ACAUT the Naga avatar of the Aam Aadmi Party ?

[dropcap]A[/dropcap]ction Committee Against Unabated Taxes (ACAUT) came on to the stage with sort of with a great bang. The support it got from the general public has been commendable. And rightly so. If the Aam Aadmi Party is striving to provide an alternative to political party for the people in the country, the ACAUT is also filling in where the existing system of governance has been unable to stem the tide of illegal tax, hence the body to address “unabated” taxation. What is given to the general public to understand is that this organisation was constituted primarily against the excessive burden of taxes for whatever reasons on the general public. Which Naga will not contribute a little money from whatever its resources for the interest of the Naga Nation?However, arguably the public experiences in daily life do not seem to correspond with struggle for Naga sovereignty. The resort to use of muscle and arms power and threats to life, both veiled and direct to those who oppose their stand appear at cross purposes to the road to freedom and independence. Have we as Nagas begun to suffer the from ‘Ostrich syndrome’? Do you know what it is? The Ostrich is a bird known for covering its head in the sand and thinking that it is hidden – while everybody else can see its body. We behave like that sometimes as well. We put our head down, feeling that nobody can see us if we do not see him or her. We feel much more ‘comfortable’ in this position, walking around as if we are constantly looking for coins on the ground. Except in this state of mind we are so unaware that we are not able to find anything. Changing your posture and your style of walking can change your mood for a day. If you get up in the morning and you do not feel like smiling straight away, change your posture at least. You will also notice that your depression will try to force you to walk the other way but do not stop. Look up, see people’s faces, give a smile and you will be guaranteed a far brighter day. I look so I can see where I am going. The AAP in the lead up to its contesting the elections in Delhi emphasized on cleaning up the political system and ushering in clean governance with honest politicians. ACAUT too has been striving to wedge its feet into any opening there might be which can help in contributing to a leaner and meaner economy in the state. Most recently it deputed volounteers at Dillai and New Field toll tax gates to oversee that no unauthorised collections take place at these gates. While the intentions may be in the right spirit such direct ‘watch dog’ approaches may not be practical in the long run and ACAUT could well be in danger of outrunning itself. On the other hand the committee has attempted on several occasions met with those in governance to fulfill a resolution adopted on October 31,the day of the ACAUT call for a public rally on ‘unabated tax’. The resolution was for the “state government to form a high powered committee to study the entire gamut of unabated taxation and illegal collections involving NPG’s and government agencies and departments”. One month later nothing has moved on this front but ACAUT has geared itself for the second phase of agitation. This will involve a sort of a “chaka bandh” of government vehicles on that day, (will this include those of the police and the law enforcing agencies, it is not clear) then the third phase will see the blockade of all National Highways and the fourth a statewide bandh. From this it seems the form of protests are all taking on the “mainstream Indian national” garb. Very recently a political party called for a bandh in the state at the height of the Hornbill Festival revelry. It severely crippled many tourist some who had travelled thousands of miles and spending equal amount to get to Nagaland. What did we take away from this experience nothing positive but the damaging repute that tourists are vulnerable and we are not infallible to the bandh culture. This is not to suggest that the protests by ACAUT can end up in the same manner but the larger picture to be seen is what such bandhs achieve. We lose mandays ,economy (whatever little there is suffers a setback which will take days to pick up) reputation of the atmosphere after 17 years of a ceasefire still being uncertain will stick and spread like blood. The public will stay indoors and not know what is going on or there will be rumours in the absence of a central and trust worth body which disseminates news in such circumstances. We’ve got to evolve mechanisms for making the voice of the people heard in the corridors of power. Our traditional ways of debate, interaction, accountability to community will hold these answers. ACAUT has taken the lead in ringing out this voice, but what we need is a human face to our collective story. The story of the exploited widow, the vegetable vendor, the businessman, the entrepreneur, the underpaid worker etc. must first fill our streets in the forms of street corner meetings, street plays, documentaries, expressions in the papers, brochures …perhaps more of the rally of October 31, talks in schools and colleges and in offices. The government is the easiest to target. But they comprise people we have elected to power. Its no secret that money influences our votes in the villages and towns for need or for greed or both … the fact is it does. And over the years this is becoming a bottomless pit. What we are facing at the hands of unabated illegal taxation is a manifestation of a loss of character in our midst. We can take this opportunity to connect the dots of how and where we are going wrong. The focal stand against unabated taxation brings in numerous issues which will need to be addressed one by one and perhaps only then will taxation actually be resolved. But if the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi today is outright sizing up all politicians as dishonest, what then is it offering the public, surely not a utopian dream. And if it does it will fall short. Human nature is not infallible, it is fragile. Back to the situation at home, we are into our second half of a century of our statehood? And in this period two generations have been born and graduated. Whatever decisions we take today will impact our future, no one else’s.Our decisions must be based on furthering understanding through peaceful menas, in bringing out the best in each other and search, evolve means by which we can tap into the core value of what every Naga tribe once held sacred, the values of honesty and respect, even while dealing with the enemy.