India's most prominent anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare sits on fast at Ramlila ground, with a backdrop of a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi in New Delhi, Friday, Aug. 19. (AP Photo)
“Let us dig the root and trim not only the leaves and branches”
Corruption did not simply came flocking to Earth from hell but is our creation, like the good school that produces good results despite weak and poor pupils, the Church is not only the foundation of Christian spiritual life but is supposed to constantly intercede and keep vigil over the sheep throughout the sojourn we undertake here on Earth. The tendency of the Church to focus mainly on the materialistic and budgetary aspects may have to be introspected in depth.
When the world did rejected the Prophets and even the Messiah, Jesus Christ himself in flesh and blood, the Church cannot be expected to ensure cent percent spiritual and moral perfections of it’s members or even ostracize the Sinners from the Church.
Similarly the Christian principle of justice and equality, love and compassion etc. oblige us to treat every human being as equals, it is thus evident that Church is to be composed of every kind of human beings each contributing to the God’s service through diverse activities and capabilities.
However quite unfortunately, the present modern Church perhaps, in-order to keep pace with the Economic inevitable circumstances is becoming increasingly engulfed in “ Elitist oriented fellowship” thus alienating the common masses and wretched poor.
It is a fact that tithes and donations is the only basis of Church’s revenue and if the numbers are to be mattered, tithes or donations of 100 economically poor believers cannot be equated to a single donation from a single bureaucrat or politician.
The Church also take it as a pride and a challenge to provoke other members to follow the example of such generosity, clearly and loudly proclaim acknowledgements before the whole congregation and even use to invoke special prayers for the large donors.
Whereas during my whole nominal Christian life, never have I witnessed church’s acknowledgement to poor and meager donors. Front benches and pulpits mostly are also reserved for the worldly VVIPS and VIPS, a poor wretched believer may never avail front seat or the dais on service days or hours except on off-services when the Church is empty.
This trend shows materialists and anti-Christ attempt to usurp Church authority, the history of Church’s authoritarian decree, political interests and involvement, injustice and persecutions, adultery etc as experienced during Romans rule and Papacy of Pope Alexander, Making and unmaking of Emperors and Empires et by the Church during feudal and medieval ages etc may serve as an extremely conspicuous lessons for modern Churches to limit and focus only on it’s exclusive role.
The protestant movement was the outcome of the split in the Church due to excess indulgence of “ Men Of God” and Churches in secular affairs and desires of the flesh.
If the Sheep and Goat maintain mutual relationship for too long, it is the sheep that is most likely to get contaminated with Goat’s odor and so is the Church not completely immune from being misled and wrecked by morally corrupted profligates that intends to bask in the glory and purity of the Church so that the society may at large respect their wishes and status as special and unique.
It is thus relevant for the Church to set an example of Justice, equality and love for all, as rightly quoted in the Holy Bible that- In the eyes of God, every human being are equal.
The King or the beggar, to God and to the Church both deserves the equal treatment and attention , the Church besides other ecclesiastical responsibilities may therefore focus solely on the spiritual well-being of the Church body/institution which represents the Christ and act as the faithful Shepherd looking after the flock day and night against the prowling evil.
While it is worth recording, the positive role played by NBCC and FNR in brokering a peace deal amongst various blood-seeking Naga brothers, truly an achievement as guided by God’s providence, the NBCC’s stand on prohibition legislation needed to be reviewed in light of it’s failures, constitutional parameters, secular principle of Governance and the rule of law, which I feel is the prerogative of the Secular Government and it’s agencies.
The taste ,choice, habit etc of a fellow Christians are rather a matter of individual judgment, the Church may only give spiritual counsels of the evils of drinking, where as seizures, destructions etc of such illegal usage is the affairs of the Government and concerned department.
It may not necessarily be attributed entirely to availability of Alcohol as the only cause of alcoholism, drunkenness etc though it also is a major factor, sometimes it appears that scarcities of Gospels in the streets and corners of Nagaland towns and cities, (the Urban Church has become more Elitist and discriminatory), most preachers prefer air-conditioned cars that they hardly meet any sinners on streets and highways needing counseling, hardly do I see Reverends and Pastors administering gospels in Slums and shacks, for instance the Railway bazaar area and Eros Lane/ Ellora etc of Dimapur considered as red-light zone has never witnessed any preacher or important church workers ever venturing to share the Gospel, rather they shrink away in disgust and regards these filthy areas as representing Sodom Gomrah or other hellish place.
