It is common knowledge that the bane of administration in Nagaland has been that the quality of its work force and subsequently the poor motivation and interest shown resulting in the deteriorating work ethics and culture. However the good news is that things may be changing for the better. In the last five years or so, one can notice the growing number of young Nagas entering government service through various exams and interviews. This is a very welcome development as our young and qualified youths have been waiting in the wings to contribute towards the State building process. In fact one can even look at it as a silent revolution taking place within the government setup with many young faces entering the government at different levels—from teachers to administrators to name only a few. One should say that this changeover has become more pronounced with the retirement of thousands of the older employees in the last three years. Every year there is infusion of fresh blood into our civil service and this year too many have been selected to serve the government. While we congratulate all the new entrants and wish them luck and success, there is also greater responsibility on these young shoulders to carry the burden and expectation of our people. And more so given that the government sector is central to our daily existence and need, these new entrants should be conscious of their duty towards the welfare of the people. These young people will be themselves aware of the negative connotation attached to the government sector and the grave concern over work ethics or the lack of it.
Perhaps this is a wonderful opportunity to overhaul the government system and if anybody can do it, it is these new entrants who can make a difference and bring about a changeover. As a result, with the absorption of the better qualified personnel into the government sector; the much needed enthusiasm that is clearly lacking can be brought in. Likewise, a better qualified and younger workforce can assure the system, both creativity and innovative spirit to reinvigorate the lackadaisical bureaucracy, which is the need of the hour. These young people must be encouraged to bring positive results in the area of improving our work ethics and governance. At the same time, having a new breed of officers is not going to be sufficient. We also need to reform the system otherwise even such enthusiastic and inspired youths may get co-opted into the rut of the existing corrupt system. So perhaps this is a good time for the concern department to implement some of the administrative reforms that has been kept in the back burner all these years. We can revolutionize our government system now when the work force is young and receptive to change. If we wait too long, we may have to wait for another forty years or so. The challenge for our youths who have entered government service will be how best they can now bring the change from the old to the new—the paradigm shifts that they wanted in the Nagaland of their dreams such as taking on corruption and ensuring accountability and transparency in governance. Young Nagas must not fail the people. They must serve with a mission.
