For many generations now, Nagas as a people have resisted and continue to resist the idea that they cannot live as a free and dignified peoples. Various policies and legislations have been implemented and pursued vigorously through different means with the intent to sap the free-spirited Nagas, and in-effect to hinder and prevent their inherent capability to determine their own internal and external destinies.
With every passing generation the politics of containment, its means and mechanisms of accomplishment has gotten more sophisticated. Today, it is no longer just living under the fear of physical abuse and a threatening environment perpetuated by anti-democratic legislations; it comes in the sophistication of economic development, psycho-ops and the illusion that the situation is normal in itself.
While there is continued pursuit of sustaining this illusionary imagination, the Naga society ironically continues to reel under poverty, economic deprivation, literacy without education, health concerns, human trafficking, widening gap between haves and have not; shifting of decision making powers from community to affluent individual families, lack of basic infrastructural needs and the continued absence of a just peace.
The cycle of indifferent ignorance must be broken for the Naga spirit to find life once again. But how does one transcend this cycle when people seem so caught up with just survival issues; which tragically, while trying to survive only affirms the bondage of indifference. It is a series of chain reactions. And right now the consequences of this chain reaction have assumed the paramount concern for the Nagas, while the roots of the problems remains swept aside. The will to uncover and address the roots of problems faced by the Nagas somehow seems conveniently lacking and misplaced.
In the traditional Naga context, there was no shortage of leaders. The very nature of community life and the perception and attitude towards life ensured that every individual was a responsible human being who contributed towards the common good. It was by taking care of the community that the community also saw to the well being of every individual. This sense of sharing however has been eroded over time. The sense of community has diminished and unfortunately the negative notions of individualism have begun eating away the notion of community as well as individuality. As a result there is an acute lack of leadership in the Naga context.
With the values of community and individuality pushed away to the margins, the notion of individualism has usurped how Nagas relate to one another. Subsequently one of its many consequences is that existing leaders – both state and ‘national workers’ – have failed to understand, listen and communicate to the Naga heart. Failure to understand and appreciate the Naga heart has also meant that the existing leaders are not people-centered anymore. A gap in understanding has emerged between the leaders and the people. Tragically this gap in understanding has been critical in defining their perception of each other. And because perception is politics; they miserably fail in understanding each other’s intention.
Nagas are in dire need of leaders; leaders who have the goodwill for their fellow human beings and a sense of perceptiveness that enables them to be firm when required and flexible when situation demands. Nagas need leaders who are open to constructive criticism and are willing to acknowledge and say sorry when they are wrong. Nagas need leaders who can humbly recognize their own limitations and have the courage to seek popular opinion and consult the people prior to making important policies. Nagas need leaders who have a vision that will better the lives of all people, not just their kin. Nagas need leaders who have the generosity of the human heart to forgive and embrace their enemies. Nagas are in dire need of good leaders. Are you one of them?
