Jonah Achumi
[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n the Gospel books of the Bible, once when Jesus was talking to a huge crowd he asked them “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, it is going to rain and thus it does. When a south wind blows, you say it is going to be hot, and so it is “. So Jesus angrily says to them, “Hypocrites! You know how to interpret by the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is that you don’t know the Present Times? There is a saying ’It is easier to wake up a person who is really sleeping than someone who pretends to be sleeping.’ The government, civil bodies, student organisations and our churches seems to be in the latter category here. Every concerned citizen is a stakeholder to save our land from this alien invasion which is silent and slow but sure and severe. Nothing to be surprised or to wonder about it, if the present trend of the situations and events happening all around us could not make us realize or wake us up its going to be another . The issue of unabated influx of illegal immigrants in our land, which is a human catastrophe in waiting not only at our door but has already entered inside our homes. If no immediate measures and concrete actions are taken very soon, then we should be ready to perish as an extinct race or lost tribes. Deuteronomy chapter 32:8 of the Bible clearly says that from the very beginning God created each nations and mankind, he set up boundaries for them inorder to let them settle accordingly. Mathew 12:38 says that a wicked and an adulterous nation asks for a miraculous sign but none will be given to you except the sign of a prophet! With so many spates of rapes, murders, molestations, robberies, death threats and border clashes happening all around us not to mention about our pastors and church workers being threatened to be killed , what more signs and predications about the manifestations and ramifications of this unabated influx of illegal immigrants do we want now and more in the days to come? Or is this a way of God trying to tell us something to wake up? If these incidents cannot wake us up, we have to brace ourselves and get ready to be swallowed and extinct within some few decades.The editorial column of the Nagaland Post dated 24 September under the caption ‘Region of Immigrants’ has attributed three main factors that contribute to the growth of their population. Firstly, the presence of already large number of illegal immigrants who provides the newcomer immigrants an initial support in readily available trade and business they want to take up. Why? Because of our false pride, inflated egos and lack of work culture. Secondly, the readily available immigrants to work as cheap labour or farm hands. The third factor is the vote-bank politics of our unscrupulous politicians who for their selfish short-sightedness and vested interests are doing much harm to the children of tomorrow who are all going to be engulfed by the immigrant population. Time to elect some honest, dedicated, God-fearing leaders and true sons of the soil who works for the land and the people rather than their own gain. Today’s politicians maybe elected by the people as heroes but tomorrow these leaders are going to make their people into A BIG ZERO! Yes, into a Nothing and away into oblivion!
Exhorting the gathering at the candle-light service at the Dimapur city-tower organised by the Survival Nagaland a few days back, Thenjamo Tsanglo, Associate Pastor of the Lotha Baptist Church, Dimapur said that it was God’s intention that His people live in peace, unity and prosperity in their own land. For that reason God made territories, boundaries and countries.
The young pastor however lamented that this is not happening in Nagaland and that it was the responsibility of every citizen of the state to voice out against this insecurity. “Our leaders should shoulder these responsibilities and it is our responsibility to voice out our grievances and at the same time, pray for our leaders so that God will grant them wisdom towards their leadership.” As if the devil had his due ,just some months back, in the Assam legislative assembly, the very word ‘ Illegal Immigrants’ created quite a furore and frenzy. Those days are not far from us. In the earlier part of this year ,the Indian Chief of Army Staff ,Bikram Singh has admitted that the threat of the illegal Bangladeshi immigrants pose a great threat to our country’s national security.
The Supreme Court of India in a landmark judgment in July 2005, had observed that the state of Assam is facing external aggression and internal disturbance on a large scale of illegal immigration from Bangladesh nationals as enjoined in the article 355 of the Constitution. The problem of illegal immigration from Bangladesh to India has been a perennial and a long chronic problem which has various reasons attributed to it. Since India has a long porous border, Dimapur, also known as mini-India has a vast similarity which Mother India faces the same problem today and what Dimapur faces will Nagaland face too. Illegal immigration has not only disturbed the demographic structure of our nation but our own state of Nagaland and also of law and order problem as well as threatening the very socio-economic fabric of the Nagas and our future. Of course, the region’s geo politics will undergo a sea change if we don’t do something about it very soon. Oken Jeet Sandham,a very popular journalist has written in leading journals that if the present trend of the influx is not brought under control by the year 2030 the whole demographic structure of the North-east will change completely.
