Jack T. Chakhesang
There is an Arabian fable about a Sultan and his Court Jester. In those days sans the blessings (or curse) of television, social media and of course, telephones and mobile cells, news would take weeks, even months to travel from one place to another—but travel they did.
So, among the diversions of royalty for entertainment apart from hunting in the deserts for wild game with the aid of falcons were dancing girls or nubile young women etc., poets expounding verses of love exquisite or even forlorn despair, was also included a Court Jester whose top priority was to relieve the daily tensions of a ruler while attending to the day’s events in court. The jester may or may not have been very wise say, like for instance, Birbal in the court of the Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great (1542-1605 ), but his sole purpose was to lighten the Sultan’s moods—or lose his head literally by the flashing grace of a scimitar.
JESTING IN COURT
It so happened one morning that the Sultan was delayed (for whatever reasons) from leaving his royal apartments and appearing in his court. During the interregnum, as the Viziers and other Ministers, Advisors, Councillors and noblemen—and what have you, fretted and kept glancing at the empty throne, the Court Jester on a sudden inspiration decided that perhaps it would be just harmless if he sat on the throne for a few moments and savour the thrill of it. And this he did.
On seeing this, the VVIPs became incensed. They dragged the jester off his feet and rained blows on him amidst unspeakable cursing. The Sultan then arrived and for a few moments looked at his favourite jester bleeding and weeping, and thus asked him: “Did the blows hurt you severely?”
“No! My Lord,” replied the jester.
“Then why are you weeping and wailing like a goat whose throat is about to be slashed?”
“My Lord, may the blessings of Allah continue to be showered upon you! I weep not for myself for the pain therein but for the heavy burden of sitting on your throne. I presumed to sit on it but for a few moments and got the thrashing of my life!! Yet, you have to sit on it all the days of your remaining life!!!”
POLITICAL GAME OF CHESS
Now, let us return to terra firma and look at the (overground) political situation in our very own State of Nagaland. It is obvious that some people (known as well as yet unknown) are still vying for the Chief Minister’s modern version of a throne enthused by seemingly strong support either way. That is why our political history has reached this impasse. A move here, and a move there, another move to counteract followed by a similar but contradictory response, then finally a king is dethroned followed by another game with the same ferocious intensity and another king is about to be check-mated.
The Arab poet al-Katib once said, “The skilled player places his pieces in such a way as to discover consequences that the ignorant man never sees… thus, he serves the Sultan’s interests, by showing how to foresee disaster.”
However, most unfortunately, this has not happened on the political chessboard of our Legislative Assembly. Lack of astute Advisors? Or, damn care hangers-on? It is for the electorate to decide since a people get the Government it deserves through a majority of the voters.
Here, we must consider that it is not the players of the white or black chess pieces who win the game that the matter is resolved. For the stakes are so high that any winner will find it practically impossible to collect his winnings fully and the loser will also get mired in huge debt such that it would be practically impossible to pay in full. It is the people of Nagaland as a whole of whatever political ideology or inclination, religion or caste and creed, even gender Et al who are the bankers and have invested the stakes for whichever side. And surely, they are all for winning and not losing.
So, can there be draw in such a scenario? In tennis, badminton, squash and many other racquet games there is no draw. Well, in football or hockey there can be a draw (in goals scored or nil) in a match until the fixtures lead up to the final game. So also, there cannot be a draw in our political game.
However, the rules of sports notwithstanding, in politics there is what is called reconciliation (read here that enemies become friends and friends make enemies plus a friend’s enemy is your enemy also while your enemy’s enemy is your friend and so on and so forth since there are no such permanent characters in this great game). So, it is give and take and NOT has to be taken and give. And yet, the question here arises as to how many times can there be reconciliation—since this will not be the first time within the NPF fold—to ensure a lasting outcome in the interest of the people?
THE BANE OF PHARISEES
Sportsman-like spirit may define to go down fighting like a man but in any battle, or war for that matter, no General will be commended for losing (may be like a gentleman?). So also, in politics, it is only winning that matters. One may presume that our educated Legislators have come across the motto of Machiavelli, the Italian statesman and political mastermind who advocated that “the end justifies the means.”
