There is always a victory to be achieved. For the past decade majority Nagas lived under the superlative hegemonic leadership of different single man which resulted less positive impact upon the common people. The shift of ideology among freedom fighters from one goal and one mission for the Naga society to multiple goals and missions which are more focused on individual’s glory who claimed a self absolute truth has made many people to adieu farewell to this world at the very early age. This began the dooms day to the common Naga citizens under many political leaders and freedom fighters politically, religiously, economically and morally.
What do Naga citizens expect by supporting a leader in the Naga society before and now? A leader is someone who influences relationship among leaders and followers who intend real changes and outcomes that reflect their shared purposes; it is someone who has clear vision, determination, goal and commitment according to the needs of common people (Daft, 2011). A leader empowers and collaborates with people or followers to venture to achieve common goal and vision. Any leader who has no such sharing goal and vision with followers remains a failure due to incompatible outcome between a leader and followers. There are leaders in some countries who failed to lead the country men and women because of self-greediness and manipulation of power upon citizens. This leadership of discrimination and manipulation intrigued citizens to provoke the indiscipline leadership in society and such people’s movement make the fall of leadership. In this case, power belongs to people who stand in unity than a leader who seems to have power through his/her status or money. The similar situation of leadership prevails in the Naga society from the beginning of the Statehood where P. Shilu Ao (1963-1966), T.N. Angami (1966-1969), Hokishe Sema (1969-1974), Vizol Angami (1974-1975), John Bosco Jasokie (10 March 1975- 20 March 1975), President’s rule (1975-1977, Vizol Angami (1977-1980, John Bosco Jasokie (1980-1982), S.C Jamir (1982-1986), Hokishe Sema (1986-1988), President’s rule (1988-19889), S.C. Jamir (1989-1990), K.L. Chisi (1990 May-June), Vamuzo Phesao (1990-1992), President’s rule (1992-1993), S.C. Jamir (1993-2003), Neiphiu Rio from 2003- until now (nagaland.nic.in). One cannot deny that the preceding Naga leaders have made a trivial positive contrition. However, if Nagas imagine today on how much development would have been emerged in Nagaland under these leaders, it is an unreachable regret of trusting them.
These Naga leaders have violated the principles of leadership, manipulated citizens and discriminated every right of every citizen economically, politically and so on. Such manipulation of leadership in the Naga society looks like wilted for the Naga citizens like aliens living under the captivity of an alien from another planet. Before Antonio Gramsci, an Italian Marxist born in Sardinia in 1891 who died shortly after being released from Fascist prison in 1937, the term ‘hegemony’ was limited to a predominance of one nation over other nations. Later, Gramci’s great work has expanded ‘hegemony’ to describe a relations in other fields like power, language, politics, education and so on. In this shift, Gramsci says western hegemonic act intrigued the oppressors to develop their own hegemonic power to fight against the hegemony (Peter Ives, 2004). In the same way several hegemonies from the Naga leaders had gradually hegemonized the Naga citizens to now react the illegal leadership in the State in different ways to change the unchanged leaders. This movement will immensely give positive impact on removal of unchanged leaders like it took place in some countries.
In the same way, under the leadership of Suharto who was born in June 8, 1921 and died in January 27, 2008, the second president of the Republic of Indonesia from 1967 to 1998 (Encyclopedia Britannica), people’s movement against the darkest leadership of Suharto during his presidential leadership in Indonesia made the historical achievement. His presidential leadership in the country was turmoil for many Indonesian citizens. It was during his leadership that Indonesians lamented the exacerbated situation economically, politically and militarily due to his dictatorship and unfaithful policies which were based more on his personal interest than the public interest. It was during his leadership where almost 80 % of the Indonesian Rupiah lose the value and the economic fall of Asian gave a deplorable effect to Indonesian economic fall in 1997 (World Movement for Democracy, 2004). Suharto imposed price hike in petrol and other commodities which made Indonesians face the hardest time to bear the cost of living, many unemployment began to emerge, poor development flourished and Suharto himself saved such a huge amount in international bank for the benefits of his family. His leadership overshadowed by pervasive and large-scale corruption; repressive freedom, militarized rule; and a convulsion of mass bloodletting when he seized power in the late 1960s that took at least 500,000 lives (Marilyn Barger, 2008). This bitter experience of the Indonesian citizens under the undemocratic leadership of Suharto intrigued the educated figures such as Abdurrahman Wahid and Amin Rais to strengthen citizens to initiate the people’s revolution in 1998. This political turmoil in Indonesia led to social unrest by mass movement against the Suharto and followed by Student’s movement a protest marched to the Parliament seeking the removal of Suharto was a successful revolution of the people which made Suharto to step down from his presidential table on May 21, 1998 (Nusa Bhakti).
