Looking back over the last four months of 2016, one gets a clear flash back of the turmoil that piled up one after another as our leaders in power remained unapologitic to their erroneous ways; unrelenting in their inadvertent actions and unreceptive to pragmatic ideas and common people’s thought. This callousness and insensivity incensed the civil organisations and the Naga people as never before till it reached fever pitch, bound to erupt any time and no wonder the New Year opened up with a shot ‘bang bang’, a sound not of celebration but of tragedy and tribulation.
The last four months started with the CNTC opposing the recognition of Rongmei as a ‘tribe of Nagaland State’ as per Government’s notification dated 4th august 2012; they and the Naga Hoho however took care to point out that they did not object to Rongmeis being accorded indigeneous Naga inhabitant status as enjoyed by the Kukis,Kacharis and the Garos. Their demand fell into deaf ears, this apathy of the Government and the misunderstanding within went on to split the Naga Hoho with Ao Senden, Lotha Hoho and Sumi Hoho dissassociating from the Naga Hoho. The disintegration of the apex Naga Civil body made many feel lost, feeling the deep wound of tribalism but for our leaders in the Government, who should be taking up the role of a mediator, took turns to deride and demean the divided state of our society and its leaders stating that a divided house has no right to speak up for ‘Naga cause’. The humiliation of its leaders and their unreconciled difference with gap wide open, still remain unresolved in the hearts of the people and its leaders.
Soon after, the ACAUT demanded a probe into Fuel adulteration worth 500 crores and Wheat scam amounting to 1200 crores rupees. This too was not enough to make the Minister concerned feel bothered or God knows what underlies it. The expected ban by the public followed but was suppressed by the IRB\Police with lathis,tear gas,water cannon resulting in injury and arrest of several protestors. In trying to evade the matter and to obscure the incident the legislators created a dissattraction in the form of CBI whom they say cannot be trusted to ‘expedite the case’ and they went on to hilariously place on record, their appreciation of the Chief Minister, helping him thus develop a ‘false pride’ which only added up, in the public resentment box.
Undeterred still, the ACAUT and the CNTC again demanded probe into multi crore Public Distribution System (PDS). Aware of their dicey ways they went on to seek the Governor’s immediate intervention on the scam. This too was received, apparently by one who was either irresponsiby oblivious to everything or devious in nature. Having had no satisfactory answer, the ACAUT, our Knights called a ban who were blasted by the IRB\Police with a shot to the chest, back and head,not the legs, as they did with real guns on several occasions, but this time, with their infamous tear gas and water cannon which they sure must by now be thinking it as their birth right to use it, it was used on many occasion upon the non-violent crowd in 2016.
In between, there were back door appointments, non-payment of Teacher’s salaries, MNREGA, anomalies in Road and Bridges etc. and on a personal note, a bed bug called ‘Deqoc’ (Doubtful educational qualification of our Chiefs) which surely could have kept someone weaker and sensitive busy, trying to keep his chair and bed comfortable rather than pulling another stunt called ULB election.
Nagaland Municipal Act 2001 (Act no 10 of 2001) was passed by the Nagaland Legislative Assembly in the year 2001. In 2006, to effect part 9A 243T on 33% Women Reservation the Act was amended, and on September 22, 2012 an act was passed to make 33% Women Reservation inoperative or in other words resolved to exempt part 9A of Art 243T on Women Reservation in civic polls from applicability. This Act was tabled by T.R Zeliang the then Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and passed when Dr.Shurhozelei was the then Urban Minister. Ironically it was again them who insisted on conducting ULB election with 33% Women Reservation, could ‘the will to conduct the ULB election by any means’ be the tragic error to those and to whom it matters most.
Resolving an issue by ‘ignoring it’ or by ‘putting it down with a firm hand’ has never been known to last or to be successful and by doing it, the Government had allowed the discontentment and the resentment of the people to escalate into an open confrontation. This is likely to go on unless the Government discerns ‘what ails its people’ and ‘what they need’. Polling during election alone is not the measuring scale to form an aggregate opinion of the people, right decision can be attained by learning from the leaders of Civil organisations, the academecians, the intelletuals, the professionals, the experienced and even through movement of the common People. It is high time for the leaders to pay heed to the right thinking citizens of the people of Nagaland, especially the people of the year 2016 onward for they are no more ‘ignorant’or ‘gullible’ and they ‘will not take it lying down’; humbler though are better informed than some of our leaders. It is wiser therefore to tread more carefully for the cloud of gloom still looms on the present Government and the mood of the people foretells of more…
Inavi Jimomi
Diphupar.A