Over a thousand years earlier he was foreshadowed by Chanakya, a Brahmin, who had propounded the same adage for his Emperor Chandragupta Maurya (reigned c.321-c. 296 B.C.) although, most historians focus on his remarkable political treatise. Chanakya was teacher, philosopher, economist, jurist and royal advisor. He is traditionally identified as Kauṭilya or Vishnugupta, who authored the ancient Indian political treatise, the Arthashastra, As such, he is considered the pioneer of the field of political science and economics in India, and his work is thought of as an important precursor to classical economics.
Many Indian nationalists regard Chanakya as one of the earliest people who envisaged the united India spanning the subcontinent. India’s former National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon praised Arthashastra for its clear and precise rules which apply even today. Furthermore, he advised reading of the book for broadening the vision on strategic issues.
However, such an adage as propounded by Machiavelli and Chanakya may not always be fruitful considering our Christian ethics which we are supposedly to maintain. It is veritably true that quite a number of our leaders (of all professions and hues) do not drink alcohol, avoid smoking, nor consume drugs, not chew paan, khaini, Talab or other tobacco products or even womanise; they also attend Church on Sundays in fine paraphernalia with family and so on thus giving the impression that they are upright and God-fearing men and women.
Alas! It is also equally unfortunate that many such persons go astray, even haywire, when it comes to money matters when they attend office from Monday to Friday and sometimes on Saturdays also. They probably believe in making (illegal) hay while the sun shines and so let the devil take the hindmost. Yet, we are supposed to rally to the motto “Nagaland for Christ!”
“Well, religion does make a person very rich, if he is satisfied with what he has. What did we bring into the world? Nothing! And we can take nothing out of it. So then, if we have food and clothes, that should be enough for us. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and are caught in the trap of many foolish and harmful desires, which pull them down to ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the source (root) of all kinds of evil. Some have been so eager to have it that they have wandered away from the faith and have broken their hearts with many sorrows (1Timothy 6:6-10 GNB/NIV).
And that is the whole problem notwithstanding the numerous glaring shortcomings of our present Government on many fronts as elaborated by various concerned citizens in the media outlets. The thirst for political power—apart from genuine concern to uplift the people by ameliorating their grievances—is also fuelled by the lure of huge amounts of money to be acquired seemingly legally through obviously devious means.
A FAMILY AFFAIR
Previous non NPF-led DAN Governments were surely not perfect also but with our ever increasing population and multiple awareness of the general public, the present Government has to bear the brunt holding the fag end of the Naga people’s patience.
The current imbroglio is per se a quarrel within the NPF family. In a sense, any differences can (and should) be sensibly resolved amicably. That will be all to the good for the people as a whole. In another sense, some of the greatest disputes have been between brothers of the same parents starting from Cain who killed his brother Abel out of sheer jealousy. The matter did not end there and then for centuries later the two sons sired by the Patriarch Abraham (whose name literally means “Father of a multitude”) from two mothers (Hagar and Sarah) have their descendants as the Arabs (through Ishmael) and the Jews (through Isaac’s son Jacob, later named Israel) who have remained sworn enemies for over 15 (fifteen) centuries till date but are presently restrained precariously by world opinion.
The wise Solomon executed his brother Adonijah for treason; Romus killed his twin brother Romulus over a land dispute to found the village which eventually became the city of Rome named after him. Emperor Aurangzeb, the great grandson of Akbar the Great had his elder brother strangled and put behind bars his own father Shah Jahan who had the Taj Mahal constructed. Like these there are uncountable instances.
Yet the New Testament portrays the parable of the Prodigal Son as also the Good Shepherd who went out of his way seeking one lost sheep even as he had 99 sheep of his flock intact.
Unless resolved, the Naga electorate will be further embarrassed and disgraced by the overall behaviour of our Legislators. Why, not only mainland India from where the game of chess originated and Viswanathan Anand holds a grand master’s record. In fact, in Dimapur itself, adjoining the circuit house are remnants of a palace with life-size stone figures of chess pieces of Kachari Kingdom origin.
The crux of the matter is that our Naga affairs (overground or underground) have become a great open Indian political game of chess in the North-East. And chess is played in slow motion unlike fast-track games. Quite a few Nagas play chess but still yet to master the game overall on a wider scale.
