PRIME MINISTER'S CONCERN FOR PEACE; 69TH SCIENCE CONGRESS ,SHILLONG

Guwahati,Asom,6 January,2008
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strategic analysis for parliamentary methods of conflict
resolution- the USA,Canada, British models as standard
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Apart from military means of settling conflicts or disputes, peaceful methods of conflict resolution had been firmly advanced by the USA,Canada and the UK in the face of armed conflicts that occurred in their territories for formation of new states in the last three decades. Till better methods could be explored in the domain of peaceful conflict resolution, by default- the Western,liberal democratic and parliamentary methods of conflict resolution in situations that India faces in the NE region for more than half a century, is the most viable approach, devoid of all sentimental and imaginary political passions.

___ The USA had Puerto Rico issue and uprisings as well on the same issue and has conducted plebiscites in that territory allowing the people to decide in lieu of the state or the NSA to decide on theiw own.The Puerto Ricans in as many as three plebiscites turned down Puerto Rican independence from the USA.The matter is settled peacefully by the people in that part of the world.

___ Canada already had unquiet Francophone secessionist Quebec.In as many as as three plebiscites conducted in Quebec soil, the Quebecoists turned down Quebec secession from Canada.The matter had been peacefully settled.What future holds for Quebec is not known; even the Candian supreme court unlike its Indian counterpart had gone upto the extent of making a verdict that Quebec has a right to secede from Canada; none but the people has the right to choose their political status.

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Indian polity, politics and governance customized fully to the Westerminster model ,in the true sense of the term has yet to look towards as to how Westminster model copes with separatist issues like that of Eire in 1921, ULSTER in 1998, the Welsh nationalism and above all, SNP's relentless demand for revocation of Scotland's merger with England in 1707 with the instrumentality of a treaty of union, comparable in essence to 1826 Yandaboo treaty or Manipur merger agreement, 1949 - in Indian context. How do the parties settle their conflicts is more pertinent than what a PM talks about preponderence of weapons, arms, war- the language of war cry and jingoism.

______ The Scottish secession issue had been tackled by the Whitehall very carefully, even by making a Scottish Tony Blair as PM, subsidizing Scots revenue and enlisting half of the British cabinet from Scotland.The authorhas never heard of half the Indian cabinet filled in by the NE people and he is not going to hear forever.Nor are we going to hear a Nagaor a Boro becoming prime minister of India for leading the Indian nation.Power matters, because it decides the fate and survival of the NE people.

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Scottish referenda are a continuing and recurrent political process.Not one referendum draws down the curtain.

a] Opinion polls on the status of Scotland had been held in the years- 1992, 2006 November and 2007 April.In the last two opinion polls, majority of the Englishmen voted that Scotland should leave England and the Scots too voted in that line.

The majority of English people feel that the Scots had taken larger share of the British cake in the name name of unionism. Several polls held in 2007 indicated the same direction.

b] Referenda had been held in Scotland on Scottish issue ,devolution of power etc. in the years- 1970,1973 and also in 1979 and 1997 in a much bigger scale. SNP [ Scottish Nationalist Party] has already decided to conduct one more referendum in 2010 or, not later than in 2011 for the Scottish people to simply say 'yes' or 'No' to a single issue- independence of Scotland from Britain.

The polity is very simple-
the 'consent of the people',' people'- not the army nor the state to decide ' a people's destiny'.Choice is of the people ,not of party or state or the army or some other mythical entities whatsoever.

Historically speaking, Scots like Assamese or, Tripuri or Manipuris[ in plural] had been a nation and they never ceased to be a nation in subsequent political arrrangements whatsoever like the way they are in at the moment subsequently fater three centuries of merger.The problem with the boss or, not -so-people-friendly powers or, elite lies in their own closed mindset that pre-empts the people by falsely assuming that it is 'they', and not the" people" who can or should make a choice for the latter.Things could be alright once the precarious and impaired mindset looks literally towards democratic nuances and mandate.

The war cry from Gandhian India or its Gandhian prime minister makes the spirit of peace uncomfortable in the millieu.Give a chance to peace by resorting to the well established parliamentary methods of peaceful resolution of conflicts as discussed.

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