Kahuto Chishi Sumi
Dimapur
“..be his cause never so spotless.., can try it out with all unspotted soldiers. “This phrase from William Shakespeare’s play, Henry V, means that no matter how good or noble the cause, the fighters for the cause cannot all be expected to be faultless. So the fact that you are doing wrong or have committed a wrong should not prevent you from fighting for a good cause.
Every person with an iota of common sense knows that corruption is at the root of every problem that Nagaland faces. Each and every person in Nagaland is both a victim of corruption and a beneficiary of corruption, at the same time. But does a beneficiary of a “Back-door appointment” close his eyes to the pot-holed and almost non-existent roads? Does a corrupt contractor ignore the clogged and overflowing drains in his backyard? Do village chiefs and elders who collude with the authorities in swindling the simple villager put up with the frequent blackouts? Do venial bureaucrats enjoy having to constantly oil up to their political masters, kow-towing to their every whim just so they can abuse their plum postings? Do corrupt legislators enjoy shelling out millions in cash on the dicey probability of being elected? Do “Freedom Fighters” sleep easy at night knowing that the luxuries they enjoy are brought through the sweat, tears and fears of the very people they purport to be fighting for?
The questions are endless, but there is only one answer; and the answer is, “It matters not if you are a beneficiary of or have benefitted from corruption; what matters is that you understand that corruption cannot be allowed to flourish.” Nagaland is riddled with the disease of corruption; we are not HIV positive, but are full-blown AIDS patients. Our immune systems, which are the law enforcement agencies, have been overcome with the virus of corruption. We watch helpless as the symptoms of corruption manifest in our bad roads, irregular electricity, collapsed and collapsing bridges, as our jobs are snatched away by unfair means and as the food and fuel for our homes are diverted to build the palaces of the corrupt and to feed and clothe their equally corrupt wives and children in sumptuous luxury.
ACAUT can be likened to a doctor trying to treat an AIDS patient. Just as a doctor cannot cure a victim of AIDS, ACAUT cannot cure corruption. But just as a good doctor identifies the symptoms of the various diseases that afflict an AIDS patient and administers symptomatic treatment to the patient; ACAUT identifies the many symptoms of corruption in Nagaland and tries to treat them by approaching the Courts of Law and the Law Enforcement Agencies. But unlike AIDS, corruption can be cured. What ACAUT is doing is trying to awaken our immune system to fight against the virus of corruption. The immune system of Nagaland is comprised of each and every citizen of Nagaland. It is for every person of Nagaland to decide if he or she will succumb to corruption or fight against it, there is no other way.
ACAUT transcends any tribe, political party, faction, union, association or organisation; it represents an ideal, the Ideal of a Nagaland free from the Monster of Corruption. ACAUT has called for a Mass Rally against Corruption on the 25th of this month of August. Why? To show the unhearing and unheeding Half-Wits in power that the people of Nagaland cannot be ignored, that everything derives from us; their power and their wealth. And that their pomp and luxury belongs to us. That Nagas are not dogs and they are not our masters.
I am not a member of ACAUT, not because I don’t want to join them, but because I have too many detractors who are just waiting to put a tag on my opinions in an effort to nullify them. But I will be there on the 25th of August to show my complete support for ACAUT and the Ideal that ACAUT stands for. I will be singing along with them, for what I lack in tune and harmony, I intend to make up for in volume. For ACAUT represents the solution to our problems and your presence is compulsory if you wish to be a part of the solution; for if you are not part of the solution, you are the problem. Stand up and be counted! God save our Nagaland
