Associations and Unions are interest groups. They are formed to protect and promote the interests of their members. But if members feel that the body is no longer addressing their concerns and/or promoting their interests, and the said association/union is no longer relevant to them; divisions arise that weaken the association/union; and, unless addressed, could lead to its eventual demise. We, in Nagaland have seen this happen in the case of the Naga Hoho. The Eastern Nagas were the first to feel their issues neglected, and broke away from the Hoho. And now, arising out of a perceived conflict of interest, we have seen the birth of the Nagaland Tribes Council and the Central Naga Tribes Council. Whether the Naga Hoho realises that the formation of the N.T.C and the C.N.T.C.; after the disassociation of the Eastern Nagas, is the sounding of its death knell, remains to be seen. As to how it can regain its former status is for those who formulate and drive its policies to decide.
Alongside the Naga Hoho, we have seen a near identical crisis arising in the Naga Students’ Federation. The students’ body has mirrored the Naga Hoho in that it has seen the Eastern Naga students break away; and it is for the present office bearers to decide whether it will follow in the footsteps of the Naga Hoho. They have to decide on whether to take up issues relevant to the problems students face on a daily basis and which affects their future; or whether to play to a larger audience.
I am extremely heartened that the N.S.F. has taken up the issue of Backdoor Appointments. This issue is has a common denominator spanning tribal and individual barriers. It has found resonance with students and parents alike. It is only by taking up such issues, which have a direct bearing on the futures of all students, will the N.S.F. find its relevance in a society which has lost its moral compass. The Naga Hoho, the C.N.T.C., the N.T.C., etc, are bodies which have interests with emphasis on the present whereas the N.S.F. must have interests with emphasis on the future. That fact that the N.S.F. has taken up the said issue shows a paradigm shift in its approach to the problems facing Nagaland; it is relevant to all students across Nagaland, and it seeks to address one of the many factors which are destroying the future of Nagaland.
But this is only the beginning of the road that the N.S.F. must travel. Nagaland has no lack of issues which need correcting. The call by the N.S.F. for a protest by students against the Armed Forces Special Powers Act was commendable, but not pressing; for other organisations and bodies had a more urgent need to address the A.F.S.P.A. What it needs to do is bring up the issues students and parents face day in and day out, year after year. The frequent change of the syllabus of the Matriculate exams by the Nagaland Board of School Education is one; the lack of uniformity in the prescribed text book from classes 1 to 8 is another; the sale of, and frequent change in uniform by many private schools is another; the sale of, not only text books, but also notebooks by the schools is another; the manipulation by the government of the reserved seats in the medical and technical branches of education is another. These are just some of the many examples of the exploitation of the students and parents by the authorities, both governmental and private, which spring to mind; but there are many more such issues.
If the present office bearers of the N.S.F. can bring to the fore relevant issues which affect every student, and in consequence, their parents; there is no reason why they cannot grow from strength to strength. And with their growth in strength, they will have been instrumental in saving an institution that was once a cornerstone of Naga Society; they may even induce our Eastern Naga Students to come back to the fold. A feat which will surely earn them a place in the history of Nagaland.
