The Corruption Saga
Corruption in Nagaland has laid its strong foundation during the past few decades and stand today ever strong thanks to the committed effort of the govt. officials in keeping the system ignorant so that there would be no ‘questioning authority’ in their race for being millionaires. Suppose the present situation of Nagaland is in point (A) and point (B) is the vision of the Naga leaders for a glorious Nagaland, then corruption stands in the middle, tall and impossible to get to the other side. Such is the sealed fate of the Nagas and every time another party or individual gets to sit in the government thrones and the people has high hope for a change, we are led right to point (A) and ever kept in loop never to get the people to point (B) whilst they get swell rich before they retire.
We have a theory as to how corruption began taking its roots and triumphed in our society. As history defines our present we shall go back in time from where it all began. It was in the early decades of the 19th century when the British started leading expeditions around the Naga inhabited areas in the North-East. By the 20th century they had already colonized some major areas of Nagaland. During the First World War the British also recruited Naga men in their army to fight against the Central Power and when the war ended in 1918 the returning Nagas who had seen the great advanced civilizations of the west, they became intellectually aware of the primitive perspective of the Nagas. In order to create a platform for the Nagas to catch up with the world intellectually, they formed the Naga Club comprised of visionaries who wanted to revolutionize Nagaland as those western countries.
But alas, with the exchange of power from the British to India, the fate of Nagaland was already sealed inside the labyrinth, wanting to but unable to get out.
It was because of strong determined leaders like AZ Phizo who gave a sense of hope to the Nagas and a message to the Indians that the integrity of the Nagas will never be compromised. Now when Nagaland attained its statehood in 1963 the state government and the bureaucrats came into existence. Their purpose was to allocate the funds from the center to the people for development which is like paying rent from the GOI.
It was only in 1997 when at least one NPG signed a ceasefire agreement with the GOI and peace somehow restored back in Nagaland.
During these 34 years amidst all the chaos, anarchy and confusion when there was no voice of the people and many public leaders were threatened with their lives if to speak out, the state government officials took this opportunity to start exploiting the Nagas. The GOI was busy checking the insurgency, the public was all the more afraid to speak out but the government officials started committing daylight robbery with no one to know anything or complain about it.
Thus the generations of such officials who now holds most government offices by buying their way through NPSC exams keeps the tradition of corruption alive and well.
At this rate we would never make it to our supposedly destined paradise at least not while we are still living in Nagaland. So the people altogether must change our approach and measures in our fight against corruption. Instead of dreaming for point (B) to come by itself unto us we should let go off that dream and think and act rationally. We should choose a new path, Point (C) where nothing is promised but progress will be based on our smart rational thinking and choices.
Liberal Democratic Party Nagaland (LDPN) Media Cell
