Kahuto Chishi Sumi
Dimapur
Schadenfreude a German word, is a word which describe the pleasure people derive from the misfortunes of other people. Every person experiences schadenfreude, but it is our culture, morals, religion, values and education which determines how openly we enjoy the pleasure that the misery of others give us. The plight faced by the Nagas returning to Nagaland has once again exhibited that we are an uncultured, immoral, irreligious, valueless and uneducated bunch of monkeys in suits; who openly revel in the misfortunes of our fellow Nagas.
We have embraced hypocrisy as a way of life in our open acceptance of corruption in all walks of life. We turn a blind eye to the fact that it is corruption which has stolen the jobs and opportunities of the people of Nagaland who have been forced to work in mainland India. That our returnees, instead of choosing the easy way out by joining our numerous cease fire “freedom fighting” outfits, had opted to seek a living outside Nagaland; that their departure left us with more land, more resources and more money for us to enjoy; that their remittances to their family members pumped money into our economy.
But I do not expect Naga frogs in wells to understand this, what I expect them to understand is that the Government of Nagaland had no idea of the number of its citizens studying and making a living outside its borders, nor did it understand that it would have to bring them all back. Taking the pandemic as a joke, the following happened:-
1. Hotels and resorts were notified as quarantine centres, so that they could keep making money, inspite of the lockdown.
2. No proper quarantine centres were prepared, despite the fact that over 18,000 stranded people of Nagaland had applied for aid, indicating the potential number of returnees.
3. No one thought of the fact that quarantined people had to be fed.
4. P.P.E.s of questionable quality, from questionable firms were ordered at exorbitant prices.
5. No efforts were made to set up any Bio Safety Laboratory, and it was only because of the untiring efforts of our Honourable Governor, Mr. R.N. Ravi that the level 2 and 3 labs reached Nagaland.
As a result, we have hotels being run as fraudulent quarantine centres, overcrowded quarantine centres, with the number of infections rising on a daily basis, people being fed food fit only for pigs, front line health care workers risking infection and a long wait for test results, while undiscovered carriers are infecting the healthy around them.
All this is a fault of the greed of a few in Government. It is the government’s sole responsibility to take care of its citizens through good and especially bad times. The churches who are assuming responsibility for some quarantine centres, may think they are doing God’s Work, but I accuse them of trying to patch the holes which expose governmental corruption, ineptitude and gross negligence of its people.
With the above in mind, I ask all of you who keep saying that the quarantined people are complaining too much, that they should eat, without complaint, whatever is served them and that they should be grateful that we have accepted them back in Nagaland:-
1. Why shouldn’t they complain? Are they asking you to house them, cook or pay for their food? They are citizens of Nagaland and have equal rights to all its resources, including the funds that the centre gives Nagaland. They have the right to complain about any grievance on any matter in any way they choose to do so; which includes the right to complain when being fed sub standard food.
2. Do you own Nagaland that you have the right to accept or reject any indigenous person from leaving or returning Nagaland?
I have come to the conclusion that there are two groups of Nagas who complain about the complaints of the quarantined. The first group are those who are directly or indirectly profiting from the with holding of funds to properly house and feed the quarantined. The second group is worse, they revel in the miseries of the quarantined.
Their schadenfreude is caused by many factors, the main cause being Envy, they are jealous because they think that all returnees:-
1. Had the courage to seek greener pastures.
2. Had the freedom to enjoy the the ambience and development of the cities.
3. Had the freedom to spend whatever they earned in any manner they pleased.
4. Lived a life free from our false morality and the gossiping tongues of colony aunties and frustrated men, old and young.
So, when the returnees complain about anything, instead of questioning what the government has done and how much it has spent, and on what? They enjoy the sufferings of the quarantined. All their envy seems to be avenged by this mistreatment, and how they gloat in their minds when saying, “Don’t complain! Be grateful for what you are getting!”
Every person has a right to complain, even animals show displeasure when mistreated. Only slaves don’t complain, in asking people not to complain, you exhibit your slave mentality and seek to enforce that servility in the minds of others. Keep complaining, for complaints are an expression of our demand for our rightful dues.
God Save Nagaland
.jpg)
