Naga Scholars Association (NSA) organised a panel talk and discussion on 33% women reservation in Urban Local Bodies (ULB) of Nagaland on January 29 at Nagaland House Delhi.
A press note by NSA vice president, Lovitoli Jimo stated that president NSA, Dr. Zuchamo Yanthan in his welcome note stressed the continued engagement of NSA on issues that concerns Nagas.
Yanthan said the recent issue on 33% woman reservation in ULB in Nagaland called for scholarly attention in terms of open and free scholarly debate and discussion.
The panellists were Moaniken, Kekhrie Yhome, Avitoli G Zhimo, Sangke Konyak, Nzanmongi Jasmine Patton, Walunir and James Pochury from diverse background, expertise, experience and perspective.
The chair-moderator of the panel talk and vice president of NSA, Lovitoli Jimo stressed the need to engage with the popular opinion that reservation for women in “egalitarian” Naga society was unjustified and the archaic notion that women reservation was a step towards “gender equity” in a predominantly patriarchal Naga society.
The first panellist Moaniken, opined that ULB in Nagaland was a creation of the Nagaland State Legislature by enacting the Nagaland Municipal Act, 2001 (Amendment 2006).
He cautioned that while “we” were open to modernity, “we” should be very careful not to infringe upon the Naga traditional values and rights protected under Article 371A of the Indian Constitution.
Kekhrie Yhome surmised that the “role” and “identity” of man and woman was a social and cultural construct and was not natural. He said the abuse of the idea that Article 371(A) was sacrosant and monolithic legal possibility was seen as the core of public confusion and unrest today.
While there was an attempt to interpret Article 371(A) as a safeguard of customary rights, Yhome said that there was also the parallel politics of Kohima Smart City and the need for urban developmental funds that was directing the interpretation of what was customary law.
Avitoli G Zhimo, the third panelist spoke on customary laws, its characteristics and workings in the society. She said that customary laws evolved out of customs, and became part of moral and social values.
Zhimo, concluded by saying that unless women were able to take part in policy making processes, women development would be incomplete and in keeping pace with the changing times. Sangke Konyak talked of how change came with a price and how people have to compromise. “We are transitioning and we must be able to accept the evolution of change in our society”, she also said that Nagas must “take the risk of being open to change”.
Nzanmongi Jasmine Patton made the pertinent point that the fight for 33% women reservation was about bridging the gap between man and woman, and not about privilege.
She stated that 33% women reservation was needed to uplift the position of women just like ST/SC reservation was needed in order to uplift the disadvantaged and marginalised classes.
Walunir espoused that Nagas had evolved out of many customary practices and there was a continued need for evolution of Naga customary laws and procedures without necessarily attempting to “dismantle” the same.
Talking about “Naga Feminism” he stressed upon the need for the “unified centralized voice of Naga women” to move towards multiplicity of perspectives by allowing diverging standpoints to constructively seep into the ‘movement’.
James Pochury talked on the premise of participatory democracy so that power was shared between elected representatives and the electors.
James added that the way forward was to “push for a legislation that will ensure participatory democracy in the true letter and spirit of Naga democratic socialism” followed by “facilitation of processes in the respective villages and upwards to the tribal councils/Hohos to amend the customary social practices to have one woman and one man represent their own clans in the Village Councils”.
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