Introduction
Today is a special day for the Chins. This day is significant for all, as it marks the convergence of prominent Chin leaders in the USA—both religious and political—to discuss the feasibility of achieving peace and reconciliation at this time in our history.
I want to offer my thanks and gratitude to many of you, primarily the religious leaders (Chin Peace and Reconciliation Initiative) who organize this well-planned event and invited me to bring the Keynote Speech. From my perspective, this consultation is a momentous event that can have deep and lasting consequences for the Chins in the days to come. I give you my respect and high regard for all your insights and hard work that have gone into this meeting.
Disunity Among the Chins
Disunity among the Chins is not a rare phenomenon. It has been with us for a long time. Personally, the reality of the Chin’s disunity hit me hard when I entered college at the University of Rangoon in 1956. The Chin students in Rangoon, speaking different dialects, could not communicate with each other and had to use English as a medium of communication among each other. There was strangeness in this! My fellow Chins could not understand what I said to him or her and had to use a “foreign language” for communication! In spite of this difficulty, we nevertheless could have lively Hill Chin Students Union meetings and participate fully in the Chin annual picnic, using English as a medium. The belief that we are all Chins overcame our language difficulty. But we all yet cling to our different tribal dialects and traditions.
As our history moved on along with the rest of the world, and as we, the Chins, are getting more “educated” and “civilized,”, we find out regrettably at the dawn of the 21st century that our disunity among us is getting worse instead of getting better. This, frankly, is not a healthy history! One of our USCC (United States Chin Coalition) members pointedly asked, : Why is disunity among the Chins more acute and widespread now? There are more divisions in Tiddim, Falam, Hakha, Matu, Mindat, Kanpalet, and Paletwa now than ever before. Some of these different groups have arms! This is a relevant and heartfelt question, but we have no positive answer to it. The truth is that this question hits us hard. The inevitable question then is: If our disunity is getting worse, will our existence as a distinct racial group in Burma be in danger of extinction?
And our Chin disunity has become well-known in Burma even among religious organizations. As a UBS Bible Translation Consultant assigned to Burma, I have worked with various tribal language Bible translators, and their constant question to me was: Why are the Chins so divided up into various Christian denominations? The only answer I had was: I don’t know! And there were 60 different Christian denominations at that time, and Chins were part of these groups. Some informed me that NUG knows our disunity very well, and so was Gen. Myint Aung Hlaing.
Embarrassingly, our disunity is becoming well-known among our American Christian friends. It is indeed difficult to hide our weakness from our friends. Even among the US Congress members, our disunity has become not just an embarrassment for us but a sticking point for us to get any help from the US Congress. When we asked them to help us, the often-counter question from them was, “To whom do we give help? Why don’t you get united first?”
Our Chin disunity has now become not only a liability to get any kind of help from abroad; it is becoming an existential threat for ourselves as a distinct racial group. Let us remember the old English proverb: United we stand, divided we fall, which still stands. And the reminding words of Dr. Sa Sa that, “There is no Chin State without unity,” might be painfully true. There is a saying in the Falam community. The saying goes, “The chicks fight each other when it is destined to be extinct.” (Arte an nau zawng ah anmah le anmah an cuk-aw.) I am not saying that we are bound for extinction. But it is a crucial time for us to raise serious questions and reflect on these issues, as well as to act accordingly. The question is not whether there is disunity among us. We have already established that. The question is: What can we do about it?
What should We Do? Or What could We Do?
Asking questions is easy, but getting something done is difficult. But here are some things I have in mind to think about, and perhaps by getting them done, it may illuminate some answers to our questions. In short, these are the things we should be thinking and doing at a minimum:
First, it is essential to realize that our condition of disunity is getting worse, not getting better, thus threatening us with possible nonexistence as a distinct racial group. The earlier we acknowledge our true situation, the better for us all. To ignore it is dangerous.
Second, it is essential to realize that there are definite causes for our disunity, and it is unjustified to blame one side only. In any conflict there are always two sides to blame. It takes two to entangle! The loud statement or utterance we often heard, “We are right, and they are wrong,” reflects the attitude of the Pharisees!
Third, it has been observed for decades that we, the Chins, find it hard to admit the wrongness of our actions, with the belief that admission reflects weakness while the opposite in fact is true: that it is virtuous to admit wrong when wrong is committed. Only the strong admit their weakness. We, the Chins, should learn to say, “I am sorry,” and say it with all our hearts. The sooner we learn it, the better.
Fourth: Justice should be the norm in our lives as individuals as well as in communities, in Churches as well as in secular and government organizations. Happily, the majority of the Chins are now Christians, and as such, the Christian Bible becomes not only “the living and active word of God” (Heb 4:12) but also the guiding and sacred document for our daily lives, where living in unity with diversity is possible.
Any cursory study of the Bible by any student will find out that justice is the core belief of Scriptures. Below are some examples:
Ps. 89:14, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne.”.
Isa 1:17, “Learn to do right; see that justice is done.”. (GNB)
Isa 42:1, “I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will bring justice to the
nations”. (NIV)
Jer 22:3, “Thus says the LORD: Act with justice and righteousness, and
deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed.”
