N.M. Jamir, Advocate
Chairman Nagaland Indigenous Forum
Ladies and gentlemen, tomorrow is happening today. If you can’t see, if you don’t know what’s coming, you’re going to be left behind. And not just one or two steps behind either –miles behind. And things are moving so fast you may never catch up-ever!
Have you ever been made fun of, ridiculed, abused, misunderstood and mocked until finally there came a time when you stood up and shouted, Enough, is “Enough!” Long live ACAUT.
Giving money and power to the government of Nagaland is like giving whiskey and car to a teenage-boy. It should be obvious to you now, why illegal pyramid schemes that permit few to get rich at the expenses of many others –these acts break human laws.
Time and time again, we have seen our political parties defend their corrupt members and even back them for corruption. Their first standard excuse is ‘Nothing malaise is proven yet.’ The second classic excuse is ‘Look at what other parties have done. Therefore, a murderer can be spared, as long as he can find another murderer’.
It is important to understand why all political parties back their corrupt members, despite massive allegations and enough circumstantial evidence to such people. The answer is in the way Nagas think. While it is easy to blame politicians, the fact remains that our politicians are not ethical because we are also not ethical. A large number of politicians have lost their track of the idea that every profession in this world have ethics- it may not be illegal to break them but still is definitely wrong. A doctor must treat his patient as soon as possible, it is assumed under medical practice. But if he delays treatment, it would be hard to prove it illegal. A teacher must try to teach the students well, though if she does not, it won’t be illegal. Society needs ethics as much as laws to function well. Law does not work without moral obligation.
Until we, as a society, really feel that graft, unethical behaviour and nepotism are huge problems, and start to truly care about all of them, politicians will not change. We should also send out the message that it is lack of values within us, and not just a few bad guys at the top, that has turned Nagas corrupt.
More than anything, we ourselves must change, and see the sense in doing so. A society without values cannot survive or function, let alone progress. When this realization dawn on a larger section of society, politicians will change. Right now, they don’t because they think you,the voter, do not care. We live in shameless times. When long-overdue, self-reflection and shame strike us, Naga people will be ready for change. We have seen many express on corrupt leaders; it is our time we did expose on ourselves.
From speaking engagements to dinner with friends, one question is constant: ‘Why is not corruption going away?’The question baffles the educated middle classes. Why is a reasonable, universal and noble demand for an honest society too difficult to achieve in a democracy? And why is that corrupt parties win elections times and times again?
We are not a people of stupid voters. We are simple, a people where we want different things, and that’s okay. However, removing corruption will require it to be made the number one priority for all people of Nagaland. It is a non-tribal issue, and remembering it will be beneficial to all. When the roof of the house is leaky, you need to fix the roof first rather than fight family feuds. If we can become one on this issue of fighting corruption, we will be able to win against it as well. As we agitate, politicians in the corridors of power will have to listen. Don’t sit idle and watch injustice happen. Rebel if you need. Don’t become a part of the evil, because you have enough talent to be successful by being good. Rise, fight and rescue us. The state needs you. Your time has come.
