move forward unless we have sufficiently addressed these issues. While recognizing that we are victims of injustice, we cannot also ignore the fact that none of us are innocent. Who is innocent? In the course of protracted struggle we have come to assume both roles and in the process of regaining our humanity, we loose our own humanity. Therefore any healing process must transcend both victim and victor mentality and create one of survivors. The shift in mentality is imperative for the future.
The challenges are daunting and very complicated. As Natacha Meden in ‘From Resistance to Nation Building: The Changing Role of Civil Society in East Timor remarked, "Although the roots of the East Timor conflict were those of a foreign occupation, which rendered the immediate post-conflict period easier to manage as the cause for conflict was removed with Indonesia's full withdrawal from the territory, reconciliation is not a matter to be overlooked. Years of occupation have led people to find their own survival method and it is not always clear who was working for whom, or who was working both sides--although settling of such scores does not appear to be an issue of major concern at the moment. Since the end of 1999, the East Timorese society has been experiencing on and off a series of tensions inherent to its fabric, such as the generation divide along language lines or the return of the diaspora. Whereas the older generation–elite and diaspora for the most part–speak Portuguese, the "language of the Resistance," the younger generation that grew up under Indonesian occupation speaks Indonesian."
Reconciliation and Reconstruction is therefore core to the existence of peace and stability in the process of nation building. For the sake of the future I believe that all wrongs committed by Naga people against the Naga people in the name of the Naga people must be addressed in a meaningful and substantial way. This symbolizes a significant step of a long process to address political hurts within the Naga socio-political fiber so that we can begin a process of healing collectively as a people. Similarly, economic justice must be addressed and poverty be removed. Those who have wrongfully profited out of the conflict must be held accountable and the gap between the ‘haves’ and ‘have not’ must be genuinely addressed in a manner that would facilitate the growth of an egalitarian society. The process of reconciliation should be rooted in the Naga struggle for self-determination and should emerge from the people with survivors’ justice as its standpoint so that it not only liberates the oppressed, but also the oppressors.
Any process of reconciliation that disregards issues of injustice underlying the conflict is not true reconciliation and will not be sustainable. Reconciliation therefore necessitates the transformation of unjust relationships to a more just one. Justice is an important aspect of reconciliation as it facilitates the healing of wounded people with scars. We need to evolve and create new ways of trusting and relating to one another along the lines of justpeace so that we allow reconciliation to happen. It is also true that the sense of justice changes over time and such a change is necessary for the reconciliation process. Reconciliation and healing must involve a change in heart and lifestyle – in essence a whole new way of life, so that it will allow us to build our society politically, socially, economically and spiritually.
DeStructuring the Structures of Violence
In a world where war is everybody’s tragedy and everybody’s nightmare,
diplomacy is everyone’s business – Lord Strang
Violence has played an integral role in destroying human hopes and dreams. It has taken many forms some that are direct physical force that is visible to the eyes; and some that are of more subtle forms, which are indirect and less visible to the eye – mostly in the form of structural violence. However, violence in any form has the same objective and with great sophistication suppressed people and taken away their capacity to decide their own future and denied their humanity and dignity.
The institutionalization of violence in Naga society is no different. However, what is seen most often to the naked eye is the brute direct violence that is so prevalent in our day-to-day lives. But yet violence in its structural form is ebbing away the Naga spirit and character in a subtle interplay of assimilation and divide and rule at its best. In practical terms, it has been structural violence that has been the most damaging to the Naga socio-political fiber, and yet also the least addressed. It is the structural violence that facilitates the maintenance of the State and diminishes the possibility of non-violent alternatives. In doing so the problem of violence is intrinsic to the nature of the State.
The issue of violence becomes more problematic in cases of protracted political conflict that has resulted in armed confrontation. In these cases, we see how the powers that be create more and more structures that enhance violence so that it supports the status quo and the interest of the powerful. There is no doubt that structures of violence are created to sustain the violence – in other worlds, adding violence to violence – because many people profit out of conflict. For instance, the budget, in areas of conflict, there is a relatively large budget to sustain war, but once the conflict is resolved, the budget is reduced which is against the interest of those who are benefiting from the conflict. Therefore to ensure that the budget does not decrease, structures are created to ensure that violence continues so that people in power can continue to fulfill their interest.
