Kahuto Chishi Sumi
Sir, With due respect, I would like to state that while appreciating the fact that you are concerned enough to address, directly, the people of Nagaland during these trying times; I feel it would be remiss on my part if I did not point out a few of the reasons why things have come to such a pass.
Granted that the Prime minister of a country, or in the case of Indian States, a Chief Minister of a state is not elected, directly, by the people, but by the elected members of the Legislature; and he, along with the Cabinet he chooses, come to Collective Decisions. But what must be kept in mind is the concept of Collective Responsibility, wherein the C.M. and his Council of Ministers are responsible for every act of commission and ommission to the Legislature. The fact that we have a State Legislature with no effective opposition to counter the Government's questionable policies leaves the people with no alternative but to voice our greviances out on the streets of Nagaland.
In the context of our present troubles leading to the deaths of three men; that a Judicial Inquiry has been instituted does not in any way alter the fact that the Chief Minster must suspend all policemen, from the Commissioner of Police down to the Jawans, involved in the incident. This has no bearing as to any presumption of guilt on the part of any of them. That is the commonly accepted procedure, and is taken so that none of them may, in any way, influence the course of the Judicial Inquiry in their favour by virtue of the posts they hold. Failing to do this, the Chief Minister must then remove the Home Minister from his Cabinet, since he is directly responsible for the Police; or if the Chief Minister does not do any of the above, he must step down, paving the way for his colleagues to elect a new “First among Equals”, and a new Cabinet. The Chief Minister along with the entire Cabinet, is responsible for everything.
They hold all the power and are thus accountable for everything. The fact that a Judicial Inquiry has been ordered is, in reality, an admission that something has gone awry with the functioning of the State Machinery;therefore one, some or all of the above steps have to be taken by any Government claiming to be functioning on Parliamentary lines. Having the backing of the majority of the Legislators in the Assembly does not give the C.M. and his Cabinet Colleagues dictatorial powers to override common Moral and Ethical Customs that are a must in any Parliamentary System of Government.
The question of Members of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly being asked/ coerced to withdraw their support/resign by their respective Tribal Organisations, I believe, Sir, is not something which the holder of your August Chair need be concerned about. Every Government in the world functions in the interest of and under the direction of pressure and interest groups. More so the democratic governments. If the Honourable Members of your August House had been kidnapped and were being held under duress by their Tribal Organisations, that would have been an entirely different matter. But calls for resignation of Government Officials, whether appointed or elected, by various interest groups is a Trademark of Democracy, it is what alerts Democratic Governments around the world to the needs of the people they represent.
That being said, I applaud and support your call for the process of dialogue among the warring parties to begin; for just as the Chief Minister and his Cabinet colleagued are seen to represent The Government of Nagaland; you, sir, represent The State of Nagaland and all its People. I end with the fervent hope that the Institution, for it is nothing less than that, of The Speaker of The Nagaland Legislative Assembly continues to be seen as a rock of stability in a sea of troubles. GOD SAVE OUR NAGALAND
