By Z. Lohe (EMN)
The Nagas are fortunate and proud to be Christians. Under the banner of NNC, the Naga National Movement leaders declared “Nagaland for Christ” as its motto on 14.8.1947. Since then majority of the Nagas still uphold this motto till today. Christ Jesus represents stability as ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever’- Hebrew 13:8. And we the Naga Christians are the followers of that Christ whose stability is infinite. There is no pagan among 60 MLAs in Nagaland but all are Christians, and I believe all of them to be Active (Baptised) Members of their Churches. These elected Christian leaders are expected to be stable, to be honest, to be compassionate, to be sensible, to be accountable and to be conscientious in their dispensation for governance and are therefore expected to command respect of the people. That being the tradition they are known as honourable members and are addressed so.
Meanwhile, the ongoing NPF’s crisis has blotted the Nagaland’s Christian face as it is anti-thesis to the principle of Christianity. At the lame duck period of the term of the 12th House of NLA, the NPF MLAs are found so keen to showcase how disunited and quarrelsome they are, how easily they can be befriended and then become enemies within split minute, how fast they can forget past bickering and laud each other and how efficient they can destroy each other’s image in public and how often they can have street fights like drunkards as of now. The present NPF MLAs have destroyed the political ethics, reduced the established political standard to rubbles of self-aggrandizement and transformed the highest public office into a den of ruffians whole sole achievement is pauperizing the State.
Whatever may be the claim and counter claim of the conflicting parties within NPF, one cannot be convinced of any reason worth confronting. It is neither a fight between good and evil nor deliverance versus non-deliverance nor opaque versus transparency nor for or against public interest. As someone has already commented, sheer greed is the basis and cause of the turmoil. It is very embarrassing to read about cleaning the dirty linen of NPF MLAs in public as such stories fill the front pages of local dailies. One NPF MLA from Kaziranga, Assam accused the Chief Minister of Nagaland to be desperate due to ‘greed for power’. Definitely true. Yet, the question is for what purpose this NPF MLA has been to Kaziranga? Had it not been his greed for power, he would not have gone there. Which NPF MLA is not crazy after power and plump portfolios? Better talk sense. This bunch of MLAs are found to be the most shameless and senseless lot. The NPF always claims to be the oldest surviving regional party in NE and boasts about regionalism. Yet, the moment it entered into marriage with BJP, the regional lustre is dimmed under the shadow of saffron. The claim of NPF as regional is more of theory today as it thinks, acts and eats like BJP. Even in the present crisis, both the warring groups of NPF are rushing to be the closest to BJP. The claim for regionalism by NPF is similar to that of Ostrich’s hiding.
During the last 4 years, the NPF MLAs have been wasting time in camps while the people of Nagaland are left high and dry. While the NPF MLAs are leisurely wasting time by eating and drinking in Star hotel in Kaziranga and while the Chief Minister is in political ICU, your bridge has collapsed killing and injuring the unsuspected commuters. While the 60 MLAs are so absorbed in their schemes for plunder of public exchequer, Kohima is cut off from Dimapur just because of a portion of sinking at Lalmati. With man power and plenty of machineries available, this portion is yet to be restored even after few months of struggling with it. Look at your roads which are abandoned. Nagaland has never had good roads in the past and yet the worst roads we have ever had are today under the present regime. Look at those half constructed abandoned buildings in the Capital town as they give the look of Iraq and Syrian cities once occupied by ISIS. Look at how DAN’s NPF led Govt. as to what extent you have destroyed the established system of governance. Under this regime, against a regular post vacancy multiple appointments are made, against one work order multiple bills are prepared and all development funds are pilfered against false bills. The previous governments were not perfect and yet those did not damage Nagaland as much as NPF has done it to beautiful Nagaland. One can go on.
The Chief Minister Dr. Shurhozelie is reduced to hopeless minority. It is therefore right for his detractors taunting him and challenging him to a floor duel. Yet, Dr. Shurhozelie is the legal Chief Minister heading as legal Govt. till he is legally removed. Whereas, the picnickers in Kaziranga are claiming to have absolute majority. In this number game, the Kaziranga addict MLAs seem to have edge over the Chief Minister. Nevertheless, no matter how big the number of MLAs may be, they have virtually lost political morality as the most fragile lot wasting time for toppling games all through these years is nothing but insult and disregard to the people of Nagaland. It seems Kaziranga addict MLAs have leant the habit of wolves in that sanctuary as to how wolves fight over the carcasses. If Dr. Shurhozelie has no legal right to continue, the Kaziranga picnickers too have no moral right to rule the State. Enough is enough.
Although I anticipate that RSS will dominate the land for Christ the moment PR is promulgated, at this juncture, better discard the haphazard elected representatives who have totally lost interest in the welfare of the people. Setting aside personal agenda, the Governor of Nagaland is expected to give importance to the welfare of the general public rather than focussing too much attention to reckless brawling NPF MLAs who believe that power and money come through the stages of quarrel out of envy.
