Veroli Zhimo
Collective political will is requisite at a time when the State is dealing with a global pandemic.
However, in Nagaland, bipartisanship has been missing at a time when there is an acute need for such steps to deal with the crisis at hand.
At this time the Opposition and ruling party/parties have to engage in regular constructive dialogues to formulate urgent policy interventions. This is more important than simply exchanging verbal blows on each other or scoring political points, especially amidst an unprecedented pandemic that is disrupting lives and livelihoods.
The Opposition also needs to show some of its public activities in combating the pandemic and propose ways to alleviate the situation, instead of calling for the Government to step down at every opportunity.
This is not to say that everything the Government is doing is right. It would be naive to believe that every Government in power thinks of the larger public good at all times, but, these are extraordinary times and the Opposition as well as the ruling dispensation would be better appreciated if they show collective political spirit in combating the pandemic, instead of simply finding fault with each other.
The Opposition’s recent push for an Assembly session where economic distress due to COVID-19 would be discussed is commended.
Assembly sessions are where issues that affect the public, such as difficulties faced by many in getting admitted to private and public hospitals in the state; treatment protocols for COVID-19; amount spent so far in combating COVID, etc, can be discussed and mitigating factors must be identified and put in place.
The impending Assembly session would have to reveal steps taken by the Government to ramp up testing and treatment of patients.
The people would like to know what strategies and road maps have been formulated to move the State’s dependent economy towards a sustainable and self-reliant one.
Today these questions are all being asked by the media as the Government and Opposition are not meeting on regular basis to try and work out a cohesive response; at least where dealing with COVID-19 and its impact is concerned.
A collective political will and greater cooperation between the Government and Opposition is the need of the hour at this critical stage.
The last thing we need is for political opportunism to usurp us before the coronavirus does.
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