It is said that today we are living in the age of democracy. Democracy is undoubtedly the most popular form of government because in a democracy it is the people who hold the real power. Democracy is the only form of government where the people can change the government peacefully without resorting to unruly behaviors. Yes, in the past when the people did not have the means to change the government peacefully, the only way possible was through violence, rampage or even bloodshed. Thus, it is not a surprise that history is embedded with so many revolutions all over the world.
But thanks to democracy, we now have the means to change or pull down unpopular governments when they fail to meet the requirements and expectations of the people. And the means through which the people can change government is election. Thus, in a democracy, elections are the most important machinery. In fact, it would not be wrong to call elections as the driving engine of a democracy because democracy would have no meaning without elections. It is elections that prove and show that the real power lies in the hands of the people (the governed). This was why Abraham Lincoln famously described democracy as the government of the people, by the people and for the people.
And so, if election is the most fundamental pillar of democracy, it means that to refuse to be a part of elections would mean denying or rejecting democracy itself. This is why when it comes to elections, no democratic society can compromise. This is the reason why everyone (especially govt. servants) dreads election duty so much. Avoiding or failing to turn up for election duty can mean suspension/termination from govt. service or even imprisonment.
And so, when we understand that elections are like the pulse in a democracy, it is astounding and awe-inspiring to know that the Nagas refused to participate in the first three general elections conducted by free India in 1952, 1957 and 1962. In the first general elections (1952), the Nagas refused to participate and even went to the extent of returning all the ballot boxes empty to the Indian government. Similarly, the Nagas also boycotted the second general elections held in 1957 and also largely avoided the third general elections held in 1962. All these historical episodes demonstrate how fiercely united and committed the Nagas were in their quest for political freedom and sovereignty.
However, when circumstances compelled the Indian government to grant the unthinkable full-fledged statehood to the Nagas in 1963, the Nagas were somehow compelled to participate in the Indian staged elections. But in order to safeguard the interest, land and future of the Nagas, some of the Naga leaders were farsighted enough to realize that there must be a regional party which will work entirely for the benefit, protection and interest of all Nagas. Thus, these leaders brought about the formation of the first regional party of Nagaland with the cock (rooster) as its symbol.
It was through the formation of the cock party that the Nagas first experimented with electoral politics. It was through the cock party that the Nagas first voted in an election. It was through the cock party that the Nagas resolved and acted to remain aloof and alert as they were unceremoniously thrown into the sea of Indian politics.
Many Nagas believed and still believe that Nagaland statehood formed in 1963 can never be the permanent solution and that a better and permanent solution should come sooner or later. But when the need arose for the Nagas to exercise their democratic rights within the Indian set up mechanism, it was through the formation of the cock party that the Nagas found a platform to assert their uniqueness and inalienable rights as a distinct people.
The national parties of India have always had the upper-hand when it comes to exerting their dominance over the states especially the geographically smaller and culturally more vulnerable states. So, with the Nagas becoming a full-fledged state within the Indian union, it was no wonder that some of our leaders realized the need to have a strong regional party to safeguard and uphold Naga identity in the tumultuous sea of Indian politics.
So, from its very inception, the purpose of this cock party has been to ensure that the Nagas do not get lost and trampled in the vast, unpredictable and dangerous sea of Indian politics. The Nagas are a tiny people inhabiting the hilly tracts of land situated between India and Burma surrounded by vast populations and alien cultures all around. And with every passing day the world seems to be closing in on us.
It is said that you may not be interested in politics but politics is interested in you. And thus the most effective and powerful way through which we can exert our rights and safeguard our people, culture, land and future is through the medium of politics. So, when through extraordinary circumstances, we have been magnanimously granted full fledged statehood by India, it becomes inevitable for us to have a strong, vibrant and all-encompassing regional party so that the Nagas can stand a chance of existing in this part of South East Asia as a people with their own culture, history, future and political identity.
Over the years, the cock party has existed under different nomenclatures but its purpose and ideals remain the same. Over the years, the leaders of this cock party have also shifted their loyalties to even opposing parties and contested elections even against the cock party itself. Over the years the cock party has also failed miserably in many spheres thereby making the public to question its credibility and purpose.
However, the fact remains that today it is only when the Nagas can be united under the banner of a strong regional party that we can go to sleep feeling much safer from all the intrusions closing in on us and weeds cropping up underneath our feet. Being a part of this party, contesting and winning elections and forming government under the banner of the cock party should not become the sole aspirations of our state politicians because their vision and role should go much beyond that i.e. to do whatever is right, noble and worthy for the Naga people and the Naga homeland.
In the recent past it was a mockery to see some of our state politicians coming up with another so-called regional party merely due to petty differences, personal ambitions, egos and misgivings. If the Nagas were a huge populous people inhabiting significant areas of land, we would not have been so threatened or endangered by many of the issues that plague our society today. But being a tiny people surrounded by so many foreign elements all around, our challenges would become much more serious and insurmountable when our own people are to develop the trend of forming their own so-called regional parties at the slightest provocation and start competing with each other.
As the stalwarts of our state politics once again come under the banner of the cock party, all of them should strive to deliver on their promises and commitments which they have constantly uttered on the public domain over the course of their political career. Of course, roaming around in the latest SUVs escorted by armed personnel, being showered with gifts and praises at social gatherings and programs, being invited as chief guests and special guests in flamboyant programs etc must feel good and exhilarating for anybody.
But at the end of the day, it is worth remembering that our elected representatives carry the whole weight of the dreams, aspirations and expectations of our people. So at the forefront of their minds, they should remember that they are all public servants and social workers. A public servant or a social worker without any resources cannot accomplish anything because we need finances, manpower and equipments to pursue any project. But the good news is that all our elected representatives are provided with huge finances, sufficient manpower and access to machinery to carry out welfare and benevolent projects and missions. So, rather than unifying to chart out ways and means to further fill up their personal coffers, renewed efforts should be made to ensure that the principles and ideals for which the party was established in the first place are upheld and fulfilled in the midst of all the distractions and confusions.
It is said that a politician thinks only about the next election but a leader thinks about the next generation. And so my hope and prayer is that our state politicians would not only remain as politicians who think and work only for the next election but that they will evolve into true leaders and think and work for the greater good of all Nagas and the upcoming generations.