I think the Church is mainly for worship, where as expecting every sinners to attend Church may be too far-fetched, giving sermon in the Church alone may not possibly spread the Gospel to many lost souls. If the Church only stand guard of the granary but fails to work the field, who shall then harvest the field.
If the Church could attend to it’s responsibilities of expansion of God’s Kingdom , then there should be no time for worries of Alcoholism, drug addiction etc or the need of the Church to act as Excise personnel or Uniformed Police would not have arisen., for the evils are multi-faceted and require constant warfare led by the Church, simply targeting Alcohol alone is neither the duty of the Church and so is interfering in Government legislations or enactments only tends to portray theocratic regime or the Talibanisation of society.
Even the Churches directly or indirectly condones corruption in Nagaland because the Church as both private and public institution is the biggest and the largest recipient/beneficiary of corrupted money in the form of donations, charities etc but never without questioning the sources. It is fact well known- One prominent Sumi Legislator patronizes many Churches and missionaries.
He candidly use to admit that the cash he donates to the Church is unclean and corrupted, he therefore used to ask the Church to sanctify the money donated. It is for God alone to judge the worship, where as to us lay people it’s an enigma that whether the money stolen from Public exchequer that was originally meant to assist the poor and needy through underhand play somehow land up in the Church, does it really serve Samaritan services at the expense of the needy?
Without offence meant, the Church being the custodian of Spirituality must first adopt efficient policy to tackle corruption of it’s members and followers.
Most top politicians, high ranking Govt. and state officials including bureaucrats and technocrats maintain high profile relationship with the Church and are regarded as cash cows or main financial sponsors.
It is also very obvious that these wealthy sections are often appointed as Convenors , Chairpersons, members etc of the Planning or Finance committees and even Deacon boards of the Church but not because of spiritual integrity or unblemished Christian life or high morality.
These people are considered important simply because they are rich regardless of the dubious manner through which the money might have been earned.
Therefore in a Christian society where the Church discriminates against the poor faithful but prioritizes and respects only the rich and influential, when the Church tries to measure one’s faith through the quantity or amount of cash, tithes and contributions etc.
The precedents would be the growing emphasis of the Churches on materialistic and secular activities which definitely corresponds to the Prophesy of Anti-Christ imminent domination through Economic or materialistic emphasis.
The Church therefore as a symbol of purity, truth, equality, justice, love and compassion for all, must stand above all temptations of our times and also remain firm, steadfast and unaffected from the worldly crises contaminating the world.
Church and it’s faith, belief, principles etc are the only hope of salvation of not only individuals but the Nagas society in general. When the Church fails to ensure and assure spiritual security, the society in general would go off-track and astray.
Corruption in Nagaland is an accepted “ official maxim” of Nagaland Government(regardless of political parties in power)- beginning from the Legislators, Executives, Bureaucrats and the rest of hierarchy pilfering down to the grass-root level of peon, office assistant and even common electorates.
The Judiciary, Police and Civil Courts itself are similarly riddled with corruption of the most despicable and lowest level of bribe taking.
The recent State Government decision to remove Nagaland Police illegal collection/extortion gates on many State highways in order to rein in police corrupt practice is worth an appreciation, the bold decision of the State Government to crack down on extortion menace is also laudable.
However, the reality of corruptions in high places of power, inside the bureaucratic circles and Government offices in Nagaland has become even more organized and an established tradition without which no files could be processed or any work go forward.
Every files has it's own measures of commissions to be paid to the Department’s officials.
The Accountant General Office in Kohima for instance splashes caution notice against bribe taking or bribe giving, where as thousands of pensioners particularly the third and grade four workers who mostly are ignorant and never been to Kohima or unaware of the official pension procedures are well deceived and taken advantage of by middle men (mostly govt. employees-Cashers, Accountants, LDA,UDA etc frequents AG office ) who exact exorbitant percentages to pursue entitled pension benefits, half of the bribe money goes to AG staffs, but that is the silent norm and a taboo if ever spoken.
Even the officials deputed by the concerned departments on authentication and verifications duty- of GPF statements or missing pension papers takes huge commissions and bribes, while in fact they are being paid by the Government for the job.
Not a single Directorate or Secretariat in Nagaland especially Kohima functions without huge bribery rackets that starts from the Peon who physically pushes the files around to the Dealing Assistants who then endorses the files to the upper sections.