Chess is also an Arabian pastime especially among their nobles and Russia has many chess grand masters but the rest of the world who have a fair inkling of genuine Naga political inspirations must either be saddened or laughing about it all depending on how they view our crisis. But we are insignificant for them to involve as stakeholders except perhaps on a very few development projects and further proselytising levels vis-a-vis the various Christian denominations that are extant in our land.
THE NEXT SCENE
By the time this write-up appears for public perusal, the scenario may even raise the curtain on unexpected developments such as President’s Rule which will definitely depend on further moves of our Legislators a few of who might be tempted into action like that of a Quisling or a Benedict Arnold and thus bring the curtain down on our extant Legislative Assembly which in any case, is in the last throes of its tenure.
Or, maybe the Chief Minister will dissolve the Assembly (the law permitting) and call for snap polls? To avoid President’s Rule? Further still, a cup of noble compromise is extended, or like the American Red Indians, a peace pipe smoked over a powwow in the interest of peace in our beloved Nagaland for Christ?
But first let us see the outcome of the matter which is already in court and so prevents any comment since it is sub judice.
Be that as it may, one cannot help but observe that not only Kaziranga ( it was reported as Craziranga in a local daily, but in the past few days supporters of the Chief Minister have been lodged in Hotel Cimorb at Old Ministers Hill in Kohima just 500 metres from the private residence of Mr TR Zeliang while his supporters were camped in Hotel Vivor which is just half a kilometre from Dr Shurhozzelie’s private residence in Rulizou area!
And by now they may have dispersed also.
THE PRESENT SCENARIO
All said and done, however, one fact is absolutely clear. That is whether we continue living within the Constitution of India or live as a sovereign nation (and since when in history has independence ever been granted to a people as a present?) we all want, first and foremost, everlasting peace in our land.
In this context pointing fingers at our Hon’ble Legislators, bureaucrats, and other Government servants cannot result in any solution. Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries, MLAs, Secretaries, Directors down to the dealing assistants and peons even via the head clerks surely take some remuneration for any contract and other works. Thus practically half the sanctioned amount is accounted for. So, with 50% of the funds can we blame the contractors for inadequate or shoddy works?
Moreover, Legislators buy votes because the voters themselves from the village level onwards—rural to urban—want various favours for kith and kin and so sell their franchise for cold hard cash. Therefore, money for favours or vice versa—otherwise sometimes known as corruption —sprouts from the grass roots of our polity.
At this present stage, all right thinking and concerned citizens must focus on how to persuade our rural folks who comprise three-fourths of our population to shake themselves out of this rut. And the village elders must restrain from indulging in cracking the whip for the clan or even the entire village to vote for any particular candidate since we are a democratic society. Various civil society organisations, NGOs must take a special call on this aspect. And, of course, it goes without saying that the Church (of whichever denomination) has an important and urgent role to play.
True it is that the Church itself needs to first set its house in order (notwithstanding the magnificent buildings). However, surely there are enough Reverends, Pastors, Pastoress, deacons and deaconesses, Christian Youth Endeavours etc and other upright Christians who can still rally their congregations. If not all, then even if only ten to fifteen per cent church workers itself can enthuse 60-70 per cent of the believers and eventually can bring about political change also. In this regard, the NBCC (Nagaland Baptist Church Council) must be lauded and further encouraged for its crusade on clean elections.
OTHER POSSIBLE INTRIGUES
It may also not be very surprising if the political game is being masterfully master-minded and even played by some Central VIP bureaucrats if not by politicians themselves where the Indo-Naga issue is concerned and which directly, or indirectly, tends to affect North-East India politically, economically and demographically thus infiltrating into our socio-cultural ethos—and of course to try and deflect our unique history. This is even as their colleagues also deal with Jammu & Kashmir in the North-West and various other moves in between, if not the South too.
As for our flock of Legislators, in true Christian spirit it would be commendable, even honourable, in the overall interest of the electorate, to forgive and forget among themselves. Well, if not to forget, at least to forgive and that is what really matters.
Thus, we now come to the (not so) riddle: “Who would you prefer? The Sultan or his Court Jester?
