The death of Isak Chisi Swu- the ‘I’ of NSCK-IM after battling prolonged severe kidney ailments and urinary tract infection at the national capital yesterday marked a historic point in the struggle of the Nagas’ aspiration for independence and a relentless journey “towards a possible meeting point of peaceful coexistence”. His dedication to the cause he believed in had endured him and is responsible for making major breakthroughs in the protracted Naga issue. Fifty-eight years of unwavering struggle and unmitigated optimism would put any doubting Thomases to rest. While the veracity of the cause for which he sacrificed more than half a decade of his life is beyond the ambit of this piece, the spirit with which he, along with his like-minded colleagues mobilized and strode through the international arena laying down their point of view is worth appreciable- a worthy leader in every sense of the word. However, besides the Naga issue, there has been the simmering discontent from the various other communities against the perceived partiality and indifference by the state governments across the north eastern states. There are underground organizations, proscribed groups, social organizations and civil society bodies who are directly or indirectly sympathizing or supporting the innumerable causes being projected which have one grievance in common- that of serious social matters being sidelined and trampling the cultural and traditional aspirations of the region. There is an inherent threat to this commonality, in that the innumerable tribes, communities and ethnic groups are professing for separate and distinct geopolitical identities of their own, besides the decades-old armed struggles for total and absolute independence. These separate and evidently fragmented struggles with deviated set of demands and considerations tend to weaken the efficacy of the different struggles and drown out each other’s reasoning, ending up in a cacophony of noise, which once again raise the long-standing question- if the different communities and ethnic groups in the North-Eastern states are fighting for similar demands, why cannot these groups and parties be projected as one which will solve a lot of problems and answer a lot of questions. The fragmented issues and struggles have created a psyche amongst the different communities and ethnic groups in the region which perceives people from other communities with suspicion and guarded acknowledgment. There is an increasing psychological divide amongst the different communities and groups which is posing a threat to the protracted struggles. The increasing confusion and uncertainty have also helped spawn a number of unscrupulous individuals and groups taking opportunity of the worsening law and order situations to carry out nefarious activities for personal gain. The situation is turning to be a disaster, and if the chaff is not separated from the grain at the earliest, the whole exercise is bound to defeat itself. This is where real and dedicated leaders like Isak Chisi Swu could have made a glaring difference. Had his struggle been for the region rather than for a particular tribe, things could have been different, and garnered wider acceptability. Perhaps his death will open the eyes for every stakeholder in the region to take a different perspective. The state governments should be the first to introspect on the matter.