Each level of hierarchy exacts their own pounds of flesh, the Superintendents, Dy.Directors, Joint.Directors etc to Directors/Chief-Engineers etc and then to the Secretaries Commissioners and finally the Ministers.
Such is the state of affairs that extortion by UG groups except for Gun totting threats is no different, since all these combines un-necessary criminal liabilities on the Public Exchequer resulting in huge deficits and stagnant economy.
One wonders the magic of minting Crores of Rupees by the Bureaucrats, Technocrats and top Professionals in the Public sectors, comparing their reasonable salaries to luxurious lifestyles, private properties, assets and particularly their children studying in Indian cities and abroad incurring several lakhs every month, it’s beyond comprehension as to how do they afford such multi-millionaires lifestyles when the maximum amount/salary including perks of top Bureaucrat do not exceed One to Two Lakh Rupees per month.
Same is the case with various National workers, a noble voluntary mission work has turned out to be the most despised and feared wealth generating machineries, the fact that no movement can be sustained without reasonable economic stability has well been understood , for which the Nagas had since the days of NNC/FGN till today been shouldering the funding jointly, but the excess highhandedness and proliferation of National workers, arms race etc has taken heavy toll on the common Nagas. The greed and selfishness of the workers and leaders has become a cause of big concern. All these contradictory activities has alienated the general Naga public. Unless serious corrective approach is adopted, the situation portends even more disastrous consequences in large scale quite detrimental to the Nagas cause.
In Nagaland, a mere cashier naturally becomes a millionaire on serving the Government for at the least a decade, where as in other States of India, even the Engineers and Doctors goes to office on Department provided conveyances, in the State of Assam itself I have witnessed Engineers, SDO’s and Junior Engineers attending to work on Autos and Motorcycles.
The most demeaning of corrupt practices in the Government Departments that directly deals with the everyday welfare of the common masses is too stunning and even infectious to mention.
For instances-the section of Social Welfare Department that provides Old-Age Pension to Old helpless and aged people manages to siphon-off large chunks of funds starting from the Ministry level down to District, Sub-Division and block level.
The Food and Civil Supplies Department, that administers distribution of subsidized food and basic necessities to both the Urban and Rural poor and especially to those wretched sections that lives Below Poverty Line. Most of the BPL cards issued are either fakes or manipulated in connivance with dept. officials by some undeserving rich people, so as to avail subsidized food grains, pulses etc meant for the poor.
The genuine card holders hardly get not even a quarter of their allotted and supplied share, even in such cases, most PDS/Fair Price Shop permit holders exchange the good quality supplies of the Government with lower and cheaper quality as conveniently done in the non-Naga traders owned go-downs in Dimapur. With such precision, these PDS along with Dept. Officials and Merchants burgle away major and best portion of the basic food supplies. Also in most case the common people only avail rice, the rest of pulses, flour, oils etc never reaches the public .Only the meager quantity of worst quality dumped in the go-downs are obtained at throw away prices and in exchange of these, huge commissions are received. Whereas the lessening of quantity also enable them to create bonus from reduced transport charges and the resultant surplus carriages charges provided by the Government are also pocketed by them. Finally when these sub-standard food-stuff reaches respective stores, the prices fixed by the govt. for actual quality supplied is even raised despite the fact that substituted lower and cheaper items are being distributed.
It is indeed in-human and without an iota of conscience that these officials allow themselves to loot the funds and supplies meant for the most unfortunate down trodden and weaker strata of our society. The above two instances, I have learned from my personal experiences.
The extreme case of corruption in Nagaland has also been brought to fore in the distribution of MNREGA funds where the common toiling rural poor have also been made to suffer and for which the Govt.of India even instituted inquiry to Nagaland State. In spite of these obvious shameful act of mis-appropriation of public fund, it is witnessed that these concerned Ministry/Department even boasted of being a good performance State as compared to National average. Is it consistent of our Christian faith to compete in corruptions? Or to proudly say that we are reasonably corrupt when compared to corruptions in non-Christian states?
The present demand by the State Opposition Congress for resignation of Education Minister though may or may not succeed is just a tip of an ice-berg , the official cupboards of the Govt.Departments are filled to the brim with skeletons of successive batches of Governments and Officials.