There is no confusion in understanding that for peace to be achieved, the structures that support and breed violence must be removed. The structures of violence must be de-structured and by doing so it gives us all a chance to begin building a future of hope. However, one must also acknowledge that in trying to do achieve the destructuring of the structures of violence, those in power would do everything within in their capacity to maintain the unjust status quo. So how do we bring about the change that is needed? The powers that be would want ordinary citizens to turn violent so that it would justify and legitimize the use of force and state oppression; and therefore it becomes imperative that people do not become fall prey to this diabolic scheme.
The structures that gives life to violence by breeding injustice, inequality, poverty, discrimination, militarization and oppression must be confronted and replaced by a more democratic structure, a structure that respects human life and liberates humankind from the forces of subjugation. It is imperative that this process of structural transformation be initiated through non-violent means where empowerment and participation of people is critical yeast.
It is through empowerment and participation that people begin to realize the meaning of their existence and inspires them to take concrete practical steps to make change possible by making sacrifices and biting the very hand that feeds them to prove that their sense for freedom and justice is of more profound meaning than mere survival in a state of oppression. The sense of empowerment helps people rediscover that we are all created to live in truth with justice and dignity.
If we as peoples are really serious in struggling for our inherent rights for self-determination, we must stop supporting the existence of the oppressive system and transcend the present structures and follow up all our talk with concrete steps so that the alternative system that we envision emerges out of our struggle to redefine who we are and how we relate to one another as human beings.
Transforming the old to a new democratic egalitarian nation
Each time it rains, I go to the sidewalk
Where tree roots have broken the concrete and listen to the water’s whispering
“It is coming soon” – Sara Little-Crow Russell
The most critical phase of any struggle is the point of transition when it liberates itself from oppression to create a new nation founded on democracy and liberty. This not only involves a shift in paradigm but must also mean transcending beyond the struggle itself. Therefore because of the nature of struggle, it is important that the alternative system is put in place at the point of transition itself. The need for structural adjustments at all levels cannot be undermined in this crucial stage of a nation. It is therefore critical that the alternative system itself is rooted in the struggle for self-determination so that it facilitates the growth of a democratic and egalitarian nation.
The need to emphasize addressing basic human needs like health care, housing, food; security, shelter, basic infrastructure and participation in decision-making processes cannot be underestimated. These are issues that are important to questions of survival and must be addressed at the earliest.
How do we therefore begin a process of nation building that creates pluralistic democratic institutions of governance where we ensure real political, economic and civil rights? How do we ensure in transforming institutions that are gender respectful and one where both men and women are equal partners in decision making? Will it be possible for us to develop the idea of a democratic nation-state as a ‘nation of communities?’
Further, the promotion and protection of human rights – in particular, participation in development, empowerment of the beneficiaries of development, non-discrimination, accountability, justice and equality ought to be comprehensively woven into the process of nation building. Similarly the issues around governance should be explicitly linked to human rights that emphasize the principles of dignity, transparency, responsibility, accountability, participation and responsiveness.
For the realization of these fundamental changes in structures, the responsibilities of people and mass-based organizations are imperative. It becomes a matter of principle for the society to be actively engaged in the transition process and it is the peoples organizations that must further explore ways in which it can make its voice heard after the end of the transitional phase to ensure the vibrancy of democracy.
The process of nation building is further greatly influenced by intergenerational perspectives and opinions. The issues surrounding how different generation groups approach is critical in the making of a nation. While the older generation feels that they have earned the right to determine the course of the future, the younger generations on the other hand feel that they know what is best for them and the future and are not willing to let the past of their elders become their future. It is therefore imperative to have a process of consistent in-depth dialogue between the different generations.
