Fifteen minutes of Assembly session! A master stroke or an act of stupidity and naivety? Guess we’ll leave that to our own imaginations! However, there is no denying the fact that there could be no ultimate mockery than that (Yes, not the first time). All problems and issues of importance have been brushed at once under the carpet. Such impunity and arrogance on the part of the Nagaland state legislators. No one to answer to, nothing to be held accountable for. Ah! Talk about life’s many blessings! It’s a one way street for all of them.
For want of words (and also because I ain’t got much of a choice either..unfortunately) , allow me the unnecessary honor of addressing them as ‘our leaders’. Our leaders are of the most incapable breed and stock of all there is. They are nothing less than the feudal lords of Medieval Europe and zamindars of pre-independence India. All they do and yearn for is exploit the masses-day and night. This is what they live for-fatten themselves and their families. They go to sleep every night devising new means of extracting money and wake up in the morning with a solution to it. So, in between all these, how do you ever think or possibly imagine that there will be any sort of development and progress in our beautiful little cursed land? Anyway, the less said about them, the better. So, let me abruptly stop here.
All roads lead to Rome and all problems in Nagaland lead to one source-the public. You see, we are what is wrong with our Naga society. We have allowed our leaders to exploit us. Everything they are today is all because of us. The only way to stop such practices is to do the reverse of what we have been doing to them. Basically, there is a need to reform ourselves. We can’t go on building bridges and burning them down at the same time. There has to be a start somewhere. What better time than now? The idea is to stop selling your precious vote to the highest bidder. Your vote could be up for grabs but not for sale. If only you realized what your single (and precious) vote could do! You have every power and right in the world to determine your fate with your vote. Ah! The beauty of democracy indeed! If you want good roads, good universities, good colleges and a good transport system, start utilizing your right to vote.
Don’t even think of selling it. The moment you sell it, your future is compromised. Your right to vote is your right to life-a life of dignity and self-respect. No force on earth can stop you from voting. And also, please don’t sell your precious vote to the candidate who showers you with unlimited MC Rum and pork. The fate of Nagaland will be determined by our votes, by us-the common man. Whether the future looks rosy or bleak, it all depends on us. They come to us with promises of jobs and money but that is simply not the way of getting things done. If you so care for our future generation, start doing the right thing. If we continue to be rotten to the core, soon there will be nothing left of us and Nagaland. Our land will be exploited by outsiders and we will be slaves on our own land. Seems farfetched? Didn’t think so either! Let us stop this madness together. For, change is the only thing in this world that is constant. Step by step, things can change for the better. Let us not be on the wrong side of history where our future generation condemns us to the depths of hell. Let us be the change that we desperately want to see. There is no shortcut out of this misery that we are suffering from currently. The NBCC can do all it wants but change can never be forced upon. It must be realized by us on our own. For all we know, the general attitude of the Naga public toward the NBCC is that of skepticism and cynicism. The NBCC has failed to live up to its name and reputation and naturally, people are upset and feel let down. Most Nagas want to know the stand of the NBCC on taxation by the NPGs on the Naga public that is so crippling our homes and the economy. So far, nothing concrete but then again, nothing surprising. But, enough of NBCC!
As mentioned earlier, Nagaland needs change and ever so desperately. Change-where we are more responsible, our representatives are more accountable and where we have a transparent system in order for our society to have an all-round development and progress. Yes! This is indeed possible and it has to come from us. We need to do it for ourselves; to secure our present and future, to secure our land and our future generation. Rise up, for we have nothing to lose but only the chains of bondage! For all the sacrifices that we make-big or small-our future generation will look back on us with appreciation and might even probably say,” We are what we are, because of who they were”. Long Live Nagaland!
I Longkumer