The SIT of Vigilance and anti-Corruption commissioned to investigate the bogus Teachers appointments though may sound cynical, may never successfully and satisfactorily conclude the inquiry because most officials have retired from the Service and official records pertaining to past many years back are no longer available.
Besides these only the innocent teachers/victims came forward to provide statements, so far no department officials did either volunteered/co-operated or were apprehended except for few incumbents who actually were not entirely responsible, since many cases were long overdue and committed during the predecessor’s periods.
The Police and Civil Courts sometimes grapple at each other throats when the offenders caught by the Police with much difficulties are released with ease by the Courts/lawyers.
But if the roles are reversed between the two agencies, the outcome would be the same, because it is the money that speaks and acts, like any investigating officer’s charges (fees) for act of omissions, the Lawyers also have their own system of lobbies to impress upon the Magistrates.
While in prisons, it has also been witnessed that there use to be detainees whose offence only require minimal sentence of week or month but their inability to afford bail procedures, lawyer fees or police IO fees have forced them to remain in prison far beyond legality sanctions.
Particularly, the saddest aspect of poor Nagas suffering is heart piercing as one sees the plight of sick people lying in corridors and verandas of Private Hospitals and Research Centres in Dimapur and Towns elsewhere in Nagaland.
Due to lack of equipments, facilities and free medicines supposed to be available in Government Hospitals as supplied by the Government and the Govt. appointed Doctors supposed to be on vigil for twenty four hours alternatively, sometimes emergency Doctors are even found to be absent but working feverishly in their own private clinics and nursing homes all but for higher incentives and greed. It has become a sort of adage in Govt.run Hospitals- no-specialist, no oxygen, no medicines etc. Where have all these Specialist Doctors and Medicines disappeared to? Are they not life-savers and next to God here on Earth? Is the Government salary too meager? Aren’t some of the most costliest medicines and life saving drugs in your clinics available only in Govt.Hospitals? Surely there is a need to deeply ponder over these issues.
While even the rural areas and far-off interior villages have also been provided with health centre, Doctors and free Medicines, Nursing homes and hospitals in the Town/Districts are mostly filled with poor rural folks and also only the most desperate poor go to Govt. hospitals run by only one-two emergency Doctors who obviously prescribes medicines only available in his own private pharmacy saying that the Hospital has ran-out of medicines. It is indeed ridiculous as to when or what occasion do these hospitals provide free medicines? The government assurances to the Naga publics- Health for all (NRHM) may never happen as long as these issues remain un-attended. Those Doctors who undertakes an oath to serve anywhere, under any condition for certain initial length of services should resign on moral grounds and serve commercially in private hospitals as most of them are doing now. Since the profession concerns the health, life and death of the Nagas. The HIV/AIDS funds are also learnt to be siphoned-off, what a cruel conscience. But quite interestingly, people who involve in such corrupt practices in most cases proudly spearheads Church projects and social missions. These characters are seen as Chief-Guests in almost every social occasions giving lectures on honesty, integrity etc. what a perversion our society is heading to…
It is also worth discussing, the mis-appropriation of mid-day meals and related materials being assisted freely by the Govt.of India through SSA. While the able sections send their children to costly private Schools, the Government in order to impart free and aided education to the grass-root level poor.
And also to enable the daily wage earning parents to exempt their children from having to labor to contribute to family’s survival or at the least to earn one’s own square meal a day that entails no time for basic Schooling (Child labor) has targeted these sections with reasonable free rationing for the kids from such backgrounds.
Such noble gestures and policies of the Govt. may in return be implemented in full measure and humanely, however, sadly, it is the Education Minister himself, accused of personally grabbing the fund. Our State is replete with such stories from every walks of lives and establishments both private and public enterprises, the saddest of all is the fact that the highest of the Institutions, the beacon of our State- The Nagaland University and the NPSC too has been indicted in similar criminal and corrupt practices.
To whom shall the Nagas confide to or rely on? When the Leaders and Governments that were supposed to carry and represent the peoples mandate turn against it’s own people, When the Politicians and National workers misuses responsibilities and powers to fill their own coffers, When the intellectuals keep silenced and common people’s voices are subdued?
The Nagas rather than freedom, prosperity and advancement are only plying the path to damnation.
Why would not one want to prosper or excel, but why always do we try to live-off at others expenses? Finally when everything is done and our body tires and souls lost , may we only then realize but would be too late.
(ISAK SUMI)
Purely a personal view and without malice towards any, some particular events mentioned are only circumstantial and not accusatory in nature.