The process of creating a democratic egalitarian nation cannot be made possible without the active involvement of women. Women as sustainers of life with a deep sense of community play a crucial role in nation building. The prophetic nature of women’s role cannot be better expressed as it has been by Thoraya Ahmed Obaid the Under Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the first Saudi head of a UN agency who told BBC news online that, "Women are not only victims in times of conflict, they are peacemakers in taking care of their families, cross geographical, tribal and geopolitical lines. Their work at community level is an essential part of nation building. It is women who try to bridge differences and create the building blocks of reconciliation."
At the heart of any movement one of the most critical factors required for a profound transformation such as structural change is trust. For those involved in working for change it becomes imperative that they must earn the trust of the people. By creating trust they are facilitating the space to create a better society. In creating trust with people and convincing them that change is for the better, it helps remove people’s fears of uncertainties. It is told that great revolutions of our time have happened only when people believe that it was for the better. In a society like ours riddled with conflict that has bred suspicion, the challenges before us are immense.
The future?
It is not enough to imagine a better and more just future;
without a commitment to action, we will continue to suffer – Sekon Taiaiake
I have been asked on a few occasions if Nagaland can exist and survive as a nation, and I have no doubt that it can exist and survive. We are living in an interconnected and interdependent world, where even the greatest of nations is not living in isolation, but in relation with other nations. The existence of a nation therefore cannot be decided on the strength of its individuality alone! At its core we are all trying to make the best of what we have and what we can and to do so we must recognize the web of life, the interconnection of our beings and how our freedom and justice are tied with one another. No doubt the web of life has been abused by the more powerful, but I believe all struggling peoples must reclaim it for the sake of the future. I have no doubt in my mind and I believe that Nagaland will survive and exist as a nation, however we must be realistic in our assessment in determining where we can be self-reliant and where we will need the assistance of friendly nations. The fundamental factor that will shape the existence of Nagaland is dependent on how we the people respond to the call for change and what we decide to do with its future.
As Sekon Taiaiake would say, "I know that the path I am pointing towards is not easy or smooth; it is a rough, uphill path that will demand courage and will involve much conflict and sacrifice on our part. But the easy, smooth path is the way of surrender. The rough, uphill path of change is the only one that leads to a place where we can survive as nations with dignity. We must take the first steps now, and start bringing our practice into line with our rhetoric."
Truly, peace is not a goal to be pursued, since it is always in the making. As Abdul Aziz Said profoundly puts it, "It [peace] is a journey towards a place where there is trust, mercy and justice. We may not get there, but the journey is important and is never ending. It is a process of being and doing. Peace is both task and experience. The task of peace is dealing with structural violence. The experience is self-knowledge."
And so here we are in an important phase of human kind. What do we propose to do? We have this enormous task before us? And we can either take up the task to be makers of our own destiny or we can shy away from the challenges and be passive to the world around us. I am a dreamer, and hence I believe we will not remain silent, but will become active participants in the process of change. Indeed, dreams are imperfect, yet they open the way for a future and gives us the courage that enables us to take at least some small steps to alleviate us from the burdens of oppression. Thus, as a dreamer I have hope and faith that we will not allow destruction to ebb away the meaning of our existence to live in dignity and justice.
Once again, let us listen to Sekon Taiaiake’s wise words, “The Great Law of Change is real simple: change takes power, power takes organization, and organization takes unity. We could have all of those things if we really wanted them; and we could change our situation very quickly if we really wanted to do it. But, being seriously committed to making change in our lives would mean doing what is necessary to make change happen, not just talking about it.” Let us reflect upon these words of wisdom and do what we need to do to create a future of hope for our nation and for the world. Is it asking too much of us to being building our own rainbow?
If I could talk to my grandparents, great-grandparents and great-great grandparents, I would say the old times are gone, so much has changed but love like the wind and the earth is still here. When all else fades away – faith, hope, love will remain. Those feelings of freedom and justpeace that are so strong, so mysterious will always be with us. I think of you all and I thank all those who have come before us to courageously sustain the struggle and make the sacrifices for the present and the future of our people. I thank you.
back to the WallNagaTalk 2002