DIMAPUR — A critical examination of transparency and accountability in Nagaland’s governance took centre stage at the Morung Lecture XX, held on Friday at Fazl Ali College in Mokokchung district.
The lecture, titled ‘A Conversation on Transparency in Nagaland: A Tool for Accountability in Governance,’ was organised by The Morung Express and the college’s Research and Development Cell.
Two prominent speakers, Rev. Dr. Chingmak Chang, Secretary of the Eleutheros Christian Society, Tuensang, and Prof. Lanu Longkumer, from the department of Geography at Nagaland University, offered their perspectives on the challenges and potential pathways towards greater transparency and accountability in the state.
A press release stated that Rev. Chang addressed the issue of institutionalised corruption and urged the audience to generate a dialogue that extends beyond the lecture hall. He used the metaphor “Fish rots in the head first” to describe the challenges posed by Nagaland’s cultural context.
“In the Naga context, cultural values are loosely spoken of as democratic. Democratic rights and cultural values differ although a certain resemblance of equality may be present in the latter. However, we have a strong hierarchy in our culture that tend to be imperialistic following a top-down kind of dynamic,” he said.
Moreover, Naga cultural values tend to be nepotistic in nature and secrecy within the tribes are bred causing alienation between each other and causing negativity. He went on to state that “blind spots” in the Naga understanding of democracy makes true equality impossible, and emphasised the importance of sensitisation, particularly at the grassroots level, to foster a deeper understanding of democratic rights and equality.
Drawing on his experience, the Reverend spoke about the revitalising of church bodies to include women, highlighting the importance of recognising equal rights as a foundation for transparency and accountability. He explained that the inclusion of women in church leadership was based on demonstrating the theological rationale and benefits of their participation.
He further emphasised the need for a shift in perception at the grassroots level, noting that concepts like communitisation and fundamental rights are often not fully understood due to a lack of effective education and awareness campaigns at the village level.
Prof. Longkumer remarked on the “grim state of reality” in Nagaland, citing discrepancies between official narratives of progress and the lived experiences of many citizens.
He said that governmental statistics and year plans, mottos and visions that speak of positive outcomes for communities do not reflect the undercurrent reality. He also highlighted the dependency on government jobs along with other statistical reports, in relation to the need for transparency and accountability.
He stated that Nagaland politics is a politics of money and corruption; with no checks and balances as is apparent with an opposition-less government, the press release stated.
He also categorised the Naga populace into three groups: those unaware of their rights, those complicit in corruption, and those who remain silent spectators, and remarked that when governance is not on the right track, all the bodies attached to this also fails.