Once upon a time the emperor of china was in need of a strong and honest finance minister for his kingdom. But however urgent the kingdom’s need be, he was cautious not to be in too much of a haste. He drew together all his advisors, the wise men and the scholars of his court and deliberated for days. He then sent his wise men secretly throughout the length and breadth of the kingdom in search of the men with the right background, scholastic knowledge, experience and disposition. After several months the wise men returned and reported the names of thirteen persons with the right qualifications. Thereafter, proclamation was made across the country for the post of the Minister of finance of the kingdom with huge salary and enviable perquisites. The minister, it said, will have to work closely with the emperor himself. Hundreds applied including twelve out of the thirteen already identified. One of the thirteen had not applied. The emperor sent his men to bring the person to his palace and questioned him why he had not applied for the post. The reluctant scholar replied that he felt he would not be able to handle the tremendous responsibility to the emperor’s satisfaction and as such was not ready for the job. The emperor immediately appointed him as his finance minister and said you among all this worthy people are the only one who understood the actual problem that lie in front of the kingdom. You gave no thought to the huge salary and the attractive perquisites. With your true humility, I cannot find a better man in my kingdom. And thus the emperor found the most worthy finance minister for his kingdom.
The story came flashing back to mind when I read the interview carried by Nagaland Post 10th May 2012, where in Dr. S. C. Jamir expressed surprise on being queried by the reporter on the speculations about his name being raised in some quarters for the next president of India and simply added that he was ‘not ready for the job’.
When Dr. Jamir was given the additional charge of the Governor of Maharashtra in 2008, I was telling a good friend of mine, an editor of a popular English daily of Dimapur, that the Congress party was grooming Dr. Jamir to be the President in 2012, which will be a step in the right direction. This will also be one of the many ways towards an honourable settlement vexed naga political problem. On their own volition the GOI honour a faithful and loyal party worker and in the process, honour the naga people in particular and the NE people in general. For the naga people, its faith in the sincerity of the GOI will be restored or re-restored. It would be a good sign, a positive step to peace and harmony in the entire region which the common man at the grassroot level yearns for.
Mr. P. A. Sangma struck the nail on the head when he said that it is time for a tribal and a Christian from the NE region to become the next President of India. India is a secular state and must remain so. The office of the president of India should not be influenced on the basis of community, caste, race, region or religion. Hence it is imperative that a rotational arrangement is adopted where all get represented at the right opportunity in the due course of time, based primarily on the nation’s requirements and exigencies of the time. Mr. Sangma however, shot himself in the foot when he also stated that that person was himself. It was like the naga reconciliation syndrome – nagas are one people and all naga political groups must be untied…under my group. Sangma unfortunately, doesn’t have his own party’s support and so much less in the rest of the NE states who are including NPF in Nagaland, except Tripura, with the UPA II .
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has never been so beleaguered and harassed as he has been in the last several months. From the way things look, his worst days appear to be ahead of him instead of behind. Shri Pranabji had specifically bailed out the government on the floor of parliament on several occasions in the past. When the Bengal Tiger roars in parliament not only the ruling and the opposition but even those watching the proceedings via live TV are struck speechless. Such is the caliber of Pranab Babu, all will feel safer with him in parliament. He is the only UPA leader who is respected equally acceptable across the board in parliament. Besides Pranabji is the only leader in UPA capable of weathering the storm in parliament should the need arise. To recommend him for presidentship at this critical juncture would be doing a disservice to the nation.
Mr. Fakruddin Ali Ahmed former president of India was from the Northeastern state of Assam. But his name came up from the Muslim panel more as a Muslim leader rather than a northeast leader. Dr. Zakir Hussain was another and of late Hamid Ansari’s name had also been proposed apparently, if Lalu Prasad is to be believed, for the same criterion.
If selected/elected, Dr. Jamir will expose the hidden face of India to the whole world, a Christian, a tribal and a mongoloid leader from NE India. In india it will be a rallying point for the tribals, the forgotten masses. From the NE to Leh, Ladakh and the tribal regions of Central India from Bengal in the East to Gujarat in the west, UP and Bihar in the north to Tamil Nadu and Kerela in the south, from the lands of the Maoist and naxals, the tribal people will see a champion in Dr. Jamir.
The GOI must earn to good- will of those that feel betrayed and discriminated for the right or wrong reasons if the problem has to be overcome. An atmosphere congenial to the existence of mutual respect for each other has to be ‘created’ if necessary.
Internationally the first impact will be felt in the South Asian region. It is in India’s interest to strengthen its relationship with ASEAN taking advantage of the under current anti-China or China suspicious stance of ASEAN. India’s North East is ethnically, culturally, geographically, in their food habits quite akin to the people of the South Eastern Asian nations. India must take fully advantage of its many diversities.
China and Japan would surely view India as more eastern than west or south Asia and nearer home Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan even Tibet will in a sense feel easier to be easier to be closer. (Indeed “easier to be closer” would be the key word.) In the west, the easily accepted notion of a great Hindu nation beating down a small helpless little Christian state will stand largely allayed.
It would also give a boost to the on going peace dialogue between the GOI and the nagas. The upgradation will erase much suspicion and ill-will caused by decades of an imposed war like situation that exist. That will be going the right way ahead. And surely the peace talks will find its way out of the doldrums in the days to come.
In Manipur some former Ministers among Naga and Meitei brothers have already recommended the name of Dr. S. C. Jamir as the next President of India. Manipur is expected to come out totally in support of Dr. Jamir. There is no reason why Nagaland led by its dynamic Chief Minister Shri. N. Rio would not support a senior, if not senior most, politician from Nagaland for the post of the President of India. The ruling party and the opposition parties coming out together as one for the its son of the soil would be a sight never witnessed before and will be a blessing for all who are party to it.
Today the people of the NE are in the grip of an identical crisis in their own country as had never happened before. The people from the region are feeling alienated and the chasm appear to be growing wider. The moment we cross the NE into the mainland we experience insults, discrimination and apathy. Blame it on ignorance, parochialism, falling moral standards etc etc, these trends cannot be set right by legislation or by various enforcing agencies alone. – It might even aggravate the situation. The most pro-active and self-resolving social exercise would be to create mutual respect for each other, between the people of the NE and the mainland. If mutual respect exists, good will for each other will follow and everything will fall into place sooner or later.
It is in that perspective that the candidacy of Dr. Jamir is advocated. It will also create mutual respect among the people in the region. Among people in the neighbouring states in the region. It harkens the long awaited peace and prosperity that the people had so long yearned for.
Puni Modoli.
Dimapur, Nagaland.
