The Governor has said, chief ministers -Chubatoshi Jamir, Neiphiu Rio, TR. Zeliang has said in the public for a good number of times, and minister Yitachu also said the mindset in Nagaland should be changed.
But ‘How could the mindset of the state be changed?’ Nagaland is unable to change even the mindset of the woman folks, our VIP leaders do not know how the change could be done. Reverends and pastors teach umpteenth number of times in the pulpit that christians must change into ‘New Creature’. But they too have not shown how to change Nagaland’s mindset and many christians in Nagaland are still the same old creature!
It is VIPs, teachers, thinker, writers, the church and leaders of the people as ‘role models’ of the society that have the greatest chance to impact the change the mindset of the people.
One day an elderly citizen from Chakhroma area opined to me through the phone that nothing seems to be changing in the new team in the Government. I replied: “No, except that the same trade of how to enrich and pursuit of the old trade of self Interest continues”.
The present Chief Minister got a very good chance to start a new earth and a new haven to turn the mindset of Nagaland in a good direction. One citizen said if the CM had not alloted portfolio to his son, it would have created a small but very significant impression on the public and Nagaland would have at least learned an example of good political ethics.
I agreed to this thought, in fact I added, “if the new CM on his ascending to the chair, had made a public announcement that he would not go for re-election after his term expires in August this year. The announcement would have electrified the mentality of the whole of Nagaland for a new journey and the CM would have got unprecedented moral authority to rein in the selfish politicians”. It would have been an exemplary lesson of political magnanimity.
Nagaland seems blinded with our own stubborn and national self-righteous political arrogance. We have become so dependent and defensive in our national outlook that we naively consider even elected Nagaland government as if it does not wholly belongs to the Naga and selfishly think of it only for exploitation. Our political leaders give us a clue to this pernicious attitude and they show no self-respect in taking the governance of the state as something our own.
If this is not so, ministers after minister of Nagaland government after Nagaland government would not have regularly made back-door appointments of their relatives or their expected supporters for employment to non-existant government posts. They know it very well that ‘non-existant post’ means no money for their pay!
It appears the Government cannot change itself for the better and like everywhere else in the world, it is only strong public demonstration in the street that changes the government.
Public demostration recently changed the government of Nagaland too but it was by violence and threat of mass violence where even the loud mouth in the church declared “the voice of the people is the voice from above” and gave its blessings to the undemocratic violent force to bring down a democratically elected Government!
This is Nagaland today!
It is the leaders who should change Nagaland’s mindset.
Thepfulhouvi Solo. IFS Retd (RR-68)
Retd Principal Secretary,
Nagaland
