Citizens embrace the present political scenario with both opportunity for change and skepticism
Morung Express News
Dimapur | May 10
Limie Phom, a twenty two year old Naga woman, appears disinterested when asked about the kind of person she would like to see leading Nagaland state. “Someone who we can connect to and vice versa would be nice,” she says, while dusting off flies from sweet wrappers at her tiny pan shop in Dimapur. Limie however questions whether what she wants “even matters.” She instead views that the power holders and policy makers live in a state of disconnect from the majority of the people.
Results for the Lok Sabha polls in Nagaland state, along with the rest of India, will be declared on May 16. With the possibility of having new leaders manning the helm of state affairs, many view it as an opportunity for change, while some look at it with skepticism.
Bonnie Konyak from Mon discloses that, regardless of who leads the government, she “does not have very high hopes, especially one like the Nagaland government.” But she harbors certain expectations as well. “I dare to hope that it will be a government that takes up genuine issues of the people and come with concrete, well thought of steps to tackle the basic problems of connectivity, healthcare and education,” she adds.
Some feel that the new leadership should work towards taking tangible action over making promises and assurances. Jacob Yanthan, a teacher from Kohima states, “It is almost certain that we will have a new Chief Minister. Personally, I feel that whoever takes charge needs to stop the mere rhetoric on development and translate it to actions.”
Then again, what kind of development and at what cost? Limie’s shop lies on the edge of a busy road in Dimapur and she manages to eke out a living. “I have this small shop on rent. What if someday the road widens and I need to look for another way to earn my living? It won’t be easy” she mulls. She ponders whether the needs of a shopkeeper will even be considered in the mad rush to achieve a form of contrived development. “I want a leader who will take things like these into account?” she states.
Echoing ideas in the same vein, Yanthan hopes that a new leadership will “strive to ensure that state policies and programmes are people friendly,” and that “high minded visions do not blur the present realities.” “It is possible to achieve economic development on paper, but that will only be for a select few. The political elite should make sure to avoid such a scenario, where a majority of the people is left out of the development process,” he states.
Yanthan adds that that a bottom up approach needs to be incorporated in order to “earn people’s trust” and to ensure that leaders do not contribute to the milieu of cynicism, that exists in may sections of the people. “The leadership needs to connect with the people in a real and sincere way,” he asserts.
