P. Dako Phom, Dimapur
[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hat is corruption? Corruption means injustice, dishonest, disloyal, unlawful acts, unfaithfulness, bribery, favoritism, nepotism, and most dangerously the misuse of power and position etc.
Bandhs, agitation, dharna, protest boycott and serving ultimatum are the counter products of corruption. As a result, discontentment, dissatisfaction, disunity, groupism, partisan, dissidence, defection and rebellion arises against the government as last resort. Such things never happen in a corruption free government.
A government guided by the democratic principle such as “Government of the people, by the people and for the people” makes every planning based on the benefit of the mass and its implementations are transparent. Such government put the people on the top priority in all the planning’s and proposals and take the people into confidence.All cannot become legislators, so few are elected with a mandate to serve the people but not to rule over them. The people are in no way inferior beings to legislators. The legislators should not take advantage the simplicity of the mass by their powers and
Position for one’s own benefit. Sometimes, the necessity compels the law makers to break the law as saying goes “Necessity knows no law”. This necessity unfortunately gives reason to interpret the law according to law makers own merit. This necessity oriented interpretation of law itself is corruption.
Robert Louis Stevenson in his poem, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde narrated that Dr. Jekyll was a great parliamentarian and an orator. But he had a horrible dark side in his life. When he determined to yield his life to this dark side of life, he would drink poison and become Mr. Hyde killing people and doing lots of notorious things in the night. Whereas he was a law maker in the day time. This narration depicts the dual nature or double standard of a man. Now our politicians have turned into Mr. Hyde not by drinking poison but by the poison of the love of money. Change of daily lifestyle has made life so expensive. As a result greed for money and materialism has increased tremendously. Politics which is supposed to deal with the affairs of the state has become the private affairs and public life has used mostly for private advantage. Why all the developmental plannings and proposals are objectionable and opposes by the people? Are people so selfish or ignorant? No! Nagas by nature are not selfish or ignorant. The simple reason behind every proposal has crafty motives which hindrances the government to carry on the developmental activities. For example, a mandated government inaugurating the oil exploration project recently at Champang under the 144Cr PC and imposition of NSDZ in the foothills belts are the outright rejection of people’s wish and misuse of power.
Today, we are baffled to see many criminals escape the noose of law although the crimes are committed openly. Hundreds of corruption cases are kept pending in the courts. Justice delayed is justice denied. As a result, corruption increases day by day without check. In our society, where black marketers, hoarders, industrialists andbig corporate companies enjoy support and blessing of politicians. A wide gap between the rich and the poor has emerged. It is the common people who suffer its consequences. It is high time that people understand the severity of the problem and strive to help in fighting it out to save our state.