(ISAK SUMI)
isaksumi@gmail.com
Corruption did not simply came flocking to Earth from hell but is our creation, like the good school that produces good results despite weak and poor pupils, the Church is not only the foundation of Christian spiritual life but is supposed to constantly intercede and keep vigil over the sheep throughout the sojourn we undertake here on Earth. The tendency of the Church to focus mainly on the materialistic and budgetary aspects may have to be introspected in depth.
When the world did rejected the Prophets and even the Messiah, Jesus Christ himself in flesh and blood, the Church cannot be expected to ensure cent percent spiritual and moral perfections of it’s members or even ostracize the Sinners from the Church.
Similarly the Christian principle of justice and equality, love and compassion etc. oblige us to treat every human being as equals, it is thus evident that Church is to be composed of every kind of human beings each contributing to the God’s service through diverse activities and capabilities.
However quite unfortunately, the present modern Church perhaps, in-order to keep pace with the Economic inevitable circumstances is becoming increasingly engulfed in “ Elitist oriented fellowship” thus alienating the common masses and wretched poor.
It is a fact that tithes and donations is the only basis of Church’s revenue and if the numbers are to be mattered, tithes or donations of 100 economically poor believers cannot be equated to a single donation from a single bureaucrat or politician.
The Church also take it as a pride and a challenge to provoke other members to follow the example of such generosity, clearly and loudly proclaim acknowledgements before the whole congregation and even use to invoke special prayers for the large donors.
Whereas during my whole nominal Christian life, never have I witnessed church’s acknowledgement to poor and meager donors. Front benches and pulpits mostly are also reserved for the worldly VVIPS and VIPS, a poor wretched believer may never avail front seat or the dais on service days or hours except on off-services when the Church is empty.
This trend shows materialists and anti-Christ attempt to usurp Church authority, the history of Church’s authoritarian decree, political interests and involvement, injustice and persecutions, adultery etc as experienced during Romans rule and Papacy of Pope Alexander, Making and unmaking of Emperors and Empires et by the Church during feudal and medieval ages etc may serve as an extremely conspicuous lessons for modern Churches to limit and focus only on it’s exclusive role.
The protestant movement was the outcome of the split in the Church due to excess indulgence of “ Men Of God” and Churches in secular affairs and desires of the flesh.
If the Sheep and Goat maintain mutual relationship for too long, it is the sheep that is most likely to get contaminated with Goat’s odor and so is the Church not completely immune from being misled and wrecked by morally corrupted profligates that intends to bask in the glory and purity of the Church so that the society may at large respect their wishes and status as special and unique.
It is thus relevant for the Church to set an example of Justice, equality and love for all, as rightly quoted in the Holy Bible that- In the eyes of God, every human being are equal.
The King or the beggar, to God and to the Church both deserves the equal treatment and attention , the Church besides other ecclesiastical responsibilities may therefore focus solely on the spiritual well-being of the Church body/institution which represents the Christ and act as the faithful Shepherd looking after the flock day and night against the prowling evil.
While it is worth recording, the positive role played by NBCC and FNR in brokering a peace deal amongst various blood-seeking Naga brothers, truly an achievement as guided by God’s providence, the NBCC’s stand on prohibition legislation needed to be reviewed in light of it’s failures, constitutional parameters, secular principle of Governance and the rule of law, which I feel is the prerogative of the Secular Government and it’s agencies.
The taste ,choice, habit etc of a fellow Christians are rather a matter of individual judgment, the Church may only give spiritual counsels of the evils of drinking, where as seizures, destructions etc of such illegal usage is the affairs of the Government and concerned department.
It may not necessarily be attributed entirely to availability of Alcohol as the only cause of alcoholism, drunkenness etc though it also is a major factor, sometimes it appears that scarcities of Gospels in the streets and corners of Nagaland towns and cities, (the Urban Church has become more Elitist and discriminatory), most preachers prefer air-conditioned cars that they hardly meet any sinners on streets and highways needing counseling, hardly do I see Reverends and Pastors administering gospels in Slums and shacks, for instance the Railway bazaar area and Eros Lane/ Ellora etc of Dimapur considered as red-light zone has never witnessed any preacher or important church workers ever venturing to share the Gospel, rather they shrink away in disgust and regards these filthy areas as representing Sodom Gomrah or other hellish place.