Similar civil unrest of the Thai Citizens in a recent political and social revolution has made a great impact to change the unchanged leader in the country. Thai people’s revolution started the first day of the year by shutting down the entire city seeking for the justice and democratic country in the coming election. People’s revolution has made a great positive impact in different parts of the world to change the unchanged leader for the prosperity of the country. The same people’s revolution has begun in the Naga society since the October 31, 2014 when the ACAUT initiated the rally to fight against the unabated taxation in Nagaland. The spirit of people’s revolution continues to empower the remaining Naga citizens to revolt against any injustice prevails under any leadership who deserves the removal from the society. The second people’s revolution is the Sumi citizens’ reaction to the December 21, 2012 inhuman behavior of the NSCN I-M in the Surmi territory. This social evil under the leadership of Muivah has intrigued the Sumi citizens to wipe out his servants like migratory birds from the Sumi’s Kingdom. Another people’s revolution was made by the Eastern Naga Students Federation in November 2012 against the Naga political thefts of midday meal belongs to innocent children. These people’s revolution is the beginning toward more revolutions that will take place in 2014.
The preceding Naga people’s revolution movements proved that any leaders who do not give justice and democracy to the right of the Naga citizens can be removed gradually with people’s revolutionary movement. Like Suharto, Starting from Rio, the consecutive Chief Minister of Nagaland, who has ignores many social conflicts, misused people’s funds for personal benefit and other illegal business will face the same situation and reaction from the Naga citizens at some point of time very soon. This will lead to the mass protest of the people revolution to step down any political leaders of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly one by one. Naga people revolution will not focus only on the flaw of political leadership but it will also go to removal of any Church leaders who do not act what they preach. This revolution will extend to the entire Naga People’s Government if they do not follow the goal and vision of the Naga freedom movement.
One thing that every Naga citizen must feel that unity in strength for truth and justice can break any injustice concrete walls belongs to any poor leaders in the Naga society. Naga people have begun to realize the folk tale of a cock and a wild cat. Once a wild cat remain powerless before a cock with a fear at red wattles, earlobes and comb of a cock, thinking that it contains power to defeat any living creatures. At the end of the day, a wild cat realized in once incident that those red wattles, earlobes and comb had nothing to do with power, then a wild cat started to attack a cock. Since then until now, we see a wild cat eating chickens at anytime. Power belongs to people who act on it, not belongs to someone who seems to have power. In the same way, Naga people fear that every political leader and freedom fighter have power to do anything in the country. With such fear even the wrong doing of leaders in the society could not be tracked and this leads many Naga leaders enjoy their wrong acts politically, religiously, financially and socially in the expense of the innocent citizens. But now, these innocent citizens have realized that power belongs to people who unite, not belongs to any individual who has money or higher status politically and religiously. The outcome of this realization has been indicated in the recent people’s revolution by wiping out any wrong doers.
Therefore, if Naga leaders don’t change on their own then people’s revolution can make them change their unchanged leadership whether by removing them from any leadership with mass movement or transform them by any possible means. This revolution is not just a dream or vision without action; it is a vision with action that has already begun and pursue towards more actions in the New Year.
