Principal Correspondent
KOHIMA, NOVEMBER 12
Chief Minister TR Zeliang while lamenting that Naga people hate to follow procedures and system today stressed the need to change the Naga mindset for betterment of the Naga society.
Launching the Leaders Arise Nagaland (LAN), Zeliang observed that Naga leaders, officers or general public do not want to follow any procedures and even if a system is introduced they hate to follow it.
He cited that sometimes politicians and public directly carry files to officers and want things to be done without any formalities while on the other hand officers also don’t take up responsibilities but keep files/works pending for days and weeks.
Therefore, he said, “We have to change the mindset towards introducing proper system and following procedures for the betterment of the Naga society.”
He said LAN is a programme essentially aimed at the youth with the objective of building up a group of youthful leaders to take the State and its people forward on a faster track of progress and development.
Maintaining that youth and students are not only leaders of tomorrow but they are already leaders of today’s world, he said they may not be leaders in the sense of occupying top political and bureaucratic positions in the government, but they are the drivers of the fast changing society and its value systems in this globalised world. They do this by dominating the internet highways and the social media, such as SMS, Facebook, twitter and Whatsapp etc, he said while also maintaining that through these media, they can set the tone and agenda for many changes and social reforms.
“I would definitely like young leaders to arise in Nagaland, who should set new agendas of social change through the process of changing our mindset,” he quipped.
Opining that the Naga society has to change the mindset towards manual works, especially construction works, he said at present, there appears to be a peculiar mind block towards taking up manual works, particularly construction works.
This, he said, has to change if we are to grow and survive as people. He said the youth have been crying about the dangers posed by the influx of illegal immigrants to Nagaland and the best way to counter this threat is to urgently build up our own local construction work force.
“At present, we are lucky that almost every inch of Nagaland is still in the possession of Nagas,” he said adding that “only after we are prepared to take over the construction works, then we will be able to deal with the problem of illegal immigrants more effectively.”
“Here, what we need is change of the wrong mindset, which I believe, should start with the youth, and be spearheaded by the youthful leaders of Nagaland,” the CM stated.
Further, maintaining that awareness about climate change and the Green movement is another area of serious concern, he reminded that not only the quality of life but even the survival of mankind in this planet is at stake.
Preservation of ecological balance, including conservation of flora and fauna, is the area where the rise of youthful leadership is most needed and will be most effective, he said while stressing that “the mindless pollution of our air in the name of festivals or celebrations have to stop, not to speak of the needless expenditures involved.”