I think the Church is mainly for worship, where as expecting every sinners to attend Church may be too far-fetched, giving sermon in the Church alone may not possibly spread the Gospel to many lost souls. If the Church only stand guard of the granary but fails to work the field, who shall then harvest the field.
If the Church could attend to it’s responsibilities of expansion of God’s Kingdom , then there should be no time for worries of Alcoholism, drug addiction etc or the need of the Church to act as Excise personnel or Uniformed Police would not have arisen., for the evils are multi-faceted and require constant warfare led by the Church, simply targeting Alcohol alone is neither the duty of the Church and so is interfering in Government legislations or enactments only tends to portray theocratic regime or the Talibanisation of society.
Even the Churches directly or indirectly condones corruption in Nagaland because the Church as both private and public institution is the biggest and the largest recipient/beneficiary of corrupted money in the form of donations, charities etc but never without questioning the sources. It is fact well known- One prominent Sumi Legislator patronizes many Churches and missionaries.
He candidly use to admit that the cash he donates to the Church is unclean and corrupted, he therefore used to ask the Church to sanctify the money donated. It is for God alone to judge the worship, where as to us lay people it’s an enigma that whether the money stolen from Public exchequer that was originally meant to assist the poor and needy through underhand play somehow land up in the Church, does it really serve Samaritan services at the expense of the needy?
Without offence meant, the Church being the custodian of Spirituality must first adopt efficient policy to tackle corruption of it’s members and followers.
Most top politicians, high ranking Govt. and state officials including bureaucrats and technocrats maintain high profile relationship with the Church and are regarded as cash cows or main financial sponsors.
It is also very obvious that these wealthy sections are often appointed as Convenors , Chairpersons, members etc of the Planning or Finance committees and even Deacon boards of the Church but not because of spiritual integrity or unblemished Christian life or high morality.
These people are considered important simply because they are rich regardless of the dubious manner through which the money might have been earned.
Therefore in a Christian society where the Church discriminates against the poor faithful but prioritizes and respects only the rich and influential, when the Church tries to measure one’s faith through the quantity or amount of cash, tithes and contributions etc.
The precedents would be the growing emphasis of the Churches on materialistic and secular activities which definitely corresponds to the Prophesy of Anti-Christ imminent domination through Economic or materialistic emphasis.
The Church therefore as a symbol of purity, truth, equality, justice, love and compassion for all, must stand above all temptations of our times and also remain firm, steadfast and unaffected from the worldly crises contaminating the world.
Church and it’s faith, belief, principles etc are the only hope of salvation of not only individuals but the Nagas society in general. When the Church fails to ensure and assure spiritual security, the society in general would go off-track and astray.
Corruption in Nagaland is an accepted “ official maxim” of Nagaland Government(regardless of political parties in power)- beginning from the Legislators, Executives, Bureaucrats and the rest of hierarchy pilfering down to the grass-root level of peon, office assistant and even common electorates.
The Judiciary, Police and Civil Courts itself are similarly riddled with corruption of the most despicable and lowest level of bribe taking.
The recent State Government decision to remove Nagaland Police illegal collection/extortion gates on many State highways in order to rein in police corrupt practice is worth an appreciation, the bold decision of the State Government to crack down on extortion menace is also laudable.
However, the reality of corruptions in high places of power, inside the bureaucratic circles and Government offices in Nagaland has become even more organized and an established tradition without which no files could be processed or any work go forward.
Every files has it's own measures of commissions to be paid to the Department’s officials.
The Accountant General Office in Kohima for instance splashes caution notice against bribe taking or bribe giving, where as thousands of pensioners particularly the third and grade four workers who mostly are ignorant and never been to Kohima or unaware of the official pension procedures are well deceived and taken advantage of by middle men (mostly govt. employees-Cashers, Accountants, LDA,UDA etc frequents AG office ) who exact exorbitant percentages to pursue entitled pension benefits, half of the bribe money goes to AG staffs, but that is the silent norm and a taboo if ever spoken.
Even the officials deputed by the concerned departments on authentication and verifications duty- of GPF statements or missing pension papers takes huge commissions and bribes, while in fact they are being paid by the Government for the job.
Not a single Directorate or Secretariat in Nagaland especially Kohima functions without huge bribery rackets that starts from the Peon who physically pushes the files around to the Dealing Assistants who then endorses the files to the upper sections.