It really pains my heart to see so many college students budding with life and bubbles of joy. Indeed high-school and college days are the best days of one’s life... Half of who you will be is decided at this stage. So I wish and pray for nothing but the best for you all.
However, with the already 65000 unemployed youths around, I am very worried about our coming generations. If you are learning for degrees for the sole aim of getting only white collared job, than make sure you are true to your studies. Otherwise, with the govt. jobs becoming scarce and reaching saturation point and with absolute less or no place in the economy for the Naga entrepreneurs I am very apprehensive of the coming days. 90% of our economy is run by the non-locals, with the backing of our ‘Freedom Fighters’ with their famous Syndicate System strangulating our own Naga people, choking them from the very nascent stage of their business inception..... Don’t you feel sad about it? Why are we not getting chance to enter in our own market? Why are we not been able to survive in our own market? Why are we so inclined and crazy of govt. jobs only? Why do we hesitate to do other work? Where is our dignity of labour? Why do we rather extort people and take pride but feel shy to do manual work? Why do we rather do black business than do honest business? Have we took an oath to let Nagaland be under outsiders only? Why do we not feel and understand that we are near to being defeated? Why do we not understand that the privilege which we are giving to the IBIs is going to waste? Why do we not understand that they will never give us the same privilege in their land?
My heart pleads to all the sensible people around to kindly act fast so that we may hand over a beautiful Nagaland to our next generation otherwise be prepared to be spit on the grave by them,for handing over an IBI Nagaland...... Where our own sons and daughters will be slaves in their own land. It is a complete betrayal of our generation. Even God will never forgive us, neither will our children. Why are our apex organisations, student bodies, churches and national workers so silent about this issue? Don’t they understand the magnitude of the problem that our children are going to face? The ever-rising population, non-availability of land, unemployment, economic disparity, natural calamities and various Islamic interests draw these immigrants into India and North-east region. The reasons are none other than our inflated egos, false pride, misplaced passions, lack of work culture and absence of true leader who truly wants to work for the land instead of money and materialism.
The ever-rising population, non-availability of land, unemployment, economic disparity, natural calamities and other interests draw these immigrants into India and North-east region .With Tripura already a gone state with indigenous tribals reduced to a mere 10 percent minority and Assam fighting a losing battle, Nagaland seems to be the next on the list. Because Mizoram and Manipur have already taken up some proper precautionary measures by their responsible local bodies and apex organisations. Can’t we?
Dr . M. Amarjeet Singh, an Assistant Professor of Conflict Resolution, School of Social Sciences, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Indian Institute of Science Campus, Bangalore, INDIA. His areas of research include Conflict Analysis and Resolution, Conflict and Development, Identity politics and North-East India. Migration is a global phenomenon, and will continue to do so in the near future. Every country aspires to regulate migration according to their requirements. But, not every country is successful. Hence illegal (cross-border) immigration has been a cause of concern to them. Efforts to control and prevent illegal immigration remain highly inadequate in India; and likely to remain so in the coming years. But, the reality is that unabated illegal immigration has demographic and social implications, capable of creating tensions and conflict between the immigrants and the natives; and more so among the natives. This is particularly worrisome in North-East India, which has been the victim of unabated illegal immigration from across the border in Bangladesh. Unfortunately , campaign against illegal immigration in India also divides its people on communal lines. Hence, the future tensions and conflict will be not only between the immigrants and the natives, but also among the natives. However, in the absence of a strong political will, illegal immigration would continue despite fully knowing its long term implications. Indeed, India has chosen to ignore illegal immigration for several decades; and it will be extremely difficult for her to resolve the ‘ensuing conflict’ arising out of unabated illegal immigration. If deportations continue at current levels it will take more than 1000 years for India to deport an estimated 15 million illegal immigrants. Hence, India needs to adapt realistic time-bound strategies to control and prevent cross-border illegal immigration. Nonetheless, the issue is much more serious than it seems.
All the recent happening and incidents around us are not just the beginning but are signs of the times that are coming and more of it in the coming days .As said by Jesus, let us not be Hypocrites but Understand the Present Times we are living with and as mentioned earlier about the editorial column unless the local authorities and the local people take some responsibility, no amount to check the influx will be fruitful. YES, NAGALAND MUST SURVIVE!
