There is no reason to doubt at all that the entire area of our government system require a major overhaul whether it is its functioning or the quality of the working force. Why reform of our government is so important is also because of the major role that it plays in the lives of people. A healthy government system is therefore in the interest of people—peace and development, which can be secured not just for the few privileged but for every citizen. Just look at what is happening in the Arab world, from Tunisia to Egypt and now Libya, the leaders who thought that the government embodied them as sovereign, lord and master of all, not anymore as a new people’s awakening is taking place. This has already brought down the once formidable leaders like Hosni Mubarak and the fate of the once pre-eminent figure Moammar Gadhafi, the ruler of Libya is now looking uncertain. Then there are the other Arab leaders and rulers who are now talking about elections because they are now beginning to fear the power of the people. However, holding elections is not the only answer to having a healthy government system. For Nagas, we have cherished the ideals of democracy and periodic elections to elect our rulers. If the success of our government was to be measured by the achievement we have earned for ourselves by way of holding elections, then Nagaland will surely be a land of prosperity, not just the few which is the present reality.
There is serious work to be done to improve our government so that we can have a government which is efficient, open, accountable, inclusive and just. We need to move away from the government system of the past—incompetent, secretive, exclusive and blatantly corrupt. Our government must also keep abreast with new innovation and technology so that this can be used for improving the way we run our government—timely dissemination of information on government programmes, speedier mode of delivering services to people etc. There is also the need to go in for a major reorganization of the government departments so that there is no overlapping of work and wastage of time, effort and money. People’s faith in the institution of our government must be restored. The so called mantra of Good Governance that we proudly espouse has been a complete failure. What is need is more than just good governance. We need SMART Governance, a most appropriate term coined by a former Governor of Nagaland. To elucidate SMART stands for– Simple, Moral, Accountable, Responsive and Transparent. In the 21st century we are already witnessing a more dynamic public opinion and participation of people. Today’s government can no longer take people for granted. Expectations are higher. Governance in Nagaland must become smart.
There is serious work to be done to improve our government so that we can have a government which is efficient, open, accountable, inclusive and just. We need to move away from the government system of the past—incompetent, secretive, exclusive and blatantly corrupt. Our government must also keep abreast with new innovation and technology so that this can be used for improving the way we run our government—timely dissemination of information on government programmes, speedier mode of delivering services to people etc. There is also the need to go in for a major reorganization of the government departments so that there is no overlapping of work and wastage of time, effort and money. People’s faith in the institution of our government must be restored. The so called mantra of Good Governance that we proudly espouse has been a complete failure. What is need is more than just good governance. We need SMART Governance, a most appropriate term coined by a former Governor of Nagaland. To elucidate SMART stands for– Simple, Moral, Accountable, Responsive and Transparent. In the 21st century we are already witnessing a more dynamic public opinion and participation of people. Today’s government can no longer take people for granted. Expectations are higher. Governance in Nagaland must become smart.