5 personal observations on the present situation in Nagaland
Hutovi Yeptho: 1. We must ask the present government, what are their blue prints, way forward (now that ULB election is declared Null) so that in future the contentious issues (govt is saying there is no contentious issue any more, whereas JCC & NTAC is saying there are, and it will be a sell out of Nagas existence itself) do not arise ever again. They must share their detail blue print action plan to the public because government is saying they have shared and discussed in detail everything with the Hohos’ leaders. But sadly I don't remember Hohos briefing public citizens of any such issue in the past. Either government or Hohos have not done their responsible job and blaming each other.
2. JCC & NTAC leaders must equally and honestly share your detail blue print, how you intend to take us Nagas forward namely in following areas, Nagas customary law vs general administrative laws (District administrative law & justice, for we know there are many clashing areas in this matter also, other than ULB), future ULB functioning, laws governing urban municipal governing body (surely one day or the other ULB will come as the world moves on...in fact Kohima is under Smart City project in centre). Tomorrow any corporate houses be it domestic or international industries may want to set up companies in our land, how do we solve, ensure rights and justice to the groups and our people. Will it be solved and handled by the government as per law or the Hohos will decide or mob will decide how they set up their company in our land, how they solve issues. Surely Nagas need jobs; government job is not enough I guess and farming too challenging.
3. If these few (there are many issues still) above points of concern are not solved or answered in all clarity to the public, then just TR Zeliang resigning from CM post or all MLAs resigning will not bring any fruit to Nagas, more pity that all the chaos created and the loss incurred thus far and expected to incur more will go in DRAIN. It at best will only satisfy Ego of the JCC, NTAC and few individuals who are waiting like hungry wolf to fish in the turmoil.
4. Without solution to the aforesaid points, if JCC & NTAC are so adamant that TR stepping down from CM post or all MLAs resigning is the only way to move forward then I am afraid it will be like that old proverbs "Won the battle and lost the War, or Operation success but patient dead". Because we will go back to square one, i.e., tomorrow new government will come and yet the problem remains as it is, only public who is the patient here is dead.
5. Lastly since JCC & NTAC you have time and again said you are fighting for greater Naga issue, please go and talk to the governor/ government and bring solution, now that they want to talk to you, because Naga issues are much more important and bigger than CM post or any MLA. TR Zeliang or any MLA may stand adamant but you that is JCC & NTAC you said you represent NAGAS and so you cannot afford to let ego of government or any individual interests come in between and stop you from achieving greater Naga goal.
Rollan Lotha: 'A committee is set up to perform a specific function by a larger group' Now who authorised the JCC and NTAC and for what purpose? If the objective for which it was set up is achieved, then what is the relevance of such committees now? Are tribal bodies in Nagaland setting a precedence... 'demanding resignation for every unfortunate law and order issue in future'. Today it is TRZ.... Tomorrow will tribal bodies demand the same for other CMs to come? Nobody condemned the cowardly act of 'gun shots and blasting of gas cylinder at the construction site of Y. Patton' by few miscreants taking advantage of the present imbroglio. Are we as Nagas endorsing/accepting such culture of violence by their Silence? What about those bandh enforcers committing crimes (Eve teasing, sexual harassment, arson, violence, disruption of public and private properties, etc)? If apologies and reasoning are no longer a way forward, then why should we as Nagas forgive JCC and NTAC?
Seriously, is it a movement of the mass or a few holding the entire state to ransom.
Don't even want to pen down anything on this issue out of disgust... but the postmaster makes sense for a compliment.
Where it all went wrong?
Pelesalie Meyase: The driving force of our planet's existence is balance. Nature always adapts to counter-balance certain changes and phenomenon that occur through time.
That being said, it applies to governments too. The transition of governance from kingship to feudalism and furthermore to democracy. In democracy balance is essential particularly in the legislature of a parliamentary Democracy. Democracy is being misinterpreted by many as 'majority rule'. However, if democracy is to be taken very literally, then there will be no place for the minorities, it will merely become the tyranny of the majority. Unless there is a check and balance on the powers of the party in power in the form of an opposition, any of their steps cannot be justified, which so is happening in present Nagaland assembly.
The state of handling and managing affairs by the present govt has become a joke. Any bill introduced in the assembly gets passed by default without any meaningful debates due to the lack of opposition. The good and bad aspects of the matter go unassessed. The government in the past few months has gone unchecked, many issues pertaining to teachers’ salary, non disbursement of scholarships, Oil adulteration, PDS rice scam, etc. arose and all the voices have been crushed with brutal force. Therefore, at this rate, confrontation with the people is unavoidable, it is very likely that at some point the people themselves stand up against their own government.
With unchecked authority, the government has tried to revive the municipal act, possibly to pocket stagnated funds or with good intentions like women emancipation, to establish a systematized ULB, etc. But it happened without consultations with the stackholders. As a law of nature, this time, even with unlimited authority, the government has failed miserably due to that erroneous way of approach.
The people in power should have learned that nature always find a way to make them feel small.
Most recently, there arose a serious question on the legitimacy of the government, the act passed in the assembly with overwhelming majority now stands null and void, even though the move of the CM and his cabinet is as constitutional as it should be. This differences between the people and the government shows that the government is not people friendly, it shows how adrift the government is from the people, here too either driven by greed and drunk in power or they are strictly adhering to the constitutional norms. If it is the latter we can know from this turnaround that as blind as law is, it can be too blind to do justice at times. The law has failed to do justice to the tribal hohos and various apex bodies.
If there is still an argument about the stand of the tribal bodies, the last line in clause 8 supported with clause 15b of the 16 point agreement should bring some light. It reads "the council (village, range and tribal) will also deal with disputes and cases involving breaches of customary laws and usages." Clause 11 should also suffice the cost of administration in Nagaland, if the funds were to be properly expended there will be very little need to tax the people.
It is very natural that now balance is restored in the distribution and holding of power. However, this time it is not in the form of an opposition in the assembly. It took a revolutionary way, and people from all walks of life are pouring out their resentment against the past and present issues that remained, and remains likely to be unattended if we do not voice out strongly. The people have come to a conclusion that the government should step down and pave the way for a new government.
This whole storm is not just a voice that took birth on 30th January, it has always been there with the Naga identity, it is a spirit that lived on with our forefathers, the spirit that started the Naga movement of independence, the sense of identity as a Naga, the respect for our land, customs, traditions etc. The little protection that the Art 371A provides cannot be tampered with, the ULB election may or may not have infringed upon this article, but it surely threatens. I am pleased that the people stood up. The CM and his cabinet do not understand that the foundation of Art 371A was the tombs of thousands of brave fighters who stood up to safeguard our land and rights. That spirit lives on with us and the human spirit is a hard thing to kill.
The effectiveness of democracy lies not in holding power but in the willingness of a person to step down or hand over the power to his successor. The CM as a people's representative should heed the people's demand and step down cooperatively in order to prevent further damage to the Naga society. Then we can start from the scraps again and hope that maybe, just maybe, the new government that arises will work in curbing out corruption and turn the Naga society into an ideal society.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are the views of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of The Naga Blog.
