V.T. Chakhesang
The 31st Jan, 2017 is engraved in the annals of Naga saga for the uprising against colonial invasion into the Naga ethos. Two precious lives are sacrificed at the altar of autonomy for the Naga people as safeguarded under Article 371A of the constitution of India. Unfortunately, the battle was fought against our own Naga brethren, who are the elected agents of the Government of India set up under the State of Nagaland Act, 1962. Apparently, the lure of money, imposing development need of the urban local settlements, favor of the womenfolk with the added advantage in the ensuing elections blinded the NPF party leadership. Instead of lending an ear to the public outcry and assuaging the fears of the populace. The NPF party leadership had blundered to shed the blood of the two sons of the soil, led by the obsession to immediately reap the low hanging fruits.
Even in the Christianized civilized western world of Europe and the United States of America, the civilized protestors resort to arson and vandalism to protect justice and morality. However, in the civilized western world, it is the leadership in the Government who owns the responsibility and steps down and resign on moral ground if they lose the confidence of the people. In the book of Mathew 21:12, Jesus himself overturned the tables, seats and drove out the thieves (who sold doves) from the temple, an act of vandalism to cleanse the temple. No one will encourage arson and vandalism but some degree of vandalism naturally emerges to be justified to cleanse the temple of democracy as well. Being a Christian State, the NPF Government had failed to uphold the trust of the Church represented by the NBCC. It remains to be seen how the responsibility will be fixed as the ball now lies in the court of the Speaker and Governor of Nagaland. The ways and means under the constitutional remedies to handle the impasse between the NPF Government with 59 MLAs out of 60 (the de jure rulers) and the JCC (NTAC) with the Naga voting public (the de facto rulers) will watchfully unfold.
The other side of the argument:
Democratic elections and the right to vote or the universal adult suffrage was an alien culture to diverse societies of the world including the Nagas. Against this backdrop, nations across the globe have adopted the representative democratic government with universal adult suffrage. In Nagaland, the conduct of elections are never held to be free and fair hence the call for clean election by the NBCC. Perhaps, as enshrined in Art 371A or beyond, the Naga’s can make a clarion call to adopt our own traditional practice of democracy with its own different form and usages. For instance, 1) the directly elected/selected Village Chairperson (VC) and Chairperson of each Semi/Urban Colony and the Vice-Chairperson concerned can be made an ex-officio member of the regional council which is a particular constituency. 2) The Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) representing each constituency and the Members of the Urban Local Bodies can be elected/selected out of a secret ballot by the regional council members. 3) The leadership of each apex Tribal Bodies (Hohos), the custodians of Naga tradition can be made the ex-officio advisors to their respective MLAs. Perhaps, the Naga populace can work out an original traditional-orientated, modern democratic institutions with adequate women representations for adoption and implementation beginning from the ensuing elections of the State.
Furthermore, to institute an effective minimum government and maximum governance, the need of the hour is to overhaul the Government machinery (organization). All the government offices can function with only fifty percent (50%) strength of the present employee viz., the State Secretariat, Directorates and the District offices including the Nagaland Armed Police Battalions (NAP) and the Indian Reserve Battalions (IRB) which are not vital to governance. The discretionary 50% workforce can be re-skilled and redeployed to new developmental wings to secure more benefit for the citizens and the government. For example, the 50% discretionary workforce can be reorganized into the Infrastructure Construction Division of the Urban Development Department. Similar with the Border Road Organization (BRO/GREF) personnel who can be re-skilled into managerial, draughtsman, carpentry, masonry, plumbers, welders, excavator/tipper truck drivers etc., with adequate Naga work-charged laborers maintained in each town/village. They may be posted to any town and village erecting homes, commercial buildings, churches, bridges, roads or any construction related works for the villagers or any citizen on demand. The villager or the citizen in turn can be offered to pay the government in flexible monthly instalments through the village/urban authorities for the services.
Finally, according to the Report on State Finances, 3(three) years back, the Nagaland State Government’s total revenue receipts for the year 2012-13 was `6204.29 crore. Whereas the revenue generated internally viz., State’s own tax revenue (`36.07 crore) plus State’s non-tax revenue (`25.78 crore) added to `61.85 crore. The State’s own revenue generated for 2012-13 at `61.85 crore amounts to 0.99% (per cent) out of the total revenue receipts of `6204.29 crore from all sources and the Government of India. The focus of the Naga society needs to be aimed at evolving an economically vibrant and citizen-centric State Government along with its resilient traditional-orientated democratic institutions.
