Dr. Venusa Tunyi
For a good start on this topic, perhaps it is not a bad idea to begin with a very provocative question - Are the Nagas anything more than a bunch of queer tribes whose value lies not in participation but in the numerical addition to Indian cultural and ethnic diversity and in the territorial integrity of India? This may be a politically incorrect or provocative question. But there is some truth to gain from asking this question if we don’t take it too literally. To feel the heat of the above question, perhaps we can raise few other questions. Can the state politicians publicly reject Indian nationalism on the ground that it is not an expression of our politics and identity? In what ways have the Naga MPs contributed in the nation-building of India through their participation in the Indian politics? When was the last time a Naga MP rocked the Indian parliament with some issue of significance? Why is it that the direction of most of our politics is either Delhi-bound or Delhi-origin? What is our politics after all?
No doubt the questions are one-sided and that they leave a lot of Naga politics unexplained. However if we have the slightest trouble dealing with these questions, then it serves as a good indicator that it is time to reexamine our politics. Without facing these questions head on, we will not really be in a position to understand where our politics is taking us to. Perhaps the histories of regional political parties in Mizoram and Tamil Nadu including Assam have something to teach us in this direction: their heroic cry of nationalism got submerged in the enchanting wave of Delhi politics. Are we heading towards the same direction? Is our politics all about gaining an audience in Delhi? What shall we say of those thousands of freedom fighters who died or suffered for a reason very different from this? They thought they were nationalists; were they wrong?
Naga politicians of any stripes, regional or national, do not hesitate to project themselves as nationalists in that their politics is inseparable from their Naga identity. However it appears as though something is visibly odd in their understanding of nationalism. Theirs cannot be identified with the so called Naga national workers who are generally termed as ‘underground’ and whose aim is to achieve the sovereignty of the Naga people. Next they cannot be identified with those who initiate peoples’ movement for addressing acute problems or to bring about great reforms. On the contrary, even the good things from Delhi for the welfare of the Naga people are hardly utilized to the optimum; some will do anything to misuse them for their personal aggrandizement. To top it all, some play the tribal cards or regional cards to keep the Nagas perpetually divided. As such where exactly lies their commitment to nationalism is hard for people to see and appreciate.
When it comes to their political career, it is not unusual to see compromise. Changing camps becomes predictable as if politics has nothing to do with principles or values or vision. A true nationalist will even die for values she holds to be true and honorable; nationalism for her is not an issue to be addressed or a goal to be achieved; it is a way of life, an expression of identity – a matter of life and death if one desires to live an authentic life. However nationalism appears to them a kind of master key for securing political power. It becomes a mere means and not an end for doing politics.
For historical reasons nationalism has gained so much importance in our society that it has almost gained an unquestionable status. Because of this it has become a blanket term today to justify anything. Though like air, it pervades everywhere, it has become so polluted that it is turning out to be the cause of our sickness and death. How long should we be stuck with the politics of healing and repentance, or of reconciliation and peace? Where is the politics that is supposed to inspire us to hold our head high?
It may be pointed out that our nationalism was initially born out of the conviction that we are different from others, we are people who believe in our ability to choose our own course of destiny, who do not believe in alliance or treaties of the colonial kind to enhance our self worth or territory, who would choose integrity and honor and death over security and prosperity and authority, and so on. As times change, our understanding of nationalism may change but we must remember that as long as we look for things outside of us, for instance Delhi, to secure our significance and identity, then any talk of nationalism is but a deception. For then it only shows that we no longer believe in ourselves; we do not have the very thing that makes us want to be what we are meant to be – self belief, the ultimate driving force of nationalism!
A very valid question can be raised: how can we avoid Delhi when Delhi has made it possible, through the creation of the state in accordance with the constitution, to do politics in the state? All the above deliberations on the notions of politics would fail to make sense if we are unable to provide sufficient explanation to this reality of politics. However before all these rhetorical questions get quite murky, it may be noted that avoidance or abhorrence of Delhi politics does not mean assertion of Naga nationalism. Rather commitment to Naga nationalism will require us to do politics in Delhi for many reasons. Besides by virtue of becoming a state in the Indian Union, a politics of certain kind has been made necessary. This necessity need not be seen as a negation of Naga politics in essence. Neither does it complete Naga politics. Necessity of things does not define the purpose of things. For instance, air is necessary for our existence but we don’t exist to breathe air.
What good is electoral politics of the state anyway? This is one of the most pressing questions we need to confront. Undeniably the politics that is understood and loved so much by the Nagas sadly is electoral politics only – how to (let our candidate) win in an election. Election is the ultimate concern of all politicians. This has made us blind to essential questions of doing politics. If there is one thing in my opinion that stands as a threat to all the values and principles that we Nagas once upon a time, not so long ago, held so dear, it is the politics of election. Instead of uniting people or building nation or creating and nurturing visions and dreams, it has brought about division and corruption of all sorts.
Perhaps it may not be an exaggeration to term it as “the mother of all corruptions” in our society today. Politics, considered as the highest or noblest human activity by ancient Greek philosophers, has been reduced into a game, not just a game to be played with self-respect but something which is synonymous with immoral gambling. What is worse? Electoral gambling knows not when to start and when to quit unlike others which have limits. Many persons of great ability have predominantly occupied themselves with this intoxicating politics. Instead of showing the general public the way to do right politics, they are turning our society into a casino of political drunkards and gamblers. Indeed the challenge to change our politics is huge for if my analogy is even remotely correct, then we know how difficult it is to reform even a single drunkard or a gambler. Let alone a nation of drunkards and gamblers!
