The DAN Government is embroiled in protests from its employees for non-release of salaries and demand for equal promotional treatment including civil bodies serving one ultimatum after another for bad roads, etc. beside exposures of rampant backdoor appointments in most of the Departments topped with court case for falsified affidavit of educational qualification by no other than the Chief Minister of Nagaland.
Meanwhile, several Naga NGOs are engaged in running the errands of those who have the buying capacity so as to earn Scorpios and Boleros. Simultaneously, our National workers, may not be all, are duly preoccupied with the national activities of taxation, defection and counter defection and media duels.
Similarly, our Village chiefs, particularly in metropolitan areas, are fully booked in issuing birth certificates, residential certificates and indigenous certificates to whoever approaches them. Same with the rest, our district administrators are doing brisk business in tandem with smart private individuals in selling indigenous certificates and other entry permits to all hue. Thanks to the magnanimity of the District administrators who have appointed non-Nagas and doubtfully non-indigenous citizens as Gaon Buras who are as free and as privileged as any other Naga GB to give legal protection to Tom, Dick and Harry.
Knowing that the present-day Govt. is indeed fully preoccupied with endless engagements starting with the Chief Minister of Nagaland collecting ‘Life Time Achievement’ from Bali, Indonesia and receiving accolades from no other than the Union Ministers as the ‘most successful’ Chief Minister of Nagaland including the ‘efficient governance’. And as briefly enunciated as above, all those who run the affairs of the people of Nagaland are much engaged to be distracted.
Nevertheless, what bothers me to draw the attention of both the authorities and the general populace in Nagaland is the determination of the newly installed BJP Govt. in Assam headed by Mr. Sonowal to streamline the citizenship of Assam. The new Chief Minister has given his first and firm promise that sealing the border with Bangladesh and scrutinizing the citizenship of his State are his priorities.
Strengthening his promise, the Union Home Ministry has now set the dateline that by June 2017 Assam’s border with Bangladesh will be completely sealed.
As and when the influx of Bangladeshis to Assam is prevented, Nagaland can too reap the benefit of it as it may lead to dwindling of the intrusion of illegal migrants. Therefore, it is appreciable that the Union Govt. has taken prompt action in this regard. Yet, when Mr. Sonowal, the Chief minister implements the policy of National Register of Citizens(NRC) 1951with 1971 as the cut-off year, lakhs may be flushed out from Assam. Particularly those Bangladeshis who are rejected by Assam may not be welcomed by their country Bangladesh.
The implementation of NRC in Assam is on. The Chief Minister has already instructed the District authorities to devote at least 2 hours daily for the said responsibility. The climate is going to be reversed. When incessant rain takes place in Nagaland, it causes flood in Assam. Whereas, when effective citizenship scrutiny takes place in Assam, Nagaland will be flooded with the unwanted human influx.
Now, which is the first preferable haven for foreign nationals when flashed out from Assam? These people cannot go to Arunachal Pradesh since its administration is very strict and effective in ILP application. Similarly, the other neighbouring States are well-manned.
Of all Assam’s neighbour States, Nagaland is the most accessible and safest haven for displaced illegal people. Nagaland is the first preference because of the following reasons:
1. Nagaland is basically and constitutionally best equipped with protective laws against intrusion and interferences as ILP, the constitutional provisions in Art 371(A) and the Nagaland Land Revenue (Amendment) Act of 1978. Yet, Nagaland’s protective laws are for bookshelves and drawers and for abuse but not for application. All these provisions are on sale in the open market.
2. Be it concerned Govt. authorities or NGOs, these protective laws are thoroughly abused to make money and abused for short term political gains at the expense of Nagaland and its future. A major instance is the proposed creation of Nagaland State Developmental Zone (NSDZ) by DAN Govt. in the foothills where ILP and Art 371(A) will not be enforced.
3. Except Mokokchung the other NGOs that used to notify from time to time to check illegal migrants tend to raise money only but not to sincerely detect and deport those illegal intruders.
4. One of the effective defenders is the Naga national workers using the services of the illegal crooks to wash their dirty linens. In the past, the most deterrent force that those migrants fear in Nagaland was the Naga national Govt. Today, for greed and selfishness several political groups have become the guardians of many illegal migrants.
5. Non-Nagas and non-indigenous Nagas have become GBs and they do possess the same power as any Naga GB to issue any certificate to anybody. Mostly out of ignorance but Naga GBs too rampantly issue basic citizenship certificates to anybody who goes to them just like Nagaland’s gun licenses Industry.
6. The administrative officers who are supposed to enforce the protective laws have become so casual and corrupt, with due regard to remnant honest few, that they are responsible in flaunting and discarding the laws.
Even otherwise, Nagaland is already filled with lakhs of unwanted migrants. Hardly few conscientious individuals are aware of the impending danger of Nagaland, a small State can be swarmed by illegal migrants sooner than later. The richest nations in Europe are overwhelmed by displaced thousands of immigrants from neighbouring Arab countries, and no matter how strong their systems are, how developed and rich they are, the presence of thousands of foreigners in their countries has become a big thorn in their flesh and the intricacies are yet to be resolved. Nagaland is not becoming Europe of NE India but Nagaland is Europe already. Since Nagaland is not surrounded by sea, all the more migrants will flock to Nagaland safely unlike en route to Europe where thousands perished in the sea.
Nevertheless, which authority can be serious about it. Everybody, the indigenous, the non-indigenous, the legal and illegal migrants all love Nagaland. The politicians, the bureaucrats, the businessmen and the national workers love Nagaland. All love Nagaland for one reason: we use Nagaland. But hardly very, very few cares for Nagaland. May God protect Nagaland from its abusers.
Z. Lohe
