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Muivah and Naga Politics

Th. Muivah must be a very confused man. With old age cornering him and with no sight of Greater Nagaland or Nagalim happening, the man has but few options with which to wind down his eventful, but chaotic life.

Muivah hails from Ukhrul district in present day Manipur. Having been a student of Political Science at Assam's Guwahati University, Muivah was a politically conscious character. History had taught him about the perceived exploitation, the Manipuri Nagas apparently faced, at the hands of the then Manipuri Kings. We have to remember that the Meitei subjects of these Manipuri Kings were also victims of exploitation, at the same hands.

Let us dwell on the options that Th. Muivah has up his sleeves.
James Muivah, the brother of Th. Muivah has stated that “Sovereign statehood for Nagas is going too far” but he opined that denying the Naga-inhabited areas to form a greater Nagaland would be disastrous for all. This is pretty much the state of mind the Nagas in Manipur have at the moment and they came close in legitimizing this state of mind.

The Naga Nationalism as we see now is very different from the days when AZ. Phizo was at the helm of affairs. This present wave of Naga Nationalism seems to have been borne out of deep rooted ill-feelings felt by the Nagas who were subjects of the then Manipuri kingdom much as the other communities were. Complaints of treatment as second class citizens and of being exploited socially and economically in the past are major issues that the Nagas feel very strongly about and for which they want this issue settled once and for all, with the Naga-inhabited areas of Manipur just getting the hell out of Manipur and become part of a greater Nagaland.

But it is just not this emotional conflict that would provide a solution to this vexed Naga issue. It can be noted that because of Th. Muivah, the voices of the Manipuri Nagas and Nagas residing in other states have come to be heard. Now whether this is a voice, which is a legitimate one, or not at all, is another issue!

Different quarters lament about Chauvinism at play here, but is this Naga Chauvinism, Assamese Chauvinism or Meitei Chauvinism? A lot of answering needs to be done. In a letter written in protest against the arrest of Th. Muivah in Thailand, the President of the Council of Khalistan at Washington DC, USA wrote about the meeting he had with Th. Muivah and espoused the common goals of Khalistan and Nagalim, which is to achieve sovereignty from the Indian Union. He wrote that he supported “the national ambitions of the people of Nagalim”

The trial in Bangkok of Mr. Th. Muivah, arrested for travel with improper documents, took place in the presence of prominent international observers from Europe and the United States. Senator John Nimrod from Illinois attended the trial on behalf of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO), an International Organization based in the Hague, The Netherlands. The UNPO has fifty-two member nations and peoples representing over 100 million people worldwide.

Mr. Menelaos Tzelios, General Secretary of the International Federation for the Protection of Ethnic, Religious, Linguistic and other Minorities, based in New York was also in Bangkok to observe the trial on behalf of his Organization, which works closely with the United Nations.

The Transnational Radical Party (TRP), a European based Political Party and NGO, with consultative status at the UN, sent Ms. M. Soltjer to observe the trial. lts General Secretary, Mr. Olivier Dupuis, who is a member of the European Parliament, said the TRP has followed the peace process between the Government of India and the Naga movement headed by lsaac Chishi Swu and Th. Muivah. He was concerned that the detention of the latter may jeopardize the fragile peace negotiations. Th.Muivah is the principal negotiator in the talks with the Government of India.

With the kind of recognition awarded, it is not hard to understand the thought process of Mr. Muivah and the NSCN (IM) leadership. Naga Nationalism would be dead if not for Mr. Muivah and this is where his dilemma also sets in.

Nagas as we know are comprised of disparate tribes, some practically having nothing in common linguistically or anthropologically. With the creation of the state of Nagaland in 1963, carved out of Assam, a political entity was formed. Manipur had already been annexed and had become part of India, but was still a Union Territory of India at the time Nagaland attained statehood.

Manipur also had Nagas as its citizens then and now. It is also said that the Nagas, along with the Kukis (another community residing in the Hills of Manipur) have all along lived in harmony with the Meiteis and others in the Valley areas, and this is what Manipur is today.

If a sovereign Nagalim is formed, Th. Muivah could be its President and Mr. Isaac Swu his deputy, but this is not the likely scenario at all, considering the present politicking that is going on. If the Government of India and the NSCN (IM) comes to a settlement much like the Mizo National Front (MNF) in Mizoram, which signed an accord with the Government of India earlier, it could have Th.Muivah becoming the Chief Minister, in the same fashion as Mr. Laldenga, the MNF leader did.

The MNF also fought for a Greater Mizoram and there was much concern in Manipur at that time as well. Mizoram, of course ended up achieving statehood with the signing of the Accord. But what about Nagaland? It is already a state. Since it is not going to become a Sovereign Nation, what is the option? A big question indeed!

But suppose, if a settlement is reached, would the Nagas of Nagaland accept Muivah? It is hard to comment on this one, because in that situation, tribal chauvinism would probably set in amongst the Naga tribes and someone from outside the state of Nagaland holding the reins of a state he does not belong to, would be something hard to swallow for Nagaland Nagas.

AZ. Phizo was an Angami Naga from Nagaland, the present Nagaland Chief Minister SC.Jamir is an Ao Naga, Isaac Swu is a Sema Naga from Nagaland and Muivah is a Tangkhul Naga from Manipur. So in the context of tribal politics, Muivah needs to bring along “something for his homecoming” which is the Naga-inhabited areas of Manipur. Otherwise the question of him being accepted in Nagaland fully is hard to visualize. That is the very reason why the extension of the Ceasefire to the so-called Naga-inhabited areas is just so important for the NSCN (IM).

The approach of the other faction, NSCN (K) does not even have this issue. The NNC, another of the Underground Outfit and which was the party of the AZ.Phizo, the father of Naga Nationalism did not have anything to do with Manipur at least. In the event that the Government of India and the NSCN (IM) reach an accord, what would be Muivah’s position in Manipur? The question of autonomy for the Hill Districts of Manipur could be where he is headed. And what does this autonomy issue imply?

Another round of Meitei Chauvinism toward the Manipuri Nagas or Naga Chauvinism toward the Meiteis? It is indeed hard to envisage any remedy as the stands of both sides are pretty much solidified. This solidification is in need of a thawing, for all the good reasons that are lying around and which haven’t been figured out yet.

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