By Imkong Walling
There is a romance attached to Nagaland, a museum piece for the West, a land populated by an exotic people, who take great pride in their age-old traditional values.
It goes by a touristic moniker– Land of Festivals, a nod to the state-sponsored ethnic festivities that are commemorated year round.
There is a less glamorous side as well, a side the inhabitants jokingly call— Land of Unions. This term, used with a mocking tinge, refers to the inhabitants’ tendency to form groups and associations of all kinds. The term ‘unions’ encompasses a wide spectrum of groups, from formally registered non-governmental organisations (NGOs) — including trade unions and other registered societies — to traditional tribal bodies.
But in the eyes of the law, it is reasonable. It is a democracy, where the right to organise into lawful groups — right to freedom of association — is a Constitutional guarantee. Any group of individuals can come together to form clubs, societies, organisations and even political parties, purportedly for a good cause. Trust is fundamental here, the Constitutional guarantee relying on the conscience of the human mind, assuming both lawful and well-intentioned behavior.
They are also known as civil society organisations, or sometimes, social collectives in diplomatic speech. And in Nagaland, these are ubiquitous. Politicians and government officials piggyback on them, and find themselves at odds with them.
Like a torrid love affair, the relationship between politicians and the myriad of unions produces sparks that, at times, bring the government and economy to a standstill.
Despite the umbilical connection to governance, and government, the topic seldom finds its way into parliamentary debate. But like an unexpected cameo, it got featured at the 6th session of the 14th Nagaland Legislative Assembly 2025.
The spark for the sudden curiosity was fairly obvious, with a recent paper spat featuring the Nagaland Foothills Road Coordination Committee (NFHRCC), MLA Achumbemo Kikon, and the Roads and Bridges Minister, G Kaito Aye setting the backdrop.
The Chief Minister, in his remark, flagged what was alleged to be unregulated functioning of numerous organisations in the state, while laying emphasis on the need for stricter regulations, accountability and sensitisation on the role of NGOs.
The CM’s remark however only trained focus on registered societies, whose official count was said to be around 8000 at present. He steered clear of courting further squabble, ignoring a greater pain in the government’s neck– NGOs that are not necessarily covered by the registrar of societies.
Preceding the CM’s remark, a ‘discussion on matters of urgent public importance,’ pertaining to the proliferation of unions, attempted to delve deeper into the proliferation of NGOs and the alleged overstepping of their role.
The Minister of Power and Parliamentary Affairs, KG Kenye, MLAs Achumbemo Kikon, Tongpang Ozukum and Nuklutoshi starred in the discussion.
Legislators of different parties concurring were a rare occurrence, further enhanced by Kikon taking the liberty to vent his resentment over the NFHRCC labelling him a “mere MLA.”
Careful not to stir a hornet’s nest, the legislators put across their argument with a disclaimer. They claimed they had no intention of curtailing a Constitutional right. Basing the argument on perceived undue interference in the government sphere and resource drain, they argued for defining parameters for the scope and function of NGOs.
The discussion however failed to specify whether they meant registered societies or those born out of Article 371(A), or both, while sidestepping one other key aspect— the nexus between political power and NGOs.
For years, politicians, particularly elected representatives, not to forget bureaucrats, have been pampering social collectives, including the tribal kind, for obvious reasons. They clearly cannot do without the unnamed organisations they are deploring today, ones that they patronise.
What the entire discussion missed was the pervasive hypocrisy, not solely NGOs overstepping their role.
The writer is a Principal Correspondent at The Morung Express. Comments can be sent to imkongwalls@gmail.com
