Round one goes to Opposition, but there's hope for PDA Government
Longrangty Longchar
Mokokchung
It was indeed very satisfying to read that the Nagaland Legislative Assembly is conducting as that august house that it should be. The last day of the 13th NLA Budget Session went on till 9:30 PM, thanks to the strong Opposition bench. Change is indeed coming, ironically not necessarily through the ruling PDA Government, but through the strong checks and balances by the Opposition bench. But isn’t that how a democratically elected government should function? The governance and overall development of the present government would largely depend on the Opposition bench; and so far, so good. The Naga people should be immensely thankful to the Opposition party. Seriously.
The last Government, very unfortunately, under the so-called ‘Oppositionless Government’, a term that was pompous and unworkable, made the common people to suffer a lot. It was a government, to put it plainly, that was alienated from the common people, which was unfortunate for all. Perhaps, the last ‘Oppositionless Government’ was just a reenaction of the medieval court intrigue, of distrust and infighting among the court ministers, and which ultimately led to large scale dissatisfaction of the common people. Therefore, to see a strong Opposition bench with veteran politicians and former ministers, it surely would keep the newly formed PDA Government at its toes in every nook and corner of governance. Added to that, with a strong force of educated, dissatisfied and radical youths ready to shout out at any moment; who knows the Opposition party might ultimately become the public’s best friend. That will surely happen unless the ruling government take note it from the very beginning. But I am sure that the present PDA Government under the dynamic leadership of Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio is aware of it; after all, he is also a veteran politician and a statesman in his own right. However, the following months would be quite interesting, because in politics, especially in a state like ours, anything is possible.
As an amateur political observer, I think we should give due credit to Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio for forging the alliance with other parties and forming the PDA Government. I am sure, it was by all means, no easy task. He must have had restless nights over the distribution of portfolios to his ministers. Perhaps, he has good advisors behind him or whatever it might be; his political acumen cannot be doubted. Now, the interesting part is this: here we have a dynamic veteran politician as Chief Minister and an equally strong politician Y Patton as the Deputy CM, and other veteran politicians like CM Chang, Kaito Aye etc in the council of ministers. On the Opposition bench, we have former Chief Minister TR Zeliang as Leader of Opposition, veteran politicians Imkong L Imchen, Chotisuh Sazo, Yitachu, C.L John and others. If we look at the Opposition bench, then almost all of them are former ministers or legislators. Therefore, I cannot help but be bemused with a sense of satisfaction that this might be a first of its kind where the opposition is a bit stronger than the treasury bench when it comes to experience. Also, pardon me if I sound overtly optimistic, but I feel that this will be a battle of agendas - of delivering the goods to the people, of checks and balances – between the ruling and opposition parties; such healthy checks and balances would ultimately benefit the common people.
But a strong opposition would also mean a shaky government unless the ministers do their jobs right. Here I keep my fingers crossed because past experiences have shown that ‘horse-trading’ is not a very new practice in the Nagaland Legislative Assembly. Of course, Rio has proved in the past of keeping his roost intact even in the most trying time; he is a charismatic politician with a shrewd mind. But, veteran politicians like TR Zeliang and Imkong L Imchen etc are also charismatic leaders capable and tested politicians who are also as charismatic like Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio. Therefore, in simple words, charisma alone would not steer a government, Rio must show that he is sincere and will deliver the goods to the people. And fortunately or unfortunately, the Opposition Party, as per their projection during the budget session, won’t be sitting still. The months and years (if there is no horse-trading) ahead would present the best time for the PDA Government to perform and I am sure that they would work sincerely and diligently for the overall development of the state.
On the other hand, I do hope that the Opposition would continue to play a constructive role and even advise the ministers (on development and governance aspect) if possible. After all, whether in the ruling or opposition party, they all have been elected by the people to represent their constituencies. Like I said earlier, change does not necessarily come from the ruling government; it is the opposition that stimulates the change. The stronger the opposition, the bigger and better the Change. I hope the PDA Government to bring the ‘Change’ it promised on the powerful pedestal of the Opposition party. Kuknalim.