When was the last time we saw a public outcry for a good school or hospital or road or electricity? Has there ever been a case when the voters of a constituency collectively shouted slogans at their MLA for misrepresenting them by indulging in corruption? While political parties in other Indian states fight elections with manifestoes like ‘free electricity to farmers’ or ‘scholarship to minorities’ or ‘better drinking water or ‘rice for rupee one’ or ‘more jobs for all’ etc., our politicians offer money for votes. As if to complement this scandalous practice, we go a step further to demand jobs from our politicians in exchange of our votes. It is such an irony to note that none other than the educated, supposedly the watch dogs of modern democratic systems, are the ones who negotiate with the politicians. Instead of engaging ourselves with politics to build our nation, we are in the habit of twisting the arms of our politicians to do us unmerited and illegal favors. We compelled them to bend the laws of the state for petty selfish purposes. We provide for them a fertile ground for planting tribalism and corruption. We pronounced them “good-for-nothing-fellow” if they fail our expectations out of their respect for laws and the rights of others. We the educated Nagas are most guilty of system failures in our state, not the politicians or the uneducated rural folks though they are not innocent either. A few enlightened ones keep their distance from politics and pass cynical judgments on all in the manner of the biblical Pharisees. If this is what education is doing to us, making us corrupt or indifferent to the welfare of the people, it is really high time to review the whole policy of education.
So what now? This question appears simple but soul-searching. When a water tank has multiple holes, blocking one hole will not solve the problem of the water leakage. Likewise when our politics is in a huge mess, finding a solution to one problem or finding one upright politician to manage the politics will not cure our sickening society. For a problem like ours, we need a concerted effort of everyone in the political game – the politicians and the voters. Politicians should make themselves clear what they stand for individually and what their party stands for collectively. They should offer the best visions and ideologies for the people to choose from. And for this, we need strong political parties, not necessarily in terms of number or influence but more so in terms of commitment to values and principles by which Nagas can nurture their sense of identity.
When corruption is destroying the whole system – political, social and economic – it’s strange that no political party has taken up this as an agenda to fight for. There is a pressing need for either a reformed political party or a new political party to better articulate the problems that are confronting us and to represent the hope of the present generation of Naga people. Politicians are often voted to power not because they are capable or we support their party ideologies but because we don’t have any better alternative to choose from. If the political parties stand for no worthwhile thing or cause, the votes of the citizens are wasted in election. If votes cannot be utilized for any worthy or noble cause, it is not so surprising to see why votes go on sale during election. However to overcome this vicious circle of ‘money for vote’ and ‘vote for money’ between the politicians and the voters, a whole new outlook is required in the way we understand and do politics.
A paradigmatic shift is required in electoral politics. Instead of employing the service of the ‘muscle power’ or ‘gun power’ at a high price, politicians should also involve intellectuals, reformers or visionary people in their campaigns and in their ministries. Instead of depending too much on the bureaucrats many of who hardly know anything beyond their workplace for running the state machinery, the politicians can do much better with the service of scholars, entrepreneurs and social workers whose experience and knowledge have global implications. We can’t limit the politics to bureaucratic concerns in this age of globalization. The governance of the people must be guided by visions, not just petty projects or schemes to keep the employees and contractors busy.
We don’t have to entertain and implement every policy of the government even if it is from Delhi or it involves a lot of money. We must see how it is going to impact the people in the long run. For instance, VDB has been introduced by the government without a serious public debate. It is almost destroying the whole fabric of village life. Development agenda has practically dominated every other matter which once stood to define the life and identity of the Nagas. There are enough indications that 33% women reservation too will have similar impact on socio-cultural structure if it is implemented without proper study. This is not to say that either VDB or 33% women reservation is bad for our people but that it takes more than simply politicians to grapple with certain policies of the government.
Somehow we all should realize that politics is all too important to be left to the politicians alone. Bureaucratic assistance is not enough. Citizens should claim ownership of politics. Instead of labeling politics as “dirty” and keeping away from it, citizens should take responsibility of the current political scenario and fight to wash the dirt and the stigma. Some may get dirty in the process of cleaning the political chimney. But let us give up the habit of judging others in folded arms. Let us rather ask ourselves this question – Am I not a part of this dirty politics? No one can be dirt free by not doing anything. The menace of dirt must be fought actively and regularly. It’s good to remind ourselves that even the sharpest sword will rust if not used. Politics is too noble to be given to those who see politics as a kind of job or profession. It is not something one does for a living, neither for honor and power. Politics is more like a calling, a selfless response to the call of the people. Citizens should call the shots. And politicians should know why he or she has been called. Sooner or later we must realize that the destiny of the people is decided by how we regard and do politics. To this extent politics is inevitable and indispensible. It is something that will even affect the lives of those still unborn. It is our voice and our very identity itself. It is our future in the guise of the present.
(Dr. Venusa Tunyi is an Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, University of Hyderabad and teaches logic at the University)
