The long awaited change as promised has come in replacing the old guards. Hopefully other changes of significant importance will follow as the dust of the Election fallout in the State is gradually settling down. It is perhaps time for the winners to make adjustments to the new found power, fame and privileges that they have dreamt of. For those who could not make it this time, there is always the next time to re-evaluate and make strategies to swing back in the next round. To many voters, it will be a time to conscientiously introspect on the question of morality of acting as a paid voter during Election.
The new Government now require to sit down, relax, take a deep breath and diligently address to some serious hard-rending problems, besides the ongoing talks on the final Political Settlement, which also equally requires a solution. Currently, local dailies are filled with statements, exhortations and appeals emitting out from various public leaders, through their new found platforms, in advising people to be sincere, honest, hardworking and also expounding their individual visions. But none seems to be prepared nor the courage to toe on the issue of fighting corruption that has become a major concern today. Admittedly this sceptre of corruption also has dominated the recent Election where money has played a prominent role. It is often quite frightening to imagine that most of our future course of actions may be influenced by the forces of corruption, if not checked. This phenomena of corruption is a reality though none is prepared to admit nor speak out and the society continue to suffer in silence under its weight. As much as it is unpleasant, it is a stark reality on the ground for which we have no Scheduled Tribe nor Backward Area Concession. We will have to admit our omissions and fight its virus. Fighting corruption will nevertheless be an easy task. Passing of a few resolutions on the issue is not going to help. It has to be a consorted effort both from the masters and the servants to deal effectively with this serious problem. A noted writer once said that, “All problems becomes smaller when you confront them instead of dodging them”. It will largely depend upon the strength, determination and the will power of the people at large and specially its public leaders in particular in confronting this menace instead of dodging it. Combating corruption should therefore be accorded the topmost priority by the New Government. Should this be done, it will indeed be…..Ahoy! Change has come to stay.
The next area of concern relates to the dismal position of bankruptcy of the State Exchequer. We continue to remain as one of the poorest States of the Union. Showcasing our State as a Vibrant State with rich cultural heritage is indeed no substitute in filling up the empty coffer of our State. There is a need to stand on our own feet economically in order to draw an equilibrium between political and economic imperatives. Presently our States income generated from our own resources will be somewhere around 10% and for the staggering 90% of the expenditure to run our State, we are fully dependent upon the hospitality of the Centre. We have till now succeeded only in increasing our expenditures by inflating our liabilities year after year and the only ritualistic gift that a former Government leaves to the new Government is the gift of liabilities as a result of total indifference to the norms of financial disciplines. Liabilities are serious issues but here, we treat it as a way of life that are casually discussed over a coffee table. This is a dismal picture that we continue to pursue all these years without rancour. The present financial status is also one of the reasons why we constantly rush to Delhi with begging bowels and pleading the Central leaders for release of more funds. We receive benevolent grants nevertheless from the centre but the same amount is not meaningfully utilised nor invested with the result that our State coffer continue to remain empty. Should the centre decides to withhold all fund releases to our States, there will be a serious crisis, as our State will not be in a position to pay the salaries allowances to the Government servants of the State even for a month out of our States resources. The few income generating and employment oriented projects such as the Tuli Paper Mill, the Wazeho Cement Factory and Plywood factory etc that were christened as the harbinger of Economic growth in the State were frustratingly closed down due to mismanagement. As a result of such untimely closures, many talented Naga youths were unceremoniously thrown out of jobs. Besides making efforts to revive such defunct Projects that are found viable, our State should seriously consider in exploring/taping/producing our own rich mineral reserves such as the oil and coal deposit discovered around the western region of Nagaland and the most talked about precious stones deposits at the foothills of Saramati that are featured year after year by the Department of Geology and Mining in their Annual Administrative Reports. Ostensibly, there has been a number of talks, punctuated with arguments and quarrels on the matter of taping such mineral reserves specially relating to oil, but till now besides the talks, no tangible policy decisions appears to have been made in taping those reserves that on operationalisation, will generate tremendous income to the States gasping coffer.
There is also a need to re-evaluate the structures relating to manpower management of the State. As against the total population of a mere twenty lakhs, we have more than one lakh Government employees. This figure is exclusive of the many backdoor or the front door appointments. We have already reached a saturation point in the matter of appointments and the next course left will be explosion that will not be very pleasant. Unfortunately our State have no avenues opened for employment besides offering Government jobs that are presently overstaffed. A rational assessment on the issue of manpower management based on needs duly supported by the resources availability has therefore become a paramount necessity.
Besides the above concerns, I would also like to dwell in brief on the practise of organising Thanksgiving Services by the Election Victors. The Bible does say about “giving thanks in all circumstances” but this should not be interpreted as thanking God for an act of omission that is deliberately committed. It is simply an act of hypocrisy and blasphemous to thank a living God who is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient for the wrongs that we have deliberately committed during Elections. It is a simple testimony that our faith is more superficial then real. Hopefully and prayfully our Churches will not remain a mere spectators to such show of arrogances , that if not corrected, will have serious ramification not only on the faith of individuals but on the entire structure of our Churches that we still hold so dear to our hearts. There is a need to rather conduct service of Confessions, seeking God’s forgiveness for the many sins that we have deliberately committed during Election and if this is done in all sincerity, our God with all His Love and Mercy will forgive us and redeem our Land.
Tali Longkumer
