When the Nagaland State Cabinet recently took the decision recommending an Autonomous Council to the Government of India for the areas under the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organization (ENPO), the Cabinet also made a request asking New Delhi to intervene in the matter by taking an early decision so that “further problems do not arise in Nagaland which is already faced with multiple problems”. We can well sympathize with the NPF led government given that we have not only ‘multiple problems’ but also multiple layers of conflict. And all this come into interplay one way or the other and putting a spoke in the wheels of our common endeavor as well as the governments’ functioning. Although Nagaland is a small State in comparison with others, yet with so much problems and conflicts to deal with, it could well be one of the most difficult States to govern. In fact in the last more than one year we have seen troubles piling up one on top of the other and in the process, our State has not been able to forge forward as much as we would have liked it. Governance has suffered a great deal because we have been so busy managing our internal problems—land disputes, anomaly of ceasefire and rampant extortion, regional divide, tribalism, troubles arising out of the recent bogus teachers scam and its aftermath of appointments/postings and many many more. And it seems to be that all of the above problems are coming to the fore almost at one time one after the other. And that could well explain the fact that the year 2011 could probably be the lowest point of the present NPF government.
However the problems at hand are not only that of the government but it is a collective one and it will require cooperation of all sections of people. Whether it is a NPF or a Congress government, the nature of the ‘multiple problems’ or the ‘multiple layers of conflict’ we are faced with, is in a sense inherited from our past and this is endemic to the Nagas. It will require more than just government solution. While there are many things that we can discuss about, the one thing that comes to mind in relation to the theme of this particular column is on the need to take into account the viewpoints of the people when it comes to policy and decision of the State. With the multiplicity of our problems and conflict that we have in our midst, may be it is time for the government to frame policies or take decisions only after a due process of consultation and keeping in mind the sensitivities involved. It will therefore require an out of the box approach to govern a State like Nagaland. For example it is becoming obvious that a ‘uniform’ policy is unlikely to succeed and we may have to tailor our government policy according to the sensitivity of a particular region, tribe or social setup. And given the reality of our problems, our government will be required to dialogue with the people and through this process try and understand their hope, vision and more importantly their viewpoint/s. There will be greater chance of policies and decisions succeeding if people are kept informed and consulted. Governance is also bound to improve.
However the problems at hand are not only that of the government but it is a collective one and it will require cooperation of all sections of people. Whether it is a NPF or a Congress government, the nature of the ‘multiple problems’ or the ‘multiple layers of conflict’ we are faced with, is in a sense inherited from our past and this is endemic to the Nagas. It will require more than just government solution. While there are many things that we can discuss about, the one thing that comes to mind in relation to the theme of this particular column is on the need to take into account the viewpoints of the people when it comes to policy and decision of the State. With the multiplicity of our problems and conflict that we have in our midst, may be it is time for the government to frame policies or take decisions only after a due process of consultation and keeping in mind the sensitivities involved. It will therefore require an out of the box approach to govern a State like Nagaland. For example it is becoming obvious that a ‘uniform’ policy is unlikely to succeed and we may have to tailor our government policy according to the sensitivity of a particular region, tribe or social setup. And given the reality of our problems, our government will be required to dialogue with the people and through this process try and understand their hope, vision and more importantly their viewpoint/s. There will be greater chance of policies and decisions succeeding if people are kept informed and consulted. Governance is also bound to improve.
