Inferring that the comments of noted clergy-cum-politician Rev PBM Basaiwmoit was not true, the HNLC said that peace process was derailed by Dr DD Lapang and Julius Dorphang. “How can the former Chief Minister blame the Centre for the failure of his government?” the HNLC asked. They failed to convince the then UPA government under the leadership of Dr Manmohan Singh, the outfit accused.
The comments are contradictory as the ANVC had also signed a ceasefire agreement with the government in the year 2004 and till date the Central government (former UPA, present NDA) is communicating with the leadership of the ANVC; whereas in the case of HNLC the entire peace process was derailed. “This proves beyond doubt that the selfish motive of Dr DD Lapang was sole reason for the failure of the peace process,” the outfit alleged and added that it was only due to the initiative of by present Chief Minister, Dr Mukul Sangma on August 15, 2014 that the leadership of the HNLC came under a conclusion to initiate a peace dialogue and to enter into a bilateral ceasefire agreement with the government, it added.
The HNLC also demanded that the ethnic, cultural and religious identities of “us minorities”, wherever we exist, must be protected and that the Hynñiewtrep people (Khynriam U Pnar, U Bhoi, U Lyngngam, U War) should be given equal treatment as far as their human rights and fundamental freedoms are concerned.
“There is so much violence around the world; we might assume that violent conflicts and coercion are the natural order of things. Human beings are inherently aggressive, and wars and violent conflicts are inevitable. Yet, violence does not always occur, even when interests differ: violence is not inevitable. Violence is contingent upon the presence or absence of certain conditions,” the Meghalaya underground outfit stated.
It then said that not all conflicts are violent in nature, some conflicts can settled peacefully. The HNLC will strive to do this through the process of dialogue and discourse, achieving peaceful settlements of conflicts with justice and equality. Our overall mission and eventual goal is to facilitate and enable overall development of the Hynñiew-trep in particular and the State as a whole. In the majority of conflicts, both parties have some degrees of responsibilities, the HNLC added.
“At the moment the desire of the HNLC is to know and to be known, to be accepted and understood. We were created to stand up to protect the interests of our people, to have relationship with our people and to work for the betterment of each other. These are the tools that can bring about reconciliation and help us work through our issues so we can reap the benefits of more meaningful, peaceful Hynñiewtrep,” the outfit added.
Source: Assam Tribune
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