Amos 5:24, “Let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream”. (NRSV)
Micah 6:8, “The LORD has told us what is good: What he requires of us is
this: To do what is just, to show constant love,
and to walk humbly with your God.”
Matt 6:33, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” (ESV)
Here in Matthew 6:33, the word “justice” does not appear, but “righteousness” does. The meaning of the two words (righteousness and justice) is extremely similar, akin to two sides of a single coin.
We cannot separate them. We can go on listing more examples of justice, but these seven verses are enough to show that the place and significance of the word “justice” is large in the pages of the Bible. As the significance of justice is huge in the Bible, so should its role be in the lives of Christians and Churches, as well as in secular organizations, even in governmental administrations. We often heard the sounds of, “No peace without justice,” in some gatherings and demonstrations, without realizing the depth of its truth. We should confidently state here that there is no peace where there is no justice. No earthly government can enjoy peace in its realm where there is no justice. The history of the military dictatorial government in Burma is an open demonstration of its truth—in Burma where there have been civil wars going on for the last seventy years.
It's no secret that millions of people worldwide aspire to visit the USA, drawn not only by its wealth and opulence, but primarily by its commitment to freedom and justice. There is hope in these concepts. If a single word were chosen to serve as the cornerstone of the foundation of the USA, it would be the word “justice.” Please notice what is written on the building of the US Supreme Court: It is, “Equal Justice under Law.” Where else in the world can we find that kind of foundational statement for a country? When US President Obama announced to the nation, on May 01, 2011, the death of Osama bin Laden, after ten years of trying to hunt him down, he simply said: “The United States has killed Osama bin Laden, leader of al Qaeda. Justice has been done!” That short statement says all that the United States of America stands for. I would venture to think that it is for this kind of reason, belief, and conviction that the US is a blessed country in the world. Likewise, we as Chins should also stand firm for “equal justice under law”. It should be our motto in the future constitution of the government of Chinland. Nothing less would do!
Some Thoughts on the Words of Our Lord Jesus Christ
As part of his Sermon on the Mount, what the Lord Jesus Christ says carries a lot of weight.
Mat 5:23, Jesus said: “So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” For Jesus, reconciliation with our brother and giving our gift to the Lord are very important. But reconciliation is more important than giving to the Lord. Giving a gift to the Lord may be irrelevant without reconciliation. The solution to this dilemma is not to stop giving, but to get reconciled and give.
Mat 12:25, Jesus said: “Any country that divides itself into groups that fight each other will not last very long. Or any town or family that divides into groups which fight each other will fall apart.” It seems what Jesus was saying here is exactly what is happening among the Chins at this time. Do we seriously take the meaning of the words of our Lord Jesus? Or do we ignore its relevance for our lives most of the time? If we take the Lord’s words seriously, what should be the steps we take and the direction we aim for our lives and our communities? If we keep fighting each other, are we not in danger of falling apart? Have you ever thought that being fed up with our constant fight, the Lord might leave us behind and move somewhere else? And we may not know it!
As Christians living in communities that we called Churches—the body of Christ—our life’s commitment in all we do should express the Biblical theme:
“Happy is the nation whose God is the LORD;
Happy are the people he has chosen for his own!” (Ps. 33:12)
Are we in a position to be chosen by the Lord for his own if we keep fighting each other? Putting it differently, if we are sure the Lord has chosen us for his own, why do we then keep fighting each other? Do we fight for position, power, and prestige?
Some Practical Suggestions: It Is Not Too Late
If our disunity is to be healed, and get healed surely and steadily, every one of us has some duty to do. Here are some practical suggestions:
1. Let every one of us—as individuals—earnestly pray to our Lord to help us heal our disunity. Because disunity among brothers is ugly. And more importantly, we should not invite strangers to help us settle the dispute among the brothers!
2. Let all of us talk to our family, friends, and communities about our urgent task to get our society and our relationship healed and reconciled.
3. Let us all make sure we control our tongues! Loose talk and careless speech have done much harm in our Chin society. Let us remember what St. James has written and warned us, (in the Bible, James 3:6):
“And the tongue is like a fire. It is a world of wrong, occupying its place in
our bodies spreading evil through our whole being. It sets on fire the entire
course of our existence with the fire that comes to it from hell itself.” (GNB)
4. It is extremely important that we meet and talk often with each other even in
the midst of our disunity and discord. It is said: “The couple that prays
together stays together.”
5. Let us remember: We are Christians believing in “God who has reconciled
us to Himself through His Son Jesus Christ” (2 Cor 5:18). And we have been
given the ministry of reconciliation too. Can’t we then get reconciled to each
other? He also has forgiven us all of our sins through the blood of His son
(Eph 1:7). Can’t we then forgive each other? If not, why not?
It is not too late. Let us each one of us get engaged in our duty of making peace and reconciliation now! May the good Lord bless each one of us. Amen.
Rev. Dr. Stephen Hre Kio is a Senior Pastor of Indiana Chin Baptist Church. This message was delivered at Peace Breakfast, an event hosted by Chin Peace and Reconciliation Initiative (CPRI) to foster peace and reconciliation among the Chins.
