As our state suffers from the wounds on the agenda of 33% women reservation, the move to coerced implementation of a borrowed Municipal Act added salt to the wounds. As was anticipated, the balance of power between the state government and the stake holders could not be maintained and as a result valuable human beings are turning into corpse. If our government has a sight but cannot see then it is no less than the one eyed sleeping giant who sees only one side of reality and such a giant have no right to rule or represent its people. Besides, in a representative form of government if the representatives no longer enjoy the support of the people whom they represent then the representatives should gracefully step down on moral and political ground before the people step up. If not then, whom do they stand for?
The Indian constitution is a guiding star for all the citizens living under the Indian sun. I wonder as to how often interpret it. We have not given up our mundane habit of interpreting the state of things as we understand it. However, disrespectful usage of Article 19A of the constitution as a means of expressing our opinions by virtue of the guaranteed constitutional right without having a proper foundation of the issue under discourse not only damages the fundamental right but it also overshadows our own opinions. The said Article creates a passage to herald plurality of ideas and opinions- sometimes conflicting and sometimes not. What intrigues me is the way people interpret a given fact. “Facts” as a matter of fact should be conceived and interpreted “as it is” and not as “ought to be”. The present tussle between the government and the stake holders is a classic example of such interpretations. Who is right and who is not is not mine to judge. But a question of ‘why can’t we live with the truth?’ is a concern I raise.
Article 14 guarantees constitutional equality to all its citizens which itself establishes equality of gender before the law. If we are all equal then why do certain sections of the society still need bonus attention? By and large speaking, it has been answered with 110 reasons and do which people are made to understand. The explicit 33% women reservation in Nagaland has been taken for a ride. Who is the rider? We do not seek novelty in the context of reservation issue. We seek solution in the true spirit of accommodation based on the ideals of inclusiveness, mutual understanding and constitutional correctness. The truth that lies beneath the cries of the people is simple and pure. But even before a solution could be hammered out, the state government bombarded the state with the Municipal Act. The stake holders have not opposed the ULB election. With profound interest and sacrifices, they are trying to resolve and bridge the gap between the government and the people. After much effort the tripartite agreement was signed but was betrayed and hijacked by the group of one eyed giants the next day.
We have come a long way from the head hunting era to the state of modernisation. In such times of intellectual commotion and public outcries, any sensitive and complicated issues need a proper open public debates and discussions from experts (government and stake holders), scholars and public leaders and after which a proper mechanism should be devised. It is a question of merits and consensus. Misuse of authority is a crime against humanity and a sin against God. We have failed miserably and the government must answer to the public for betraying their trust. And at the same time it is expected that the stake holders should let rationality prevail over emotional outburst.
For long, we have forgotten to call spade a spade and have wasted years on speculations and probabilities. Let few speak for the whole in the interest of the people basing on the principle of Right and Wrong and not on the basis of Good and Bad. Truth is always attached with facts and therefore, let our solution be based on truth and consensus and not on probabilities of facts at our individual understanding.
N Yanpothung Ezung
Asst/professor
Bailey Baptist College
Wokha
