ITANAGAR, 29 Sep: The Arunachal Indigenous Tribes Forum (AITF) Standing Committee on Sunday facilitated a reconciliation meet between two of its federating CBOs – the Nyishi Elite Society (NES) and the Adi Bane Kebang (ABK) – which resulted in the signing of the ‘AITF Declaration for Social Harmony-2024’, at the DK Convention Centre here.
The AITF took up the exercise of reconciliation against the backdrop of a press statement issued by the ABK on 5 August on the demand of the All Nyishi Students’ Union for repealing the Arunachal Pradesh District Based Entrepreneurs and Professionals (Incentive, Development and Promotional) Act, 2015, and a subsequent ‘letter of dissent’ issued by the NES to the ABK on 8 August “for creating an unpleasant atmosphere between two communities, thereby undermining the pan-Arunachal spirit,” it informed in a release.
The AITF Standing Committee, under the chairmanship of its vice-president (east) Getom Borang, conducted a series of brainstorming discussions with both the NES and the ABK, and finally navigated towards a logical conclusion in the best interest of the state and its people, “pertinently, the pan-Arunachal approach – the primary agenda of the AITF,” it said.
While finalising the reconciliation approach, it was declared: “As a matter of precedence and protocol, no community leaders shall go to press on inter-community issue which may jeopardise the AITF’s primary agenda of pan-Arunachal. Rather, in-house warmly consultation amongst AITF apex federating CBOs shall be taken up on time to avert escalation of communication gap which is detrimental to the interest of the state.”
With this, it said, the ABK’s press statement of 5 August stands withdrawn with regret for the procedural lapses, and similarly, the letter of the NES dated 8 August stands withdrawn.
Further, it was resolved that no AITF affiliated apex CBO or its frontal organisations shall go to the media – print, electronic or social – concerning inter-community issues, “and instead shall have closed-door, mature and timely discussion among the apex CBOs, as in the past,” the release stated.
“Failing to resolve within the contending communities, the matter shall be brought to the AITF, the decisions of which shall be final and binding,” it added.
ABK president Tadum Libang and NES president Prof Tana Showren expressed happiness over the resolution of the communication gap, and expressed gratitude to the AITF for its timely intervention.
AITF VP (HQ) Tarh Tabin dwelt on “the AITF’s motto of maintaining communal harmony,” citing various conflict resolutions since 2011 till today. He also expressed gratitude for the maturity shown by the NES and the ABK by cooperating with the AITF Standing Committee in resolving the communication gap.
Getom Borang, AITF general secretary Tapi Tai, and AITF VP (W) Gomar Basar also spoke.
Senior members of the ABK and the NES, the AITF central executive body members, and the AITF’s Standing Committee members were present during the discussions.