Each level of hierarchy exacts their own pounds of flesh, the Superintendents, Dy.Directors, Joint.Directors etc to Directors/Chief-Engineers etc and then to the Secretaries Commissioners and finally the Ministers.
Such is the state of affairs that extortion by UG groups except for Gun totting threats is no different, since all these combines un-necessary criminal liabilities on the Public Exchequer resulting in huge deficits and stagnant economy.
One wonders the magic of minting Crores of Rupees by the Bureaucrats, Technocrats and top Professionals in the Public sectors, comparing their reasonable salaries to luxurious lifestyles, private properties, assets and particularly their children studying in Indian cities and abroad incurring several lakhs every month, it’s beyond comprehension as to how do they afford such multi-millionaires lifestyles when the maximum amount/salary including perks of top Bureaucrat do not exceed One to Two Lakh Rupees per month.
Same is the case with various National workers, a noble voluntary mission work has turned out to be the most despised and feared wealth generating machineries, the fact that no movement can be sustained without reasonable economic stability has well been understood , for which the Nagas had since the days of NNC/FGN till today been shouldering the funding jointly, but the excess highhandedness and proliferation of National workers, arms race etc has taken heavy toll on the common Nagas. The greed and selfishness of the workers and leaders has become a cause of big concern. All these contradictory activities has alienated the general Naga public. Unless serious corrective approach is adopted, the situation portends even more disastrous consequences in large scale quite detrimental to the Nagas cause.
In Nagaland, a mere cashier naturally becomes a millionaire on serving the Government for at the least a decade, where as in other States of India, even the Engineers and Doctors goes to office on Department provided conveyances, in the State of Assam itself I have witnessed Engineers, SDO’s and Junior Engineers attending to work on Autos and Motorcycles.
The most demeaning of corrupt practices in the Government Departments that directly deals with the everyday welfare of the common masses is too stunning and even infectious to mention.
For instances-the section of Social Welfare Department that provides Old-Age Pension to Old helpless and aged people manages to siphon-off large chunks of funds starting from the Ministry level down to District, Sub-Division and block level.
The Food and Civil Supplies Department, that administers distribution of subsidized food and basic necessities to both the Urban and Rural poor and especially to those wretched sections that lives Below Poverty Line. Most of the BPL cards issued are either fakes or manipulated in connivance with dept. officials by some undeserving rich people, so as to avail subsidized food grains, pulses etc meant for the poor.
The genuine card holders hardly get not even a quarter of their allotted and supplied share, even in such cases, most PDS/Fair Price Shop permit holders exchange the good quality supplies of the Government with lower and cheaper quality as conveniently done in the non-Naga traders owned go-downs in Dimapur. With such precision, these PDS along with Dept. Officials and Merchants burgle away major and best portion of the basic food supplies. Also in most case the common people only avail rice, the rest of pulses, flour, oils etc never reaches the public .Only the meager quantity of worst quality dumped in the go-downs are obtained at throw away prices and in exchange of these, huge commissions are received. Whereas the lessening of quantity also enable them to create bonus from reduced transport charges and the resultant surplus carriages charges provided by the Government are also pocketed by them. Finally when these sub-standard food-stuff reaches respective stores, the prices fixed by the govt. for actual quality supplied is even raised despite the fact that substituted lower and cheaper items are being distributed.
It is indeed in-human and without an iota of conscience that these officials allow themselves to loot the funds and supplies meant for the most unfortunate down trodden and weaker strata of our society. The above two instances, I have learned from my personal experiences.
The extreme case of corruption in Nagaland has also been brought to fore in the distribution of MNREGA funds where the common toiling rural poor have also been made to suffer and for which the Govt.of India even instituted inquiry to Nagaland State. In spite of these obvious shameful act of mis-appropriation of public fund, it is witnessed that these concerned Ministry/Department even boasted of being a good performance State as compared to National average. Is it consistent of our Christian faith to compete in corruptions? Or to proudly say that we are reasonably corrupt when compared to corruptions in non-Christian states?
The present demand by the State Opposition Congress for resignation of Education Minister though may or may not succeed is just a tip of an ice-berg , the official cupboards of the Govt.Departments are filled to the brim with skeletons of successive batches of Governments and Officials.
The SIT of Vigilance and anti-Corruption commissioned to investigate the bogus Teachers appointments though may sound cynical, may never successfully and satisfactorily conclude the inquiry because most officials have retired from the Service and official records pertaining to past many years back are no longer available.
