Address interstate boundaries with utmost care: NEIPF urges

Adopts ‘Diphupar Declaration’

Morung Express News
Dimapur | May 1

The two-day annual conference of the North East Indigenous People’s Forum (NEIPF) concluded on Saturday with the ‘Diphupar Declaration,’ drawing attention of the North East States to address the interstate boundaries with utmost care.

It urged to “give preference to the Indigenous Peoples in the settlement.”

The declaration was adopted following the deliberation with delegates, resource persons, scholars, intellectuals and representatives of various organisations over the two-day event at the North East Zone Cultural Centre, Diphupar, hosted by the Nagaland Indigenous People’s Forum.

Among others, the Diphupar Declaration referred to the Forum’s resolve to continuously strive for the creation of a conducive atmosphere for the Indigenous Peoples of the North East States to share common interests and issues.

The NEIPF will make an endeavour in the pursuit of preserving indigenous traditional values and cultural practices, the document stated. It also demanded assurances that the Indigenous People would be made stakeholders in every decision concerning the people and the land.

‘A shared history’
One of the key points highlighted during the second day of the conference was the ‘shared history’ between the Indigenous Peoples of the region. Several speakers underscored that most of the issues that exist between the indigenous communities are rooted in their shared colonial history.

In the context of border issues, Kaustubh Deka, a professor at the Dibrugarh University, Assam noted that while most of the North Eastern states were bifurcated out of colonial Assam, the people have a history of interconnectedness that goes beyond the colonial era. He said that it is important for Indigenous Peoples to reflect on the shared history in order to get to the root of the conflict and perhaps find a way to resolve them.

According to him, while there are several mechanisms to resolve these border disputes such as the Court of law, introduction of neutral force or paramilitary in disputed areas, etc., the most effective would be people to people consultations. Deka emphasised that ‘Our folk culture speaks of friendships,’ while emphasising that people at the grassroots have found a way to coexist, despite all the problems or disputes.

He also observed that most conflicts occur in places where resources are being exploited, not necessarily by people within, and with the North East being a ‘resource frontier,’ complex demographic shifts are challenging indigenous cultures and heritage in the region. The Indigenous People need to find ways to empower themselves in terms of their rights, he said, underscoring that education could be a way forward.

Similarly, Titabar MLA Bhaskar Jyoti Baruah noted that border disputes are at the core of most differences among the communities in the region. Noting that his constituency of Titabar shares most of its boundaries with Wokha district in Nagaland, he maintained that the people from both sides of the border engage in cultural exchange programmes, sporting events, etc and maintain a strong bond. This, he said, ensures that the people have empathy towards each other and even in times of conflict, it can be resolved amicably.

Onslaught of development
Stating that the Government of India’s Act East Policy would bring an ‘onslaught of development’ and change the concept of boundaries in the region, former MP C Apok Jamir called on the states to set up agendas which would be beneficial Indigenous People, especially for the youth. Referring to the theme of the event—‘Together in Unity,’ he maintained that a single state cannot face the onslaught alone.

He also said that among all the remedies for resolving differences, human bonding vis-a-vis people to people dialogue is most effective. “When we take everything from the political perspective, the human aspect is lost and the people on the ground suffer,” he said, adding that leaders and decision makers should keep this in mind and accordingly, have the political will to resolve matters.

Special guest for the event, Tripura Minister for Tribal Welfare Mevar Kumar Jamatia noted that the people of the region though unique, are not united and very easy-going. This is a trait that we need to do away with, he added.

The Minister also viewed that there are three main requirements for people to survive anywhere—peace of mind, security, and balanced development. “Do we have this in the North East? Can we provide these for our people?” he posed before political and civil society leaders. Further stating that “we cannot be blaming others for the lack of these in our region,” he called on the leaders to use the NEIPF as a platform to have meaningful and actionable dialogues.

Meanwhile, a new Executive Body of the NEIPF was also constituted on Saturday with Anup Chetia as Chairperson, Dr Lima Jamir and Tage Lapung as Vice-Chairpersons, and N Ibungochoubi as General Secretary.

Source: https://www.morungexpress.com/address-interstate-boundaries-with-utmost-care-neipf-urges