Thepfulhouvi Solo, IFS
Retd Principal Secretary
Nagaland carried the dual Responsibilities of enduring a violent mass Naga National Movement and managing a democratic State, suddenly acquired at one and the same time with a bunch of just won over descendants of head hunters who have not seen the world beyond their Tribes: not with a crop of foreign educated peaceful Freedom Fighters like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Jinnah, Sardar Patel, Subhas Chandra Bose, Ambedkar etc managing a well established British made well organized Structure of a State of India.
The Naga Hoho writing to the Governor to “cleanse Nagaland University” (EASTERN MIRROR: 1 October 2016), said:
“Unfortunately, right from the beginning a poor choice was made in the appointing the Vice Chancellor......, personal loyalty got the better of more relevant considerations like competence, academic eminence and personal integrity”.
What they wrote is pertinent; sensible, reasonable and very appropriate. They further rued at the:
“…current trend of heavy employment from other states particularly from Manipur and Assam......., sidelining hundreds of local qualified unemployed youth in the state”, and demanded “the appointment of the Head of the University by a “non-political.”
Their words and the Style of the communication surprisingly this time, are not of the usual rustic or threatening; their vocabulary this time is sensible, civilized, smoothly flowing, scholarly, hard hitting the Bull’s Eye and distinctly ringing.
Paradoxically, the Naga Hoho itself exhibits almost the same conditions and dispensations it wants the Governor to ‘cleanse’ in the University!
Usually; the Hoho sides certain quarter of the armed Naga national Groups, and are at the beck and call of the resourceful State Government, in every so-called high level ‘Consultative Meetings’ of the Government. Reality, Reasonableness, good sense, Ethics, Justice, Equity and welfare of the Nagaland appear no Interest to them.
Lack of such fine traits in the Organization resulted in the departure of 6 sidelined unprivileged major Tribes of the Eastern Nagaland –the Chang, Phom, Khiamniungan, Konyak, Sangtam and Yimchungrü- from the Organization and recently three more of the most educated and active Central Naga Tribes Council -Ao, Lotha and Sümi Tribes- dissociated themselves from the Naga Hoho despite great afford by the Government of the State to change the Eastern Nagaland decision. This leaves only the normally slow to act long suffering Angami and the Chakhesang’s luke warm presence, in the Organization from Nagaland. They also latterly dissociated from the Naga Hoho.
The Naga Hoho more often than not, supported the non-Indigenous from other State on Granting of Privileges and Employment in the State. The Organization’s untenable support for granting the Status of ‘Indigenous Tribe of Nagaland’ to the non-Indigenous of Nagaland, is so impertinent to the interest of Nagaland that the Aos, Lothas and Sümis cut off their ties with the Hoho. The Naga Hoho as of today is not the Full House; it has not the clout and therefore cannot make decisions like a Full House though it is alive with the help of external artificial Respirator machine.
The Nagaland Assembly also become so wonderfully tame without a single Opposition; all the Legislators of all the different Parties, including the Independents have united into a single Pact of this mutually self-benefiting United Voice, the ‘facade of Democracy’ of the Naga and extolled up to the highest heavens as a great sign of democratic Unity! From where has such a strange culture come to Nagaland? Raised in Naga Hills and Nagaland more than 85 years ago, this culture of flip flop, fear and superficiality was never found there or here.
So much was the mutually feared friendship inside the Assembly that none had the courage to ask any questions pertaining to the Subject in discussion mooted by their other friends, that the Businesses of the August House finished in just one 15 minutes Assembly Session!
Surprisingly even the Congress supported its adversary Government in the State in the unreasonable recognition of the Non-Indigenous as ‘Indigenous of Nagaland’! Certainly, some strange Spirits must have bewitched Nagaland!
And all the Members, lock-stock and barrel behaved like a Kangaroo Court supporting the Solution of the Indo-NSCN [IM] political Accord without the slightest knowledge of even the Principal Points of the so-called ‘Framework Agreement’ the Public has not the slightest knowledge of!
What kind of Public Leader would join all Parties? They have no politics of their own; certainly something is amiss in the Politics of Nagaland. Reality and Conviction is buried underground, morality and ethics: they have no respect.
The Political Leaders have no time for public discussion of Honesty and Truthfulness in the Political Leaders, they move about busily with questionable Academic qualification, without any moral authority.
People and Forces from outside the State have become Ruler of the Land influencing enactment of Land and Mineral exploitation Laws in the name of Land Development and thereby taking away the Rights and Privileges of the Land Owners, for which the British exited drastically out of the EU, ending the European Parliament power to make Laws binding the British. The British vowed to make Law for themselves in British Parliament to suit the British; the Nagaland governing authority pay scant attention.
As for the Leaders in the Church, they are to act like Prophets of antiquity instilling the Spirit of God in the secular Kings and Leaders of the People in removing false Spirit’s and ‘Reproach of the Land’; they blissfully continues the Gospel in Words, not in deeds. The Words of the Bible does not reveal its meaning for the dispensation of the present time.
One of the foremost proponent of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Paul did not take Words alone to the Thessalonians (I Thes.1: 5), he said:
“Our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction.”
To what shall this Generation of the Naga be compared?
The greatest challenge to Nagaland today is for the political leaders to keep distance from the political Parties of the mainland and preserve the indigenous genius and value systems.