Besides these only the innocent teachers/victims came forward to provide statements, so far no department officials did either volunteered/co-operated or were apprehended except for few incumbents who actually were not entirely responsible, since many cases were long overdue and committed during the predecessor’s periods.
The Police and Civil Courts sometimes grapple at each other throats when the offenders caught by the Police with much difficulties are released with ease by the Courts/lawyers.
But if the roles are reversed between the two agencies, the outcome would be the same, because it is the money that speaks and acts, like any investigating officer’s charges (fees) for act of omissions, the Lawyers also have their own system of lobbies to impress upon the Magistrates.
While in prisons, it has also been witnessed that there use to be detainees whose offence only require minimal sentence of week or month but their inability to afford bail procedures, lawyer fees or police IO fees have forced them to remain in prison far beyond legality sanctions.
Particularly, the saddest aspect of poor Nagas suffering is heart piercing as one sees the plight of sick people lying in corridors and verandas of Private Hospitals and Research Centres in Dimapur and Towns elsewhere in Nagaland.
Due to lack of equipments, facilities and free medicines supposed to be available in Government Hospitals as supplied by the Government and the Govt. appointed Doctors supposed to be on vigil for twenty four hours alternatively, sometimes emergency Doctors are even found to be absent but working feverishly in their own private clinics and nursing homes all but for higher incentives and greed. It has become a sort of adage in Govt.run Hospitals- no-specialist, no oxygen, no medicines etc. Where have all these Specialist Doctors and Medicines disappeared to? Are they not life-savers and next to God here on Earth? Is the Government salary too meager? Aren’t some of the most costliest medicines and life saving drugs in your clinics available only in Govt.Hospitals? Surely there is a need to deeply ponder over these issues.
While even the rural areas and far-off interior villages have also been provided with health centre, Doctors and free Medicines, Nursing homes and hospitals in the Town/Districts are mostly filled with poor rural folks and also only the most desperate poor go to Govt. hospitals run by only one-two emergency Doctors who obviously prescribes medicines only available in his own private pharmacy saying that the Hospital has ran-out of medicines. It is indeed ridiculous as to when or what occasion do these hospitals provide free medicines? The government assurances to the Naga publics- Health for all (NRHM) may never happen as long as these issues remain un-attended. Those Doctors who undertakes an oath to serve anywhere, under any condition for certain initial length of services should resign on moral grounds and serve commercially in private hospitals as most of them are doing now. Since the profession concerns the health, life and death of the Nagas. The HIV/AIDS funds are also learnt to be siphoned-off, what a cruel conscience. But quite interestingly, people who involve in such corrupt practices in most cases proudly spearheads Church projects and social missions. These characters are seen as Chief-Guests in almost every social occasions giving lectures on honesty, integrity etc. what a perversion our society is heading to…
It is also worth discussing, the mis-appropriation of mid-day meals and related materials being assisted freely by the Govt.of India through SSA. While the able sections send their children to costly private Schools, the Government in order to impart free and aided education to the grass-root level poor.
And also to enable the daily wage earning parents to exempt their children from having to labor to contribute to family’s survival or at the least to earn one’s own square meal a day that entails no time for basic Schooling (Child labor) has targeted these sections with reasonable free rationing for the kids from such backgrounds.
Such noble gestures and policies of the Govt. may in return be implemented in full measure and humanely, however, sadly, it is the Education Minister himself, accused of personally grabbing the fund. Our State is replete with such stories from every walks of lives and establishments both private and public enterprises, the saddest of all is the fact that the highest of the Institutions, the beacon of our State- The Nagaland University and the NPSC too has been indicted in similar criminal and corrupt practices.
To whom shall the Nagas confide to or rely on? When the Leaders and Governments that were supposed to carry and represent the peoples mandate turn against it’s own people, When the Politicians and National workers misuses responsibilities and powers to fill their own coffers, When the intellectuals keep silenced and common people’s voices are subdued?
The Nagas rather than freedom, prosperity and advancement are only plying the path to damnation.
Why would not one want to prosper or excel, but why always do we try to live-off at others expenses? Finally when everything is done and our body tires and souls lost , may we only then realize but would be too late.
(ISAK SUMI)
Purely a personal view and without malice towards any, some particular events mentioned are only circumstantial and not accusatory in nature.
(ISAK SUMI)
isaksumi@gmail.com
